Business Chief USA August 2019

TECHNOLOGY
48
companies from startup to the upper
echelons of the Fortune 500, have
long since been replaced by processoriented
executives with corporate
backgrounds.
As someone who made the leap
from the corporate world of management
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 responsive
to changes in the market. They
also depend for their vitality on
identifying new, more efficient
methods which means they usually
“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
make for more cost-effective enterprises.
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.
AUGUST 2019