Recently I started advising two very large foreign corporations on whether to open up Innovation Outposts in Silicon Valley. Both companies have already established innovation centers in their home countries where they are working with local startups. In both cases, these innovation efforts are led by the corporate R&D organizations. In the eyes of both CEOs, these efforts are not viewed as effective. So, while some members of their teams are advocating the opening of outposts in Silicon Valley, the CEOs are not yet sold on the idea. In fact, during one of our sessions the CEO stated that “we are losing ground in innovation rather than gaining. Maybe startup-driven innovation is not for us and a presence in Silicon Valley won’t change that.”
