We help companies protect their core, scale the edge, and plant seeds for the future without disruption
It fails because the system is designed to protect the present, not build the future. Governance structures that work for core business strangle innovation. Metrics that matter to CFOs don't match metrics that guide builders.
The problem isn't innovation. It's the structure, incentives, and politics that surround it.
Before building anything new, you have to see the mess for what it is. We map innovation complexity, tech maturity, and timeline risk. We trace the blockers—decision loops, incentives, org charts, labs that build prototypes no one funds, metrics that make no sense.
The goal isn't to blame. It's to help leaders differentiate between signals and noise, to see what's holding them back.
Manufacturing Conglomerate: 3 years funding "innovation theater" with 18 projects and no clear market path. We mapped the portfolio, killed 60% of stalled efforts, redirected capital into 2 high-complexity bets aligned with next-era demand shifts.
Breakthrough innovation can't grow inside structures built to protect the core. We create a protected lane with its own governance and funding. We hardwire a faster decision loop.
When innovation stops fighting the core business, everything moves faster.
Telco Giant: $2B company spent 18 months building an innovation lab that produced 47 pilots, three awards, and zero revenue. We focused only on the 10% that had a real path to market with separate governance structure and stage-gate funding.
Most pilots die because they're judged by the wrong scorecard. You don't measure an infant by the same standards as a full-grown business.
We reset what success looks like at each stage: infant, child, teen, adult. That shift alone saves years of wasted effort.
Infant: Learning velocity, hypothesis validation
Child: Early adopter feedback, product-market fit
Teen: Revenue growth, TAM expansion
Adult: ROI, margin optimization, market share
Good stories inspire. But innovation needs builders. We work with teams who ship, test, and grow new futures instead of waiting for permission.
This means hiring for bias-to-action, creating rapid prototyping cycles, and celebrating smart failures that accelerate learning.
Regional Bank: $1B bank had a 40-page innovation strategy, seven committees, and zero working pilots. We separated core from breakthrough, cleaned up the management process, set proper KPIs. The first pilot went live in twelve weeks.
Different innovation zones require different success metrics aligned with their strategic purpose and timeline
Focus: Revenue protection, cost efficiency, margin improvement
KPIs: EBITDA, customer retention, operational efficiency, market share defense
Focus: Learning velocity, market traction, revenue growth potential
KPIs: TAM expansion, pilot-to-scale rate, adoption metrics, failure rate with learning
Focus: Strategic optionality, future defensibility, category creation
KPIs: Patent portfolio, partnerships formed, market positioning, cultural readiness
| Zone | Decision Makers | Funding Source | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🟩 Core | Operational Leaders + CFO | Operating Budget (5-10% annual budget) | 0-2 years |
| 🟩 Adjacent | Business Unit Heads + Strategy | Strategic Budget (10-15% operating profit) | 2-5 years |
| 🟨 Edge | Innovation Board + C-Suite | Corporate VC, Partnerships (1-5% annual revenue) | 3-10 years |
| 🟥 Beyond | CEO + Board + Ethics Board | Long-Horizon R&D (5-10% R&D budget) | 7-15+ years |
Free Innovation Audit
Quarterly Engagement
Full Transformation
Limited to the First 3 Companies
Deep-dive mapping + clarity report. First come, first served basis.