Partner Success Summit 2022
REPORT & HIGHLIGHTS
Over two exciting days in July 2022, we were joined by partners across the globe to explore the new strategy simulation Venture! as well as discuss and learn from thought leaders in corporate transformation, education, clusters, entrepreneurship and venture capital.
“Very insightful and humbling! Many thanks to all the speakers and the whole Strategy Tools Team for planning this!”
Tim Wynant
Co-Founder, TRENT.ai and Meraki | Belgium
Recordings & Highlights
The Nine Principles of Business Development
In this keynote, Strategy Tools founder Christian Rangen walks us through the Strategy Tools Universe and what it means to be a part of it. He then delves into the Nine Principles for Business Development that we use at Strategy Tools.
3 Key Takeaways:
- There is a necessity for long-term thinking in your customer relationships and development – it can sometimes take years to land large projects. Are you able to list your top five long-term client prospects?
- It is not about the amount of tools or canvases you have, but rather how you are able to find the right one to work with your client. How well do you know the tools available on Strategy Tools?
- Start conversations, not presentations. 70/30 Questions vs Speaking. How good are you in asking questions?
For the full nine principles, check out the video recording of the keynote.
Christian Rangen
Founder | Strategy Tools
Strategy and transformation advisor to companies and governments globally.
Founder of Strategy Tools. Founder of Engage // Innovate. Creator, Strategy
Sims. Co-founder, Link Capital. Visiting faculty at IE, Duke, BI, and FHV.
Costa Rican Cluster Development
In this keynote, Chief Executive Director of the Global Life-Centered Hub Erick Brenes takes the audience on a journey of developing the first innovation supercluster in Costa Rica.
3 Key Takeaways:
- Having the right tools and frameworks for discussions really enables alignment among very different stakeholders. For example, the Supercluster Strategy Map allowed the Global Life-Centered Hub to advanced 2-4 years of work in just 9 months – simply by offering a framework that all stakeholders can align on.
- Strategy Tools are highly adjustable to local conditions, industries and situations – the national cluster program of Costa Rica has used them for 22 cases.
- By using the right tools – it clearly sets a “secure” path independent of cluster maturity. It will help you build an adjustable roadmap to support different stakeholders.
Erick Brenes
Chief Executive Director | Global Life-Centered Hub Costa Rica
Erick Brenes is a board member of several companies, national and international profit and non profit organizations on ESG (environmental, social and governance) issues, and supervise sustainability projects/programs and will soon publish an open essay on “Decolonizing economic theory”.
He is also the founder of the Mesoamerican Knowledge Lab, Latinamerican Observatory on Sustainable Finance, AVEO Global and advisor to Costa Rice Regenerativa and Amazon Sacred Headwaters.
Everyday Superhero: How You Can Inspire Everyone & Create Real Change At Work
In this keynote, Professor Tony O’Driscoll delves into the basis behind his new book Everyday Superhero, How You Can Inspire Everyone & Create Real Change At Work.
3 Key Takeaways
- 88% of CEOs say successfully executing projects is the most important area of strategy implementation, yet organizations fail to make the changes required to implement their strategies 70% of the time.
- Leadership skills are most important to successfully navigate complex projects, and cultural attitude was identified as the #1 barrier to successful strategy implementation.
- In order to address the strategy execution challenge, we have to move from a top-down hierarchical leadership system to a middle-out networked leadership system that is people-centered.
Prof. Tony O'Driscoll
Professor, Research Fellow and Academic Director at Duke University
Tony O’Driscoll is the co-author of Everyday Superhero and a professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a Research Fellow at Duke Corporate Education. He was a founding member of IBM Global Services Strategy and Change consulting practice where he consulted at the highest level with business executives on creating competitive advantage in increasingly complex environments. Tony has authored articles in Harvard Business Review, the Financial Times, Strategy and Business and Dialogue. He has published two books on learning and organization performance.
How to Design an Accelerator Program for Impact
In this keynote, Marcus Hølland Eikeland brought us on a journey on how Katapult designs and runs its world-renowned impact accelerator programs.
3 Key Takeaways:
- A key learning over the past 5 years of running accelerators at Katapult was that focused thematic verticals are more effective and attractive for all parties.
- Investors want more specific impact mandates while startups want more tailored programs and networking.
- Partner with exceptional people to co-create the program – including the alumni startups as they sit on the most up-to-date and relevant knowledge and knowhow.
Marcus Hølland Eikeland
Program Director & Partner at Katapult
Marcus is Program Director and Partner at Katapult, one of the world’s leading impact and sustainability investment platforms. Katapult runs accelerator programs and invest in early-stage technology companies that are focused on Ocean, Agri, Food or Climate.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP & VENTURE CAPITAL PANEL:
Surfing the Rough Seas: Entrepreneurs, Corporates & VCs
In this panel session, we discuss the startup ecosystem and how it should survive in today’s economic climate, and the role corporations and VCs have to play in this.
Key Takeaways:
Trends:
- Expect to see democratization of the VC model, as there’s enough money out there seeking to be deployed in sustainable business models.
- Startups should ‘Go out and break things – carefully!’. It is a great time to build companies.
- Pay attention to ‘startups acquiring startups’ trend, creating 1+1=3It is upside for ones. Preparation for winners for the others. Consolidation – On!
Scaleup Coach:
- There should be a respect for the individual entrepreneur.Scope service and expectations properly and set KPIs – and make sure there’s coachability, not only coach available.
CVCs:
- To sell entrepreneurship in a corporate, first segregate what the corporate aim for, and learn its decision-making process. Then ask: “What is the highest risk you’ve taken?”, and “What do you accept as a failure?” . These are Eye Openers
Panelists
MODERATOR
Nir Melamud
CEO @ FreshStart; Managing Partner @ Tech Investor Club, Board Member | Israel
Entrepreneurial executive with over 18 years of extensive experience in management consulting, GTMs & Digital marketing methods and Strategic partnerships. Nir is a global facilitator and helps startups, scaleups & emerging fund managers to scale & fundraise better.
Amine Tazi
Managing Partner, AT Swiss Ventures | Switzerland
General Partner, Tech Investor Club
Venture Partner, Loyal VC
Entrepreneur and investor in high tech ventures
M&A lead advisor
Elin Hauge
AI and Business Strategist | Norway
Elin Hauge is an experienced AI and business strategist and professional speaker, based in Norway. Over the last handful of years. She has coached and mentored more than 300 technology entrepreneurs on pitching, business strategy and commercialization. Currently she also works with Consilience Ventures, venture capital player disrupting investments and sweat equity through tokenization, and BIRD Incubator, the leading privately held tech incubator in Croatia.
Musstanser Tinauli
Co-Founder, Hayk | Norway
Dr. Musstanser Tinauli is an early influencer of design thinking and smarter-cities since 2009. He is a multiple times founder of funded startups that focus on mobility, gig-economy and transformative deep-tech. He currently spread-heads the technology driven mission in multiple startups including Fori Inc, Hayk AS and Fori Mazdoori. Dr. Tinauli is also a keynote speaker and deep-dive design thinking workshop conductor. He speaks on future of technologies, environmental impact and scale.
EDUCATION PANEL
Education: How Strategy Tools Works with Buyers, Faculty, and Students
In this panel session, we took a look into how faculty is using Strategy Tools products to create impact in an educational context.
3 Key Takeaways
- Setup the right introductions for Faculty
a) By linking to their work/research
b) By a shared contact or organization running Strategy Tools solutions
c) Best. Faculty already knows Strategy Tools impact in education - Identify Faculty/Program need, open the options
a) We have a large portfolio of use cases and program designs that can accommodate any educational context
b) Help faculty embed the new Tools, Simulation, Solutions as seamlessly as possible
c) BEST. Co-design the target Program with Faculty - Design the best education experience from Students and Attendees’ point of view
a) Their feedback is key for growing the long-term partnership
b) Make it so good that Faculty / Program / Student and Attendees wants more
c) Have a follow up plan to deliver more impacts through ST solutions every semester/program
Panelists
MODERATOR
Enrico Maset
Strategy Tools | Belgium
Prof. Antonella Martini
Full Professor of Business Economics, Strategy & Competitive Intelligence, University of Pisa | Italy
Javier Sevilla
Adjunt Professor, Northeastern University | Mexico
Javier is CEO and founder of NováreQ (a boutique consultancy firm in Mexico) and is an expert in business strategy, innovation, and business transformation, he collaborates with organizations to compete for their present and future now.
Javier has been involved in consulting, tech and management, for around 20 years in projects in USA, Argentina and Mexico in the private and public sectors. He works with companies, SMEs, clusters, government, startups / scaleups, and business schools. He is an adjunct professor at Northeastern (San Francisco, USA).
Greg Dobrucki
Business Strategy Facilitator, WarGaming Sessions, Strategic Thinking Catalyst | Poland
Over 25 years of experience in business and marketing strategy on local and international levels. Worked in international business in Poland, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland (global HQ), being in charge of brand management, sponsorship and heading Marketing and Strategic Planning function in Poland and Germany. Since 2015, Greg has been delivering services through his boutique consultancy Leadium Consulting from Warsaw, Poland.
CORPORATE TRANSFORMATION PANEL
Corporate Innovation: From Showcasing to True Competitive Advantage
In this panel session, we covered, amongst many other topics, challenges faced by corporations to transform and become genuinely ambidextrous.
Key Questions We Discussed:
- Why and how do we create an ambidextrous organization, running explore and exploit at the same time?
- How do you balance the core business and innovation at a large corporation?
- Who is the right buyer for Strategy Tools from a corporate perspective?
- How do you create an organization that embraces change, that are comfortable with feeling uncomfortable?
- What are the leading practices to make a transformational program successful for an organization?
- How can you create or change an innovation culture?
Panelists
MODERATOR
Glenn Tjon
Innovation Strategy, 3H Innovations Group | Panama
Esther Seirdl-Nussbaumer
Head of Corporate Innovation, Sigvaris Group | Switzerland
Eric Braun
Strategic Advisor, Light Line Delivery Corp | USA
Scott Newton
Managing Partner, Thinking Dimensions Global | Italy
Scott B. Newton focuses on strategy, mergers, and acquisitions for leading companies worldwide. Companies work together with Scott to develop and acquire the capabilities required to achieve long-term EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) potential with an emphasis on responsible growth.
Mr. Newton joined Thinking Dimensions in 2001, and has worked with clients in EMEA, APEC, and The Americas for both emerging market and mature market development.
CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT PANEL
The Rise of Innovation Superclusters
During this panel session, we discussed how clusters worked as drivers of economic growth, how cluster can connect strategy with business models, as well as how to structure and sell cluster programs.
Key questions discussed:
- What is the difference between clusters and ecosystems?
- What role do digital technologies have to play in cluster strategy?
- What is the relationship between a cluster strategy and a cluster business model?
- What are some cross-selling opportunities that clusters can create?
- Where can you start if you were interested in exploring cluster project opportunities?
Panelists
MODERATOR
Roberto Chaverri
Head of LATAM, Engage // Innovate | Costa Rica
business model design advisory for multinational and large regional companies across Latin America.
Claire Barnouin
Executive Director, Monterrey Aerocluster | Mexico
Of French nationality, Claire is a specialist in cluster or industrial networks management with about 17 years of experience in binational and regional economic development and specializes in the aeronautical sector. In 2008 she is offered the role of Executive Director of Nuevo León Aerospace Cluster, Mexico – a non-profit Civil Association.
While working in Mexico City she developed strong ties with the main US and Mexican competitiveness agencies, which allowed her to lead bilateral projects in entrepreneurship and innovation. She acts as an institutional link between government, academia, and the private sector.
Jose Ramón Natal
Cluster Manager, MetaIndustry4 | Spain
Jose Ramón Natal has more than 20 years of experience supporting companies in their innovation and internationalization processes. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Spanish Clusters Association and is an advisory board member of several Innosup and COSME projects.
Victor Haze
Project Manager, Holland Semiconductors | The Netherlands
Victor Haze is a strategy designer, ecosystem navigator and co-author of the Cluster Business Models report. He has extensive experience in ecosystems and cluster development He’s currently working on further developing the Holland Semiconductor ecosystem.
Ljubisa Petrovic
Associate Partner, Strategy Tools | Tha Balkans
Ljubisa Petrovic is an executive with more than 20 years of experience in senior management positions in Sales, General Management, Business Development and Supply Chain. During his career, he has worked for large multinational companies like Interbrew and in leading regional companies like Delta Maxi, Imlek and Don Café.
Since 2012, he has been working on consulting projects in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia, advising local and foreign companies.
Carlos Gallegos
Consultant, Engage // Innovate | Costa Rica
Carlos has over 35 years of experience in Business Consulting and is considered a specialist in Business Strategy, Enabling Technologies, Business Transformation, and Change Management. Mr. Gallegos has lead important engagements in most countries in Latin America. In the last years he has directed transformation processes at leading public institutions in Costa Rica.
CLOSING OUT
Business Development Track
The BD track aimed to get an understanding what is top-of-mind to our partners in their Business Development efforts and where Strategy Tools can potentially support.
During the Session
The session was split into 2 exercises. During the first one, the breakout teams discussed a case where they sold a ST solution and discussed their approach to targeting and adding value to a customer. This then supported the second exercise, where the partners voted for their biggest priorities and the focus areas (split over 4 pillars) they would like ST support in.
Results
- Great engagement during the exercises and clearly BD is an area ST partners looking to grow and invest their time and efforts in
- From the 89 votes cast, “sales & marketing” got 38%, “business development” got 26%, and “Delivery” and “Customer Success” 25% and 11% respectively. Results are on the next page.
- The biggest priorities of the key focus areas within the 4 pillars, were:
- Creating a Sales process and building a solid pipeline
- Sales coaching to grow
- Crafting a strong and competitive Value proposition
- How to facilitate and deliver great engagement
Next
The ST team will discuss the results and how this can be incorporated into our partner development programs. Stay tuned!!!
BD Workshop led by
MODERATOR
Bulent Kotan
Independent Executive – Strategic Transformation, peaq. | UAE
His experience spans across a diverse portfolio of programs, geographies and functional areas, including strategy & transformation, new business development and commercial excellence, formal project & program management and analytics transformation.
Join the Strategy Tools Partner Network
By joining the Strategy Tools partner network, you will join a global community of like-minded individuals wanting to develop and enhance their capabilities.
You will also be invited to partner-only events and always be the first to get updates on new frameworks, tools and products from Strategy Tools.