The rise of new technologies has created an opportunity for enterprises to innovate, improve efficiency and provide differentiated customer experiences. For faster technology adoption and better service and support, enterprises often partner with startup companies to maintain competitive advantage. However, the path to a successful partnership involves several learning lessons.    At Greyscale, our annual conference that connects CXO leaders with enterprise founders, Greylock's Sarah Guo discusses how enterprise and startup leaders can effectively work together.

1. STARTUPS SERVING THE ENTERPRISE:
A MAP FOR NAVIGATING ONE ANOTHER IN THE
QUEST FOR SUCCESSFUL INNOVATION
Sarah Guo
@saranormous

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THE SWAMP OF MARKETING FOG
THE GAP OF THE FOUR S’s
THE OCEAN OF EARLY EXECUTION
THE
GALEWINDS OF COST AND RISK
T
HE
GOLDEN FIELDS OF INNOVATION
THE
DESERT OF PROCUREMENT AND APPROV
ALS
T
H
E
QUICKSANDS OF CUSTOMIZATION
THE STARTUP/ENTERPRISE QUEST

3. THE SWAMP OF MARKETING FOG
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4. • Shine a bright light
• Paint a clear and easy path
• Engage right people, right time
RECRUITING PARTNERS IN THE
SWAMP OF MARKETING FOG
“It’s a very noisy marketplace, and getting
customer attention can be heard. Best is a
warm introduction- ideally from people in
your network who are really willing to go to
bat for you. That can make a world of
difference.”
David Ebersman, CEO, Lyra Health

5. THE
GALEWINDS OF COST AND RISK
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6. MAINTAINING FAITH THROUGH THE
GALEWINDS OF COST AND RISK
“It’s extremely important for early
startups that senior leadership, if not the
CEO, be personally engaged. The personal
level of engagement and commitment
helps overcome some of the concerns
about the company’s ability to scale.”
Otto Chan, EVP, Wells Fargo
• Value must overwhelm
cost and risk
• Build personal relationships
• Reduce hidden costs

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THE GAP OF THE FOUR S’s

8. “Startups often miss how complex an
environment can be in a large organiza-
tion. We have 120 country offices all over
the world and there are a lot of layers and
startups don’t typically come in with the
understanding of that complexity.”
BRIDGING THE GAP OF THE FOUR S’s
Stephanie von Friedeburg, COO,
International Finance Corporation
• Enterprises are evaluating not
just technology value, but also
the Four S’s:
1. Scale
2. Security
3. Spend
4. Supportability
• Startups and enterprises need
to preemptively understand and
shrink the feasibility gap

9. TH
E
QUICKSANDS OF CUSTOMIZATION
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10. AVOIDING THE QUICKSANDS OF CUSTOMIZATION
Diana McKenzie, CIO, Workday
• Customer requirements must
be balanced with strategic
priorities and company
resources
• Just as customers choose
startups, startups should
choose their early customers
“Give us complete transparency about
what your technology can or can’t do. If
we like what we see, we will often ask you
to come back and see us when you can
get X/Y/Z capabilities on your roadmap.
Being open to and taking us up on that
type of feedback is how a lot of these
relationships become successful.”

11. THE
DESERT OF PROCUREMENT AND APPROV
A
LS
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12. SURVIVING THE
DESERT OF PROCUREMENT & APPROVALS
“[The purchasing process] depends
on the dollar value. Something
under $50K is quick, over that it’s a
substantial decision-making
process.”
Jay Dominic, CIO, Princeton University
• Plan ahead for sales cycles
• Find and enable internal
champions that will assist you
through procurement

13. THE OCEAN OF EARLY EXECUTION
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14. CROSSING THE OCEAN OF EARLY EXECUTION
“Can you get an MSA signed? There’s
a great network effect in having
overarching MSA with other business
units in the same company…[that
way] we don’t have to repeatedly do
legal work.”
Deepanshu Bagchee, SVP Technology CNBC
• Structure PoCs with short
timeline and clear criteria
for success
• Avoid poisoning the well
• Execute and extend

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T
H
E
GOLDEN FIELDS OF INNOVATION

16. REACHING THE GOLDEN FIELDS OF INNOVATION
In order to meet their shared goals,
startups and enterprises must:
• Choose their partnerships
carefully
• Treat the relationship as a true
partnership that involves work
and compromise
• Communicate both goals and
challenges clearly and early
“What’s really important is that there’s a
shared vision around the need to drive
innovation.—if you have a checklist ap-
proach to choosing a partner, that’s not
going to work. Find a [partner] that sees
this as a journey, not a static vision, they
have to really believe your startup is a
partner that’s going to help us transform
a whole area.”
Joseph Ansanelli, CEO, Gladly

17. Sarah Guo
sarah@greylock.com
@saranormous