Are Innovation Units Good Entry Points For Startups?
Yes and No.
Yes, because:
→ By default open to new products
→ Signals company has integrations process
→ Have a basic understand of the company’s strategy
No, because:
→ Are not in the weeds of a BU’s topic
→ Have fewer to no (political) influence
→ Might take meetings only out of interest
In my personal experience, few deals have actually come out of innovation / transformation units.
Still, I’d always target them to collect company intel to approach the main business units.
→ Higher chance of replies / meetings / deals.
What’s been your experience as an early-stage seller/founder?
