Neil Soni, Author at NeilSoni.com

The Five Questions Large Companies Ask When Evaluating Startups

I get contacted regularly by startups looking to partner with large, global companies who can give them scale. My work over the years has shown me a number of these deals from both sides of the table. While almost all of these relationships make some logical sense on paper, in reality they are way more difficult to implement than founders initially think.

On the surface, the logic for these relationships is straightforward – one party has a unique technology or product that can improve things for end users while the other party has global distribution and scale. What’s not to love? But there are several other factors that go into the decision making process for large companies which founders often fail to consider.

Epics

I’m currently in the midst of reading the incredible Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa, and my mind went on a tangent (which is surprising to no one). I couldn’t help but compare it to other novels I’ve read, particularly those I’d describe as epics.

I use the word epics but it’s difficult to know what exactly comprises an epic novel, as opposed to a regular one. Going further, it’s clear that there are certain stories which qualify as epics, regardless of form factor. I’m talking about books like The Count of Monte Cristo, movies like The Godfather, and TV shows like Breaking Bad. What isn’t clear, however, is what distinguishes these epics from “regular” novels, movies, and TV shows.

The Best Books I Read in 2019

I traveled less in 2019 than I ever have in my adult life and since I do much of my reading on trips (flights, trains, etc), I read a little less than usual.

That said, I still read some great books this year and my reading skewed more towards fiction than in the past. There’s probably an escapism lesson there but I’ll spare you. Here are my picks for the best books I read in 2019:

Corporate Startup Lab Demo Day 2019

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending and keynoting Carnegie Mellon University’s Corporate Startup Lab Demo Day. My friend and mentor Sean Ammirati first shared the Corporate Startup Lab model with me in 2017 and I’ve been a fan since Day One. The idea is to bring together Fortune 500 companies with interdisciplinary teams of students to build internal startups solving problems and developing new business models.

Inside Outside Podcast Interview

I recently had the opportunity go on my friend Brian Ardinger’s podcast, where we spoke about The Startup Gold Mine. We were able to get into a few different things, including:

Startups and corporates speak a different language

Different timeframes
Size of deals
Response times
Number of stakeholders

Corporate incentive structures for successful partnerships

How comfortable is the corporate team in innovating? If comfortable, they’ll have a higher tolerance for misses. Look at the entire portfolio.
Companies that allow intrapreneurship give employees new outlets to thrive.
Allow more employees to scout for deals – innovation can come from all parts of the organization.

What are the benefits of startups-corporation collaboration?

Inside large organizations (10,000+ employees) it’s an echo chamber. They only see direct competitors.
Need someone looking outside of direct competition. Expose the corporate team to new ways of thinking.
Startups also get exposure to see how their tech can apply to different domains.

You can listen to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player. Learn more about this and other great innovation episodes on the Inside Outside Innovation website.

Make sure to grab a copy of The Startup Gold Mine at your favorite bookstore!

The Laws of Human Nature Key Takeaways

I’ve been a huge fan of Robert Greene’s work ever since his 48 Laws of Power was recommended by my boss back when I was a 19 year old intern at Booz Allen Hamilton. Greene’s books combine two of my favorite subjects – history and psychology – to give actionable takeaways that you can apply in your daily life.

The Laws of Human Nature is Greene’s long awaited book, his first since publishing Mastery in 2013. The book absolutely accomplishes what it set out to do, namely:

The truth is that we humans live on the surface, reacting emotionally to what people say and do. We form opinions of others and ourselves that are rather simplified. We settle for the easiest and most convenient story to tell ourselves.
[…]
Consider The Laws of Human Nature a kind of codebook for deciphering people’s behavior—ordinary, strange, destructive, the full gamut. Each chapter deals with a particular aspect or law of human nature. We can call them laws in that under the influence of these elemental forces, we humans tend to react in relatively predictable ways. Each chapter has the story of some iconic individual or individuals who illustrate the law (negatively or positively), along with ideas and strategies on how to deal with yourself and others under the influence of this law. Each chapter ends with a section on how to transform this basic human force into something more positive and productive, so that we are no longer passive slaves to human nature but actively transforming it.

The Laws of Human Nature key takeaways listed below are my personal favorites but this book has a ton in it and I suspect different things stand out to different readers.

You can also listen to our Made You Think podcast episode on The Laws of Human Nature below:

Here are The Laws of Human Nature key takeaways:

Entertainment Isn’t Dumb

If you watched the Super Bowl this year, you probably saw Microsoft’s heartwarming commercial about children with disabilities using an adaptive Xbox controller to play games with their friends. In case you missed it, here it is:

First of all, these kids are absolute heroes for what they are living with and somehow doing with a smile. Nothing makes you more aware of your own fragility, mortality, and good fortune than observing someone, especially a child, with a major health issue. Owen (in the commercial), for example, is only nine years old and has already had to endure 33 surgeries.

There are many forms of entertainment: movies, music, TV shows, sports, video games, board games, books, and more. It is very, very easy to dismiss all of these things as a luxury or even a waste of time. You’ve heard the argument before: “Imagine if all the money and energy that goes into the entertainment industry were put into something productive, like curing cancer”. This is a seductive, but wrong, argument.

Agile Giants Podcast Interview

My good friend Sean Ammirati has started a brand new podcast called Agile Giants. The show is inspired by his work over the past few years leading Carnegie Mellon University’s Corporate Startup Lab (CSL). In Sean’s words from his Medium post announcing the podcast:

If you already are a corporate entrepreneur, want to become one or are just looking for some advice around commercializing transformative innovation, this podcast is for you.

Sean was nice enough to interview me on the podcast. Our wide-ranging conversation was mostly focused on The Startup Gold Mine but also included stories from other projects I’ve worked on, like Estee Lauder’s External Innovation team.

You can listen to the episode below or on your favorite podcast player.

The Hidden Life of Trees Key Takeaways

The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben

The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben is an eye-opening read that will have you looking at the natural world in a completely new light. If you took high school biology, you probably learned that one characteristic of plants is that while they’re alive, they are static creatures. We were told that although they adapt to their environment, they live at a standstill in the same place for their entire lives. And they certainly aren’t communicators. Well, as you’ll learn in The Hidden Life of Trees Key Takeaways, trees are actually dynamic, social, and incredibly complex creatures. The Hidden Life of Trees provides an entertaining deep dive into the alien world of trees.

Hustle to Freedom Podcast Interview

I recently had an opportunity to chat with Ryan Helms on his Hustle to Freedom podcast. It was a pretty wide-ranging conversation that included lots of background on Unlimited Brewing as well as The Startup Gold Mine. In particular, we got into how to start a business as a side hustle and de-risk it along the way. This episode should be useful to anyone interested in side hustles, beer, and problem solving.

Give it a listen and make sure to subscribe to the podcast!