Business model Archives - Philippe Silberzahn

10 June 202410 June 2024Case studies, innovation, strategy

The innovator’s challenge is to create a market. The lesson of Haloid, the photocopy pioneer

Many innovators have succeeded despite initially having no demand for their products. Their secret? They created their own markets through original business models. A quintessential example is Haloid, a 1950s pioneer in photocopier technology.

(more…)

27 September 20175 September 2017innovation

Transformation: The Challenge of Changing the Business Model

The transformation of a business is a very complex operation, but it is even more difficult when it involves a change of business model. Let’s look at why, with a simple example, that of Microsoft Office for its transition from a model of license sale to a model of selling subscriptions.

(more…)

5 October 201618 September 2023innovation

Disruption is not a question of technology, but of business model

We hear a lot about “disruptive technologies,” but what makes an innovation disruptive is usually not its technical dimension, and the distinction often made between radical and incremental innovation is not so relevant. What matters is the disruptive nature of the business model created for the new technology.

(more…)

18 March 201023 January 2023Case studies, Theory

Nespresso: when the simplicity of the product hides the complexity of the innovation process

One of my favorite questions when I teach innovation is to ask participants how long it took for Nestlé to succeed with their Nespresso coffee machine. So what’s your answer? One year? Five year? Well no. The answer is 21 years! Based on a technology licensed from the Battelle Institute by Nestlé in… 1974, Nespresso only became profitable in 1995 after much ups and downs. 21 years were needed to make a success of the Nespresso innovation.

(more…)