Jim Quanci, Autodesk As a small company or startup, partnering with a large, established company can be like dancing with an elephant – one small misstep and you get squashed. But the upside is well worth it for the fleet-footed. A large company can bring to the dance all those things that are scarce for you as a startup - money, people, time, industry expertise and a huge customer base. Learn how you can use leaders in the market such as Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, IBM and even Autodesk to stretch your marketing dollar, add virtual R&D staff to your team, finance your business growth – and accelerate your exit strategy.

1. Jim Quanci
Senior Director, Autodesk Developer Network
Dancing with Elephants
Leveraging market leaders to grow your Startup

2. jim.quanci@autodesk.com

3. What is an Elephant?

4. What is an Elephant?

5. What is an Elephant?

6. Why pursue an Elephant?

7. Why pursue an Elephant?

8. First – know thyself
Understand your objectives (motivations)
• Run your own business?
• Retire young or work till you die?
• Grow your business – how big?
• Make money – how much?
• #1 In your industry?
Why pursue an Elephant?

9. Why pursue an Elephant?
Technology
Marketing
Sales
Exit Strategy (Get Acquired)

10. Why not to pursue an Elephant?
Mismatch
• Strategy
• Customers
• Culture
Elephant
• Sick
• Opaque
• Crazy

11. Different Elephants
Classic
• Programs
• Membership
• Gatekeepers
Cloud
• Community/Social
• Opportunistic

12. Pursuing the Elephant
Understand what is very important to them

13. Pursuing the Elephant
1. Elephants are made up of individuals
2. You need to find out what motivates individuals
3. Be direct as soon as you can (but not too soon)

14. Channel
Sales Rep
Direct
Sales Rep
Field
Marketer
Product
Manager
Industry
Manager
Engineer Partner
Manager
Sales X X
This year X X X
VARs X
Named
customers
X X
Manager set
goals
X X X X X
On time X X X
Partners X X X
Quality X
Revenue X
Elephant Employee Motivations

15. Why pursue an Elephant?

16. Why pursue an Elephant?
Technology
Marketing
Sales
Exit Strategy (Get Acquired)

17. Pursuing Elephant Technology
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
R&D Investments
(US$ millions)

18. Pursuing Elephant Technology
Finding It
• Their Website
• Experts (Elephant employee AND Community)
https://dev.windows.com/en-us/community http://googledevelopers.blogspot.com/

19. Pursuing Elephant Technology
Getting It Cheap
• Trials
• Elephant Partner Programs
• Special Offers
http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/member-
offers/msdn-benefits-details/
https://www.microsoft.com/bizspark/
https://partners.salesforce.com/

20. Pursuing Elephant Technology
Getting Help
• Community
• Elephant Partner Programs
https://partneredge.sap.com

21. Why pursue an Elephant?
Technology
Marketing
Sales
Exit Strategy (Get Acquired)

22. Pursuing Elephant Marketing
Branding
• Logos
• Website (Yours and Theirs)
• Events
http://www.sap.com/partners/search/index.html

23. Pursuing Elephant Marketing
Easy Access to Customers
• Its Never Easy
• Catalogs
• App Stores
• Events
http://www.sap.com/partners/search/index.html
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fusion-
360/id868968810?mt=12
https://apps.exchange.autodesk.com/ru

24. Why pursue an Elephant?
Technology
Marketing
Sales
Exit Strategy (Get Acquired)

25. Pursuing Elephant Sales
Co-Selling
You Sell Theirs
They Sell Yours

26. Pursuing Elephant Sales
Co-Selling

27. Pursuing Elephant Sales
Co-Selling
Only when your solution is key
to the elephant winning
Only when you have deep trust
and understanding with the
individual elephant’s
salespeople

28. Pursuing Elephant Sales
They sell yours

29. Pursuing Elephant Sales
You sell theirs

30. Understand Alignment
Maximize Alignment
Elephant User
Needs
Your User
Needs

31. Understand Alignment
Maximize Alignment
Elephant User
NeedsYour User
Needs

32. Understand Alignment
Maximize Alignment
Elephant User
Needs
Your User
Needs

33. Recognize and Manage Co-opetition
(Cooperation with Competition)

34. Recognize and Manage Co-opetition
(Cooperation with Competition)

35. Why pursue an Elephant?
Technology
Marketing
Sales
Exit Strategy (Get Acquired?)

36. Exit Strategy
2807
79
2014 Tech “Exits”
IPO
M&A

37. So you want to marry the Elephant…

38. Develop Insider Relationships

39. Keep Your Ears to the Tracks

40. Align

41. Remove Complications

42. Know the Elephant’s Competition

43. Danger
Over Investing
Over Reliance

44. Autodesk is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective
holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear
in this document.
jim.quanci@autodesk.com
http://dances-with-
elephants.typepad.com/