Early Stage And Start Up
Companies:
Both investors and entrepreneurs have
actively sought our support in helping early stage companies develop and
execute their business strategies. Start-up companies present
special sets of challenges. Often the entrepreneurs have deep
technical expertise, but little experience in developing and executing
the business plan. Many times they want to "conquer the world,"
but don't know how to focus their efforts to drive successful growth.
Many times they lack the ability to identify and attract the right
resources. They are faced with tough choice and limited resources.
Finally, they struggle in commercializing their products and services,
seeking to win against established competition.
Investors have their own needs.
VC's, angels and others want to develop the capabilities of their
portfolio companies as rapidly as possible. They want to get their
portfolio partners "into revenue" as quickly and effectively as
possible. They want to mature the leadership teams in the
development and execution of their strategies.
In addressing the special needs of
start-up companies and their investors, Partners In EXCELLENCE has
developed a number of services complementing its normal consulting
offerings. We work with investors in helping assess companies they
want to invest. We help them develop the capabilities of the
management teams, serving as coaches and advisors. We roll up our
sleeves and work in the execution of the business plan, helping the
entrepreneurs establish traction.
We help entrepreneurs by bringing skills,
capabilities and experiences that complement theirs, building the
viability of the start-up and moving them to produce results as quickly
as possible. We work with them in the very difficult task of
allocating scarce resources, developing priorities, and speedy
implementation.
Finally, we support both entrepreneurs
and investors by serving as interim executives, actually filling
operational roles to accelerate the ability of the start-up in executing
its plans and achieving the targets investors and founders have
established.
In addition to consulting
services, many of our training programs address these areas as well.
For information on the
Dimensions Of EXCELLENCE training programs, follow the
link.
Case Studies:
Wireless Data Acquisition
Start-up: We served as advisors to the founders in
business analysis, business planning and preparation for seeking
funding. We helped the founders meet with potential investors to
pitch there plans. Through the process we helped them in tuning
the plan, improving both the quality of the plan and its attractiveness
to investors.
Data Analytics Software
Start-Up: This company's venture capitalists
engaged us to work with the management team in building the company from
one with an interesting a technology to an operational company offering
differentiated products and services. One of our partners served
as the interim President and COO and led the development of the company
business plans, product road maps, sales, marketing, customer service,
and partnership programs. He led in recruiting key personnel to
execute the strategies. This company was headquartered in Europe.
Part of our responsibility was to help develop the plans to expand
through Europe, into North America and the rest of the world.
Early Stage Systems
Integration Company: This team of founders had
established initial success in building their company. However,
they were struggling in driving their company into the next stage of
growth. We advised them in the development of their business and
market strategy. We helped focus them in the development of a
unique business model to help differentiate their services from larger
and more mature competitors. We helped target market and
applications segments in which they could further differentiate their
offerings.
Electronic Component Start-Up:
An entrepreneurial team sought to commercialize a new
component technology. While they had a strong scientific and
technology background, they were struggling in building the strategies
to manufacture, market, sell, and support these new products. We
supported them in developing the business plan, the organizational
structure, the operational budgets, and identified candidates to fill
key positions. We helped identify and develop relationships with
key flagship accounts to help introduce the new technology into the
target market segments, establishing a strong base to accelerate
adoption and subsequent growth.
Software Start-Up: Our
VC partners asked us to work with this early stage software company in
helping them develop and execute their business strategy. The
founders had developed a novel technology, but did not have the
experience in developing and executing the business plan. We
worked with the founders and VC' in a number of areas. The project
included defining the market segments, developing the sales priorities
and processes, developing the organizational structure, identifying key
positions and recruiting executives to fill the positions, developing
the operational budget and metrics, development of product launch
marketing programs. As a result of our work with this start-up,
they were able to finalize the VC investment and secure initial critical
orders. The company has now established a strong base of customers
and is starting to expand globally.
Venture Capital Company:
One of the portfolio
companies of our venture partner was struggling to adapt to changing
market conditions. At the same time, the venture company was
concerned about the strategies the portfolio company was pursuing and
their requirements for additional investment. The venture company
asked us to work with the team in critiquing their new business plan,
providing assessments about the new strategies and to help them in
considering the additional investment that would be required to support
the change in strategy. We worked with both organizations in
developing a plan that maximized the likelihood of success. We
identified critical shortcomings in the skills of the company in
implementing the new strategy and helped them in eliminating those
shortcomings.
Software
Start-Up: As part of its funding, this start-up needed
sound business management and leadership to execute its business plan.
The VC team brought us in to act in executive roles, managing the day to
day activities of the company in its very early stage. In addition
to executing the business strategy, directing initial sales, driving
product and market development, we helped recruit key strategic
partners. Finally, in transitioning our roles, we identified and
recruited key managers to replace our people and manage the company on
an ongoing basis.
Edutainment
Start-Up and Business Planning: Our client was in the
very early stage of development of a series of Edutainment products and
services, targeting the youth market. We worked with the client to
clarify their thinking of who their customers were, the solutions,
products and services they would offer, and the channels through which
they offered the products. We worked with the Chairperson/CEO as a
coach and mentor in a number of issues in developing the company,
recruiting staff and pursuing strategic partnerships.
e-Tail
Business Start-up: We work with several VC companies
and Internet Start-ups in helping them think critically about their
business plans, defining their target markets, value propositions, and
differentiation. A major part of the work is establishing and
implementing strategies to secure partners to provide products for sale
through their e-Tail site. We help the client develop a profile of
the types of partners they seek, prioritize the relationships they want to
establish and develop the action plans to recruit the partners. With
other companies, we are more deeply involved in the development of their
business plans, recruitment of Boards of Directors or Advisors and
developing plans to seek first rounds of funding.
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