Maarten turned 79% of his product pitches into signed agreements. Listen how his strategy is reshaping the innovation landscape.
In this episode of Product Innovation Show, Maarten and Aram delve into the intricacies of managing a product team, especially when you don't come from a technical background. Maarten sheds light on his journey, managing multiple SCRUM teams, and the challenges and rewards it brings. Drawing parallels between the world of professional sports and product management, they discuss the importance of asking 'why not' and how to align different priorities for collective success.
About the Guest
Maarten began his entrepreneurial adventure at 19 in the music scene. After dodging some iffy record deals, he thought, "I can do better!" and launched his first venture. He quickly noticed that the way entrepreneurship was taught was flawed. So, six years ago, Maarten founded BW Ventures. Since then, he's guided over 200 startups, helping them find solid business models. Yet, even with a plan, many still struggle to secure their first investment.
SHOW NOTES:
[03:19] Nurturing Ideas
[10:20] The Role of Predictability in Innovation
[16:30] Managing Stakeholder Pushback
[22:02] Pivoting or Killing Projects
[25:17] Assessing Company Ideas
[28:31] Driving Innovation
[35:27] Stakeholder Expectations
[39:38] Building Solid Business Cases
[43:33] Martin's Key Principles:
[47:00] Corporate Acquisitions & Strategy
Quotes from Maarten:
"Showing progress and showing what works and doesn't work is more valuable than just getting that perfect business case out."
"People are most of the times too scared to build a super big business case because they think decision makers are going to ask for that. But what's more important is showing progress and understanding what you're doing."
Books We Mentioned:
1. Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning: The Biography
2. Mindgames: Phil Jackson's Long Strange Journey
3. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses
Follow Maarten van Kroonenburg
https://www.linkedin.com/in/maartenvankroonenburg/