Gorillas Can Dance: Lessons from Microsoft and Other Corporations on Partnering with Startups

Research output: Book/ReportMonograph

Abstract

In Gorillas Can Dance, renowned international strategy researcher and expert Dr. Shameen Prashantham offers large corporations a proven guide to partnering and collaborating with startups to improve innovation. The author delivers the “where,” “why,” and “how” of corporation-startup partnerships, walking readers through a strategic framework that you can apply to your own company to achieve exceptional results.

You’ll learn about the three strategic pillars of synergy, interface, and exemplar that will drive the strength of your next partnership. You’ll also discover that the very things that attract large corporations to startups—their nimble and innovative nature—are the very same things that differentiate them from large companies and make it so difficult for them to work together. Finally, you’ll find out where in the world to find your ideal startup partner and how to use them as a force for good in your own organization and the world around you.

Perfect for executives, managers, and other business leaders, Gorillas Can Dance is also an indispensable resource for business unit heads and corporate innovation managers seeking evidence- and research-based strategic guidance with the potential to transform their next collaboration into a gamechanger.
Original languageEnglish
PublisherWiley
Number of pages368
Edition1
ISBN (Electronic)9781119823599
ISBN (Print)9781119823582, 1119823587
Publication statusPublished - 28 Sept 2021

Author information

Dr. Shameen Prashantham is Professor of International Business & Strategy and Associate Dean (MBA) at China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai, China. His research focuses on what he calls “dancing with gorillas”—how startups and large multinational corporations partner with each other as a means to improve their prospects of innovation and growth. Spanning a decade-and-a-half, this work has involved conducting fieldwork, teaching executives or giving talks around the world, including in Accra, Bangalore, Beijing, Berlin, Edinburgh, Johannesburg, Lagos, London, Mexico City, Munich, Nairobi, New Delhi, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Tel Aviv, and Zurich. At present, his focus is on partnerships that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Table of contents

Foreword by David Cohen, Co-Founder, Techstars

Preface

Prologue: Microsoft’s Startup Partnering Journey

PART 1: WHY

Chapter 1: Why entrepreneurship matters for large corporations

Chapter 2: Why partnering with startups isn’t easy

PART 2: HOW

Chapter 3: How to partner with startups systematically

Chapter 4: Building the capability to partner with startups

PART 3: WHERE

Chapter 5: Partnering with startups around the world

Chapter 6: Partnering with startups as a force for good

Epilogue: Three Mindsets for the SDG Decade of Action

References

Acknowledgements

About the Research

About the Author

Index

Keywords

  • startups
  • Microsoft
  • entrepreneurship
  • Sustainable Development Goals

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