The concept of a business ecosystem first appeared in the May-June 1993 Harvard Business Review article, Predators and Prey: A New Ecology of Competition by James Moore. Moore said, “In a business ecosystem, companies co-evolve capabilities around a new innovation: they work cooperatively and competitively to support new products, satisfy customer needs, and eventually incorporate the next round of innovations.”

Mapping your current, or potential, ecosystem is essential because it enables you to confidently make strategic decisions as to where, and with whom, you should place your valuable resources: attention, energy, and money. Mapping your ecosystems enables you:

1. Understand your position in the market, who and where are the competitors and potential partners
2. Identify critical connections that will help create new business and customer opportunities
3. Leverage your networks to expand and grow
4. See what and who might obstruct your efforts

Ecosystem maps provide insights and deliver high ROI by reducing investment risk and maximizing growth opportunities.

Why companies engage us.  Our customers engage us to help them capture the connections. They rely on us to integrate the data and conduct the analysis for assessing the strength among the essential members of the ecosystem: customers, competitors, suppliers, influencers, and partners. 

What we deliver. We make your ecosystem map a strategic tool. Armed with the initial map, we identify leverage points and gaps, best options for growth, what capabilities you will need to enter the ecosystem, and develop a go-to-market (GTM) strategy and plan.

Take advantage of our 20+ years of expertise and experience to:

• Frame up the ecosystem members
• Acquire the data to complete the map and illustrate the interconnections among the ecosystem members
• Analyze the ecosystem to identify areas for growth, leverage points and gaps, opportunities to create value and a competitive advantage, and competitors and partners
• Develop a GTM strategy to leverage the ecosystem and become an ecosystem leader

“Those companies holding leadership roles may change over time, but the function of ecosystem leader is valued by the community because it enables members to move toward shared visions to align their investments, and to find mutually supportive roles.” James Moore, Senior Fellow–Harvard University

To take advantage of an ecosystem or enter a new one you need a map.

Use Your Ecosystem Map as a Strategic Tool

Ecosystem mapping is a collaborative effort and a project-based engagement. These engagements typically entail five primary steps: defining the ecosystem and players, an on-site working session to frame up the initial map, data collection to complete and validate the map, map analysis and strategy development, and an action plan. Let’s have a conversation about mapping yours.

Yes, Let’s Talk