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Strategy

How to get from insight to market in a complex, sometimes chaotic, fast-moving world.

The truth about the first-mover advantage

The truth about the first-mover advantage

In 1988, Marvin B. Lieberman and David B. Montgomery, both eminent professors at Stanford Business School, theorized the notion of first-mover advantage (FMA) in a ground-breaking article. The idea gets hold of the collective mind of innovators and business strategists as a core law of nature: pioneering firms would generate

Is there a future for the gas station?

Is there a future for the gas station?

The demand for gas is now on a stable downward trajectory. In 2030, McKinsey estimated a drop to $79bn, down from $87bn in 2019. The venerable gas station is among the many businesses and infrastructure impacted, and companies like Shell are now paying attention. With consumers and professionals transitioning to

Laws & Regulation vs. Innovation

Laws & Regulation vs. Innovation

Last June, I discussed some elements of the thermodynamics of innovation and how laws and regulations are very often the limiting factors to getting change in the market. In that regard, the seemingly never-ending race to get autonomous vehicles on the road is a perfect example. If the technology was

Disney is now thinking as a tech platform

Disney is now thinking as a tech platform

Launched 2 years ago, Disney+ 152 million subscribers are now creeping up on Netflix's 223 subscribers. And while it would an endless debate to compare both streaming services' features, catalog content, brand value, or pricing, let's say that from now on, the future of Netflix

Meta is not shedding value because their metaverse sucks

Meta is not shedding value because their metaverse sucks

Startups are all about one big, hyper-focused core bet on the future. The lack of resources and time when you're starting a tech venture from scratch means you can only have this one bet. It works, or you crash. For multinationals? The innovation logic is vastly different. It&

The innovation (portfolio) rule of 120

The innovation (portfolio) rule of 120

To properly manage a corporate innovation portfolio, I often refer to the "120 Rule", to explain that innovation is a quantitative game. A few days ago, I picked up the following data on the gross multiple U.S. venture capital firms would get on their initial startup investments.