Workinlot supports corporate innovation and investment opportunities by managing interactions between corporations and PoC-validated startups.

Most of the startups we work with are founded by entrepreneurs. Some, originate from a corporate entrepreneurship program.

For corporate startups, the venture-building methodology must be adapted for the corporate structure to manage it like a startup.

Although they come from two different sources, the common milestones to success are, testing innovation with agility and quickly scaling validated values.

In our technical language, this means developing a lean prototype (MVP) and conducting customer testing through proof of concept (PoC) projects.

- Why embrace the external innovation ecosystem?

While innovation is not a luxury, creating an agility culture that enables large companies to establish new ventures may not yield results solely with corporate resources.

This is precisely why external venture builders and innovation centers are gaining importance. These agile and dynamic partners provide companies with external resources such as fresh perspectives, rapid prototyping, and access to the latest technology trends.

There are concrete reasons why companies choose venture builder collaborations, such as risk-sharing, talent acquisition, cost advantages, and differentiation in competition.

Talent: Venture builders and innovation centers can attract a diverse talent pool with startup agility and experience. This brings new ideas and skills to the company. External talents who provide support to the organization challenge existing assumptions thanks to their corporate expertise. (HR as Innovation Catalyst: The Intrapreneur-in-Residence Model)

Fast-Forward Innovation: Slow-moving R&D cycles are becoming even more costly in the face of rapidly changing consumer expectations and technological supply. External partners can offer agile methodologies and rapid prototyping, allowing you to test and iterate ideas quickly and efficiently. (Turkish R&D Startups - Diamonds in the rough)

Market Validation with Reduced Risk: As part of the venture builder approach, companies can objectively assess market potential through PoC projects before investing significant resources. Think of this as a test drive or, in startup parlance, an MVP, before embarking on costly corporate R&D processes. (How PoCs Help Businesses Unlock Startup Potential)

Network Expansion and Brand Boost: Partnering with venture builders and innovation centers connects the company to a valuable ecosystem of investors, entrepreneurs, and potential partners. This enables the company to start working with external stakeholders who will support the development of its unique ecosystem.

- Picking the right Venture Builder partners

Before a company can collaborate with any external venture builder, it needs to test for an efficient partnership. When working on venture builder collaborations, we recommend evaluating these three criteria:

Human resource alignment: For a successful collaboration, the venture builder staff's work culture and the company's culture must align. Venture building is a fast-paced teamwork. Compatibility of the team is an important criterion. 

Knowledge transfer: Venture builders that provide both project management and know-how transfer enable companies to develop their corporate venture-building approach. Knowledge transfer also catalyzes the development of corporate innovation assets.

Methodology: Every venture builder develops its methodology. Methodologies are adapted to the company's resources. The proposed methodology should align with corporate resources and priorities.

Rapidly changing consumer behavior, technology, and competition, companies that can look beyond their walls can make a difference. Building the right partnerships to gain fresh perspectives and conduct market tests with agile methodologies is a differentiating factor in competition.

At Workinlot we facilitate engagement between corporations & PoC-validated startups, driving innovation and investment opportunities

Through this collaborative and iterative knowledge transfer process, we have helped establish corporate venture capital funds, open innovation platforms, and venture builder structures.

Let's connect and collaborate to identify and validate new opportunities.