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Technology scouting and acquistion: what do YOU want to know? - PARC blog
posted 9 September 2009
| Jennifer Ernst view bio 
Next week, I’ll be moderating a panel on “Creating Value with a Smart Technology Scouting, Acquisition, and Licensing Strategy” at Growth, Innovation, and Leadership (a Frost & Sullivan global congress on corporate growth).
The panel includes leaders from several scouting organizations, including Clorox, CooperVision, Honeywell, optionsXpress Holdings, and Merck Research Labs.
The panel promises to share:
- practical techniques for discovering external opportunities;
- guidelines for how to best leverage partners as part of a growth strategy; and
- insight on managing relationships to increase long-term payback and avoid common pitfalls.
Since I’ll write up the discussion after the event (and, of course, post here what I can), let me know what questions you want answered (especially if you aren’t able to attend) — what would like to hear more about? Help me be provocative — what questions about acquiring technology from external sources are top of mind for you?
tags: innovation strategy, intellectual property, licensing, technology scouting posted in business of breakthroughs, conferences & talks
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View Comments
September 10th, 2009 at 4:28pm Posted by David
Thank you for asking Jennifer. We find, as an early-stage company, that most of the conversations are one-way. Even if an NDA is in force.
With a technology that addresses many applications and creates value for multiple operating silos, the one-way discussions are counter-productive. These are with Fortune 500 companies.
Why don’t those Scouts provide more detail regarding product technology road-maps or system platforms? It would enable outside technologists to get very specific and save everyone time would it not? Thanks
September 11th, 2009 at 8:31am Posted by Jennifer Ernst
David, this is a great add, and I will raise it with the panel. It’s exactly the point I made in my post on Open Communication last week.
Another theme that’s coming up in my offline conversations is the importance of a trust-based relationship and the challenges of establishing that trust in the early stages. These two issues are definitely intertwined and I’ll write more about that soon.
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