Innovation Competition Strategies

🗺️ AirBnB Customer Journey Blueprint, a wonderful practical example of how to visualize the entire customer experience for 2 personas, across 8 touch points, with user policies, UI screens and all interactions with the customer service — all on one single page. AirBnB Customer Journey (Google Drive): https://lnkd.in/eKsTjrp4 Spotify Customer Journey (High-res): https://lnkd.in/eX3NBWbJ Now, unlike AirBnB, your product might not need a mapping against user policies. However, it might need other lanes that would be more relevant for your team. E.g. include relevant findings and recommendations from UX research. List key actions needed for next stage. Add relevant UX metrics and unsuccessful touchpoints. That last bit is often missing. Yet customer journeys are often non-linear, with unpredictable entry points, and integrations way beyond the final stage of a customer journey map. It’s in those moments when things leave a perfect path that a product’s UX is actually stress tested. So consider mapping unsuccessful touchpoints as well — failures, error messages, conflicts, incompatibilities, warnings, connectivity issues, eventual lock-outs and frequent log-outs, authentication issues, outages and urgent support inquiries. Even further than that: each team could be able to zoom into specific touch points and attach links to quotes, photos, videos, prototypes, design system docs and Figma files. Perhaps even highlight the desired future state. Technical challenges and pain points. Those unsuccessful states. Now, that would be a remarkable reference to use in the beginning of every design sprint. Such mappings are often overlooked, but they can be very impactful. Not only is it a very tangible way to visualize UX, but it’s also easy to understand, remember and relate to daily — potentially for all teams in the entire organization. And that's something only few artefacts can do. Useful resources: Free Template: Customer Journey Mapping, by Taras Bakusevych https://lnkd.in/e-emkh5A Free Template: End-To-End User Experience Map (Figma), by Justin Tan https://lnkd.in/eir9jg7J Customer Journey Map Template (Figma), by Ed Biden https://lnkd.in/evaUP4kz Free Figma/Miro User Journey Maps Templates https://lnkd.in/etSB7VqB User Journey Maps vs. Service Blueprints (+ Templates) https://lnkd.in/e-JSYtwW UX Mapping Methods (+ Miro/Figma Templates) https://lnkd.in/en3Vje4t #ux #design

While Western governments argue over industrial policy, China is quietly building the innovation engine of the clean-energy future. China now files three times more clean tech patents than the rest of the world combined. And it's not slowing down. China is surging towards 300,000 patent applications per year, while the US and EU have stagnated and fallen behind. It's also not just solar and batteries. China leads across the board: EVs, heat pumps and inverters as well as all the power electronics to make it work. China has become the global centre of gravity for clean energy innovation. How did this happen? A few factors stand out: ➡️ Decades of consistent industrial strategy with clear 5 and 10-year targets ➡️ Innovation tightly coupled with manufacturing scale, enabling faster iteration and lower costs ➡️ A fully integrated ecosystem: co-located supply chains, aligned incentives and stable long-term policy signals The result isn't just more patents – it's the rapid commercialisation of new technologies that were barely imaginable a decade ago. Things like: ✅ EVs that can charge in 10 minutes ✅ Solar at US10c/W ✅ UHVDC cables that can carry 12 GW over thousands of kilometres ✅ Battery chemistries evolving at record speed ✅ Fast-response inverters that stabilise grids in milliseconds Patent leadership leads to manufacturing scale, cost reductions, booming exports and global dominance. This chart is an early signal of where clean-energy innovation is heading... #energy #renewables #energytransition

Quantum computing is no longer speculative—it’s becoming an investment priority. In 2023, European quantum startups outpaced North America, raising $781 million (three times the $240 million raised in the US). Globally, quantum startups raised $2.2 billion, a massive jump from $522 million in 2019. This isn’t happening in a vacuum. Governments are fueling the momentum. The UK has committed $4.3 billion to quantum technologies, while Germany has pledged $3.7 billion. At the same time, VC interest is holding steady, even as funding dries up in other tech sectors.   Quantum technology will have a wide-reaching impact, from cybersecurity and financial modeling to drug discovery and materials science. Pharma will likely see the earliest impact (drug development and molecular simulations using quantum).   In 2022, Finnish startup Algorithmiq raised $4 million for quantum-powered drug discovery, while Paris-based Qubit Pharmaceuticals secured $17 million for molecular simulations. Another European company, Terra Quantum AG, based in Switzerland, raised $75 million to scale its quantum-as-a-service model, which has direct applications in pharma and beyond.   Big Tech is also all-in. Google, IBM, Intel Corporation, and NVIDIA are pouring resources into quantum hardware and software. Meanwhile, publicly traded quantum companies have seen their stocks surge, signaling growing institutional confidence.   At APEX Ventures, we invest in revolutionary quantum startups. We are partnered with kiutra, enabling the second quantum revolution with easy-to-use and sustainable cryogenics, and planqc, building quantum computers that store information in individual atoms.   For founders and investors, the question isn’t whether quantum will matter—it’s when. The trajectory is clear: capital is flowing, enterprise adoption is accelerating, and governments are fully committed. If AI dominated the last decade, quantum may own the next.   #Venturecapital #AI #Deeptech #Startups  Follow us at APEX Ventures and subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content on groundbreaking Deep Tech startups:   🔗 https://t2m.io/EV2qHQuo

Technology isn’t a cost center, it’s your competitive edge. If you can’t shift this perspective, you won’t be able to innovate 📈 Over the past decade, I've guided numerous companies, from pharmaceutical giants to financial leaders, on their journey to becoming product-led. One common mistake I've seen is treating technology as a mere expense, not a strategic advantage. This view undermines transformation efforts. Here's how it unfolds and what to do about it. In many organizations, technology is seen as a cost center. When executives talk strategy, it's often about cost reduction. They can articulate market differentiators well but stumble when asked, "How does your tech vision enhance your competitiveness?" Silence. The competitive edge dulls as rivals leveraging tech strategically catch up. This approach is like playing corporate whack-a-mole: solving cost issues while missing opportunities. What if the process you streamlined wasn't needed at all? Or if you could innovate beyond traditional methods? Many transformations start with Agile to address slow development cycles. But speed alone doesn't equate to success. Agile without product thinking can lead to an output-focused mindset: success measured by backlog clearance rather than solving real business problems. Transformations stall when teams build features quickly without building the right ones. It's crucial to view software products as strategic enablers, not just tools to "run the business." Without this shift, product strategies remain uninspiring. Even if your software isn't sold, it can be a major strategic differentiator. Consider Capital One's journey: disrupting the banking sector by using data analytics for credit risk models and improving customer experiences by eliminating unnecessary processes. What about internal tools? For pharmaceutical companies, bringing drugs to market is essential. Instead of merely speeding up processes, your tech could identify study participants and predict outcomes better than competitors. It's about asking the right questions. "How do I make this cheaper?" leads to outdated solutions. "How do we re-imagine this process for an exceptional experience?" drives innovation. If you're on this journey, start by changing the conversation. Ask "why?" and "what if?" Shift from cost-cutting to value-creation, from outputs to outcomes, from project management to product thinking. Real transformation isn't about new processes or team reorgs. Those are secondary. The core shift is viewing technology as a strategic asset driving business value. That’s where the real transformation begins.

I came across by this random Twitter post, which shared a fun spec ad on magicpin’s 15min food delivery offering (pic). Intrigued, I spent the last 2hrs researching about it. And I am really excited, as Anshoo and team have practically worked out a whole new hyperlocal logistics model to challenge the duopoly of Swiggy and Zomato (which is also a shareholder)  🙌🙌 Data is proof that this is a serious challenger to the two big giants. But, it’s quite sad that there is no post out there, covering this new logistics model that Magicpin has built, and what makes it different. Thus, here is all I learned! .. See, Magicpin has been onboarding tens of thousands of restaurants across cities to deliver food via Govt-backed ONDC at very low commission rates. And it already does ~2 lakh orders a day, which is about a tenth the scale of Swiggy & Zomato. Thus, already a serious contender in the food delivery market. But, how did it get there? -> It onboarded numerous delivery partners in various cities, including big names like Shadowfax, Rapido, Porter, Ola and Zypp Electric -> And, it began assigning the order pick-up and delivery to the lowest-cost provider from a given radius -> Magicpin practically perfected this model to the extent that it promised 30-minute deliveries This helped it cement to a tenth of Zomato and Swiggy’s scale in such less time 👏👏 .. Having aced this, Magicpin started conceptualising a new disruption for the space - MagicNOW. This was about partnering with restaurants to enable food order deliveries within 1.5-2km radius in a targeted 15mins. And this is something Magicpin has nailed over the last month or so, with nearly a lakh deliveries from ~2k restaurants and QSR brands across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, NCR and Pune. These included big brands like Chaayos, Faasos, Wendy’s, Burger King, McDonald’s etc. Outcome? A means for the restaurant and QSR industry to deliver food orders in 15mins, without sharing much of the margins with Swiggy or Zomato 👏👏 .. With that, we now have 4 serious players in the game rapid food delivery game. -> Swiggy’s Bolt which competes with the hyperlocal delivery industry -> Zepto Cafe and Zomato’s Bistro by Blinkit, which competes with hyperlocal logistics players and also restaurants -> MagicNOW which doesn’t compete, but generates more business for them. That puts it on a favourable supply side pedestal versus Zomato or Swiggy And given Magicpin had scaled to ~2L orders already, the 15min delivery promise will surely perk up its daily order volumes in a big way. .. That said, I share such non-trending insights with 20k+ investors on WhatsApp daily. Do check out: https://lnkd.in/gKrAWbnt Best, Jayant Tags: Open Network For Digital Commerce (ONDC) | #magicNOW #quickcommerce

"We're not going to be able to raise as much money as Uber, but we're going to be twice as efficient." This was Alfred Lin's advice to DoorDash during the peak of the food delivery wars. VCs were throwing money at anyone who could pitch. Uber was burning billions. Postmates raised hundreds of millions. GrubHub went public. Everyone believed capital was the weapon that would win. But DoorDash stayed lean. They optimized every dollar. For every $100 they spent acquiring customers, they got twice as many as competitors spending the same amount. Result: became market leader. Most of their well-funded competitors shut down or sold for parts. This wasn't luck; it was a deliberate choice based on a different view of what wins markets. Some founders believe capital is a strategic weapon. Alfred takes the opposite view: "Your business model is your strategic weapon. Your efficiency is your strategic weapon." What that means: 1. Pour too much capital on too early and you drown the roots. Companies that raise before proving their model get good at spending instead of earning. They optimize for the next round instead of unit economics. Constraints beget creativity. Excess capital kills it. 2. The flywheel can't be bought. You can't hire McKinsey to build network effects. You earn it through efficient systems where customers bring customers and revenue funds products. Skip this and you're stuck in a vicious cash-burning cycle. What Alfred says founders should do instead; "Get the fire [and] flywheel going first, then pour fuel onto the fire." Build conviction before capital. Find customers who love what you're doing. Serve them profitably. Build systems that make every dollar work harder. By the time your competitors realize efficiency was the weapon all along, you're already warming your hands by a fire they can't put out. Here's how to build this way as a startup: — Track how much it costs to get a customer. Every channel, every cohort. If it's not trending down as you learn, you don't have a model yet - you're buying time. — Hire one person when you desperately need three. Force yourself to solve problems with systems instead of headcount. — Measure everything by unit economics, not vanity metrics. Can you acquire and serve customers profitably today, or are you just praying scale fixes it? Alfred watched this movie play out in food delivery. The ending never changes. Build the fire first. The “gasoline” can wait.

Systems Thinking (& Strategic Thinking) Toolkit 7 Approaches to Consider (among many others) Have you ever solved a problem—only to have it resurface later in a slightly different form? If this sounds familiar, you might be dealing with symptoms rather than root causes. The solution? Combine Systems Thinking with Strategic Foresight. Here's how to use these powerful approaches together to drive sustainable business success: 1. Zooming In and Out Great strategic thinkers master the art of perspective. Zooming in helps you address immediate details and urgent tasks, but zooming out allows you to see the larger system at play, ensuring your short-term actions align with long-term goals. 2. Consider Different Perspectives Every stakeholder sees the business differently. By intentionally shifting perspectives—from customers to employees, from suppliers to competitors—you’ll uncover blind spots and identify innovative solutions. Effective strategy demands seeing your organization through multiple lenses. 3. Look for Patterns Systems thinkers excel at pattern recognition. Patterns reveal deep-seated systemic issues rather than isolated events. Identifying patterns gives you insight into underlying forces that repeatedly impact your business, enabling proactive solutions instead of reactive fixes. 4. Use Foresight, Not Forecasting Forecasting assumes a linear future—predictable and consistent. But the world today demands adaptability. Foresight equips leaders with the capability to envision multiple possible futures, preparing businesses for various scenarios and increasing resilience in the face of uncertainty. 5. Move Forward with Small, Iterative Actions Grand plans are attractive but often fail when the unexpected happens. Adopting iterative, agile actions lets you test solutions, learn, adjust quickly, and evolve your strategy based on real-time feedback and emerging trends. 6. Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) Use visual diagrams to map how different parts of your system interact, highlighting feedback loops and root causes. This clarity allows you to strategically identify where small shifts can lead to large, sustainable impacts. 7. Backcasting Define your ideal future clearly (your North Star), then systematically work backward to determine necessary actions. Backcasting ensures every decision you make today aligns with—and brings you closer to—your desired future outcomes. Bringing it All Together By combining systems thinking with strategic foresight, businesses gain clarity, agility, and resilience. Instead of repeatedly tackling symptoms, leaders address root causes, anticipate shifts, and adapt proactively. What’s one recurring challenge in your business—and how might a systems and foresight perspective transform your approach? #systemsthinking #strategicthinking #leadingwithstrategy #strategy

Today’s must-read for anyone working with foresight and futures thinking comes straight from the European Parliament: a timely and sharp briefing on Augmented Foresight. This new briefing explores the transformative potential of generative AI in strengthening foresight analysis and strategic decision-making. As recent advancements in large language models (LLMs) reshape how we approach policy research, their integration into foresight practice is accelerating. Generative AI is already enhancing the work of foresight — from identifying trends and weak signals, to crafting rich, immersive scenario narratives that help bring alternative futures to life. As generative agents powered by LLMs become increasingly capable of mimicking human behavior, they offer new possibilities for exploring complexity and accelerating insight at scale. Yet, alongside these opportunities lie important challenges. Effectively embedding LLMs into foresight work demands careful scrutiny of their limitations and inherent biases. Human oversight remains essential — not just for validating outputs, but for upholding principles of transparency, accountability, and ethical integrity. Crucially, generative AI should be seen as a powerful augmentation tool — not a replacement for human judgment. By combining computational power with human expertise, foresight practitioners can unlock new ways to enrich strategic planning and anticipate long-term uncertainties. A proactive and critical approach to adopting generative AI will be key to developing more informed, resilient, and adaptive strategies in the face of complex and contested futures. Love it. Kudos to Lucia Vesnic-Alujevic and Salvatore d'Ambrosio for helping push this important conversation forward. #foresight #strategicintelligence #AI #LLM #futures #policy #europeanparliament #augmentedforesight

ABM tech. It's tempting to chase the latest shiny tool, right? But I've learned that features alone don't win. Integration does. Think of it like building a kitchen. You could have the best oven, fridge, and stove. But if they don't work together, you'll have a mess. I've seen companies with many ABM tools, but the data doesn't connect, and the teams can't collaborate, resulting in not so good ABM results. The key is a unified platform. I mean one that connects your CRM, marketing automation, intent data, and personalization tools. Imagine this... Your intent data shows a target account is researching your solution, and your CRM automatically picks that up and updates this account's profile. Then, your marketing automation triggers a personalized email while your sales team gets real time alerts. That's what I mean by integration. And that's power. It's like having a GPS for your #ABM strategy. You know exactly where you are and where you're going. Of course, this requires careful planning. Start with your data. 👉🏾Where does it live?  👉🏾How does it flow?  👉🏾Which systems need to talk to each other? Tools like Zapier or Workato can help with these integrations. They can connect disparate systems and automate workflows. But don't forget the human element. Your teams need to be aligned. They need to understand how the tech stack works. They need to use it effectively. #b2bmarketing #marketingstrategy

Welcome back to the #Ramalytics LinkedIn series, where we’re exploring how to lead boldly through the lens of the Challenger Mindset. In this installment, we’ll explore 2 key strategies: focusing on consumer needs and creating time and space for true innovation. #Strategy 3: Another critical trait of a Challenger Mindset is a relentless focus on consumer needs. Challengers adopt an "outside-in" approach, looking beyond themselves to anticipate future trends and evolving preferences. Challengers aren’t just about creating novel products — they are visionaries who stay connected to their audience and continuously explore ways to meet emerging demands. Adopting this mindset requires staying attuned to consumer behavior by gathering insights, listening to feedback, and pivoting when needed. Read about Nvidia, a company whose success is a reminder to anticipate what consumers will need next, delivering solutions before the need even becomes apparent. #Strategy 4: Challengers Create Space (and Time!) to Innovate It’s no secret that the most disruptive ideas often come from the marriage of deep reflection and unexpected insight. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to overlook the importance of slowing down and giving ourselves the freedom to think creatively. Yet, this very pause is often a Challenger's most potent tool. Take inspiration from Einstein, who valued imagination over knowledge! To build this kind of reflection into daily routines—whether at the individual or organizational level—requires deliberate effort. True innovation demands slowing down to nurture groundbreaking ideas. Embracing the Challenger Mindset Whether you're a start-up looking to break in or an incumbent brand looking to stay on top, embracing a Challenger Mindset means constantly questioning the status quo and daring to innovate in bold, new directions. >> One effective way to create space for innovation is by reducing internal complexity. Continuously ask how much of your organization’s resources are being allocated to managing internal processes. What’s the ROI on that investment? Often, you’ll find that overly intricate internal initiatives can be redirected to high-impact efforts that drive innovation. >> Another principle is to focus on where disruption can happen. Ask yourself and your organization: What legacy practices or mindsets need to be broken to build a stronger future? Push your teams to imagine new possibilities, whether it’s a fresh idea or a new way of tackling an enduring problem. For individuals, embracing a Challenger Mindset means adopting a growth mentality. Seek out new challenges, learn from every experience, and resist the comfort of complacency. Strive to get at least one percent better every day. Where From Here? Achieving Challenger status is a mindset to live every day. It’s worth it. By embracing it, companies and individuals can navigate today’s complexities and lead in shaping tomorrow. #leadership #management