The client required help in developing a new product within a new special purpose Start-up to ensure the innovative distribution of media content in a pre-streaming environment.

• Innovative start-up and Franchise model development
  • New software build with hardware and Point of Sale (POS) integration
  • Waterfall – End-to-end Delivery

Our involvement was required form inception and was within a start-up subsidiary of a larger organisation. The start-up was aimed at developing and incubating new products and business models for future, sale or internal scaling. 

The parent company was very traditional in structure and nature and special seed finance had to be applied for on a regular basis as various projects passed through qualifying gates. The main issue being the very complex and varied content licensing models which change over time and by broadcast or publishing method. Parent company lacked the innovative mindset and mature project delivery expertise to champion the various products along their specific roadmaps based on their unique and varied business value. This made it exceedingly difficult to justify and maintain investment funding on a quarterly basis.

The client needed seasoned experts to assist them in setting up a PMO with Lean delivery processes that could be tailored to suit each initiative.

Valstroom Actions

1. Development of a robust Business Case model (catered to the complex licensing and royalty structures) with Monte Carlo risk sensitivity analysis that could be applied to all new innovations being tested and piloted.
2. In collaboration with CEO, COO and CFO, developed standard KPI’s for progress reporting and continual funding.
3. Assisted client in recruiting and training all key personnel required.
4. Developed a “prototyping” mindset that kept options open for as long as possible until the right one emerged.
5. Set-up and developed a software development team that was adaptable to change based on the results of prototyping.
6. Assisted client with vendor selection and ongoing management processes and practices.
7. Developed visual dashboards to track progress and manage risks in a transparent fashion to ensure company-wide alignment, synchronisation and wider organisational support.
8. Helped the client foster key industry stakeholder relationships and negotiate with retail distributors.
9. Hands on end-to-end program management of each initiative from Business Case through development to completion.

Results

Left the client with established product development teams with effective and resilient processes and practices adaptable by product or competitive terrain.

Retrospectively, all Business Case models proved to be 89% accurate to actual reality.

Two incubated businesses were successfully sold and continued running until the increased broadband width and availability made video streaming a cheaper option to DVD rentals.

Client was able to successfully launch a nationwide franchise of low human intervention, vending machine DVD rental that dominated the market for numerous years before selling considerable profit.

This was an exciting and interesting environment to be part of and although tough at times, plenty of fun and job satisfaction was experienced along the way, for which we are eternally grateful.

Although the start-up incubation subsidiary no longer exists, the ex-CEO and ex-COO migrated to larger endeavours, have always remained close and indeed referred