Business case for new technology Negatives can be Positive.

The situation
A blue chip technology firm designed a device to bridge print and Web content. They had a hunch that education would be a terrific market to launch this product. But, they didn’t know where to begin. So, they engaged O’Donnell & Associates to help them scope the market and develop a business case.

The process
First, O’Donnell & Associates provided a comprehensive market review. Then, we worked with the client to develop a business model for partnering with publishers in this venture. We met with over a dozen publishers to investigate the business potential. Finally, we arranged two pilot tests with large publishers who found the concept intriguing.

The results
Up front market development is often a great vehicle for saving both time and money. Had this firm proceeded with full-scale development of the technology, it would have spent a lot of resources to find out that this market and business model wasn’t going to work. The technology was just too expensive for the education markets. And, the publishers didn’t have the processes to integrate technology sales into a publishing portfolio. So, our client decided to take this product into more lucrative markets before entering education.