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The Best Platforms Are More than Matchmakers

Harvard Business Review

Similarly, Facebook’s Blueprint courseware initiative launched in 2015 champions new user capability. Before the company’s $155 billion IPO in 2014 — the largest initial public offering in history — he observed, “we want to help small businesses grow by solving their problems.” Think APIs and SDKs.

IPO 8
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What BMW’s Corporate VC Offers That Regular Investors Can’t

Harvard Business Review

From 2012 to 2015, the number of global corporate venture capital deals almost doubled, and their investments quadrupled, to $29.1 Among the 30 top companies in seven of the largest industries, almost half had a VC-fueled accelerator in 2015, up from just 2% in 2010. Harnessing Big Potential While Minimizing Risk.

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A Simple Way to Test Your Company’s Strategic Alignment

Harvard Business Review

For example, as it grew, Facebook found that its early “move fast and break things” culture had to be funneled into focused technical teams and product groups to make its product development process faster and less erratic, and for it to have a chance of meeting the demands of its new public shareholders following its IPO.

Banking 14
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Many CEOs Aren’t Breakthrough Innovators (and That’s OK)

Harvard Business Review

However, CEOs often don’t have the career background and education that would equip them to personally lead the process of new product development. This would mean, for example, working in R&D to lead pharma innovation, new product development for high tech, and product design or merchandising for fashion retail.

CEO 8
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60 Countries’ Digital Competitiveness, Indexed

Harvard Business Review

We introduced the Digital Evolution Index in HBR in 2015 to trace the emergence of a “digital planet,” how physical interactions — in communications, social and political exchange, commerce, media and entertainment — are being displaced by digitally mediated ones. Today’s Digital Landscape.

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How Singapore Became an Entrepreneurial Hub

Harvard Business Review

But the conditions seemed to be ripe for one to develop. Fast forward to 2015, and you see an island transformed. ” In my first year in Singapore we might hear news about a company landing venture funding every few months, and an exit (cashing out either through an IPO or by selling itself to a larger company) every year.

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Europe’s Other Crisis: A Digital Recession

Harvard Business Review

Of these, only three, Switzerland, Ireland, and Estonia, made it to a commendable “Stand Out” category – which means that their high levels of digital development are attractive to global businesses and investors and that their digital ecosystems are positioned to nurture start ups and internet businesses that can compete globally.

Crisis 8