Gorillas Can Dance

Achieve exceptional results with your organization's next partnership for corporate innovation In Gorillas Can Dance, distinguished international business strategy professor and expert Dr. Shameen Prashantham delivers a proven roadmap for large corporations collaborating with startups. Drawing on over a decade of international research, Dr. Prashantham explains the "why," "how," and "where" of corporate-startup partnering. In this book, you’ll learn: How to focus on the three pillars of synergy, interface, and exemplar to achieve outstanding results in your partnership Why the very thing that attracts large corporations to startups—their significant differences—also makes it difficult to work together Where in the world to find your ideal startup partnerships and how to use them as a force for good Perfect for C-suite executives, managers, business unit heads, and corporate innovation managers, Gorillas Can Dance is a must-have resource for business leaders seeking strategic guidance on partnering and collaborating with startups.

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