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Trilogy Tidings
June 2017
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in this issue
     We've worked with a great many young companies (the sellers) helping them get their innovative new technologies and products to market. And we've worked with a similar number of established companies (the buyers) helping them determine if some external, unfamiliar technologies can be effectively folded into their existing operations and distribution channels.

     For a deal to be struck and successfully monetized, both parties need to be generally on the same page and fully aware of what needs to happen. Here are my views on such deal-making from each of the two perspectives. 
Regards,
Joe

Commercializing a Platform Technology           
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     First consider the seller's perspective.

     While it can be frustrating for a young company to get their stuff in the hands of an appropriate buyer -- dealing with a shortage of capital, recalcitrant corporate types, multiple points of contact, and painful corporate indecision, for example -- the seller's task is really quite straightforward. That is, unless a "platform technology" is being offered, one with the potential for multiple applications in multiple markets. Then things get interesting.

     Much has been written about commercializing a platform technology. I offer my own two cents by way of a very simplified sequence of 6 steps to take. This roadmap has often worked for me in advising the management teams of young enterprises. Maybe it will work for you.
Beware the Internal Impediments to New Tech            
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     Now for the buyer's perspective.

     As management consultants we're usually asked either to  (1) help solve a problem or (2) assess a business  opportunity, sometimes both. Our corporate clients  frequently believe that what's needed for either purpose is  to first develop some credible information that is currently  lacking.

     So far so good. We dutifully craft an approach to identifying exactly what
information is needed, developing it, and painting an accurate picture of the problem
or opportunity of interest. In all modesty, we're very good at this process, having
exercised it successfully many times over two+ decades.

     But here's the  funny thing: The ultimate solution to the problem or the valuation of the  business opportunity often rests with the client's internal operations. And  there is always a correlation between the degree of internal change required and the
likelihood that the information we develop will fail to produce the desired result.
Furthermore, the internal dynamics - whether political or simply organizational - are
often clear to us at the start of the process.

     I suppose it's just human nature. People have blind spots. They are inevitable.
Folks think they are able and willing to accommodate just about any required change
to achieve business success. But they are usually mistaken. Wishing doesn't make it
so. The real impediments to success - the real problems - often exist inside an
organization, not outside in the marketplace.

     So how are we to accommodate human  nature? Quite simply. Always recognize the internal situation while you evaluate an  external opportunity. Don't get too far out ahead of your ability to execute. We always want to understand the "whys" of any prospective  engagement along with the client's operational strengths and limitations before we  begin. It works for us. It can work for you, too.

Cyberfright            
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     Who is now concerned about cybersecurity? Well, everybody, including me. (I like that term -- cyberfright -- which I just invented.)

     I finally got nervous about over ten years worth of monthly Trilogy Tidings newsletters held by my e-newsletter provider somewhere in "their cloud". So I invested considerable labor in downloading them all in PDF format and storing them locally.

     OK, I know what you're thinking: "Most of that stuff isn't worth a damn." Your point may be well taken. But I believe it's all insightful, wonderful, helpful prose. Humor me.

     If, by some remote chance, you agree with my own assessment, you can read every darn one of those old newsletters by clicking this link -- before they are hacked and held for ransom.
Resources from our Archives 
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     Check out our Reading Room to view my published articles, presentations and white papers on a variety of topics.
 
     And, you can examine my Newsletter Archive of prior Trilogy Tidings (since February 2007).
 
What does Trilogy do? 
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     Trilogy Associates facilitates business growth and renewal through commercialization of new products, providing the following services:
  • Opportunity assessment
  • Business planning and enterprise growth strategies
  • New-product conceptualization, commercialization and marketing
  • Market research and competitive assessment
  • Business development and partnering
  • Market and technological due diligence
  • Assessment of the therapeutic and diagnostic potential of novel technologies
  • Design of efficient and effective development strategies for early-stage biomedical products
  • Business and technical writing/publishing

     Inquiries to establish whether and how we might support your business initiatives are always welcome.  Contact us.

Contact Information
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ContactInfoJoseph J. Kalinowski, Principal
919.533.6285
LinkedIn Profile: www.linkedin.com/in/trilogy
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