Business Chief USA – August 2019

companies from startup to the upper

echelons of the Fortune 500, have

long since been replaced by process-

oriented executives with corporate

backgrounds.

As someone who made the leap

from the corporate world of manage-

ment consultancy into the dynamic

startup landscape, I know how difficult

it is for companies to retain their

dynamism as they transition from agile

challenger to established incumbent.

While many founders bemoan the lack

of a level playing field when it comes

to the resources available to large

corporates, being small can be an

advantage for innovative startups as

they are neither too unwieldy nor too

conservative to implement new ideas. 

WHAT DO STARTUPS HAVE TO OFFER?

 So, if the balance of power is currently

tipping away from large corporates it’s

worth asking what about startups

makes them so innovative. Startups

generally consist of a small team

which means they can remain respon-

sive to changes in the market. They

also depend for their vitality on

identifying new, more efficient

methods which means they usually

make for more cost-effective enter-

prises. As private entities, startups can

make decisions with the long-term in

mind as they don’t have to worry about

the impact of quarterly performance

on their share price.

In my work with startups, I’ve seen

how the need to break new ground

affects the culture of many successful

startups. Indeed, the most successful

see their lack of scale as a virtue

because it makes for clear-eyed

decision-making.

“If large

companies

don’t take the

necessary action

to stay one step

ahead, they’ll

soon find

themselves

falling behind”

—

Ritam Gandhi,

Founder and Director, Studio Graphene

48

TECHNOLOGY

AUGUST 2019