Archives

Headline: The largest global electric utility develops a corporate venture strategy

Challenge: Invest in innovative technologies outside the organization with no significant prior experience in corporate venture capital

Approach:
External innovation strategy:

Identified strategies, structures, and best practices for newly launched corporate venture initiative

Venture engagement:

Interviewed over 15+ US and EU VC firms to determine strong candidates for limited partnership investment

New partnerships:

Brokered introductions through high-potential meetings and prepared E.ON for successful outcomes



Results:
  • Consensus on corporate venture strategy, funding, and organizational structure
  • VC road-shows in Silicon Valley and London led by Cleantech Group that informed Board recommendations on LP investments


Headline: A major utility’s senior leadership challenges its own perspectives on how to adapt to a changing landscape

Challenge: Determining how to evolve a traditional utility business strategy during a time of regulatory and energy policy uncertainty

Approach:
New business models:

Outlined initial strategy for city-scale, integrated, clean energy projects; developed financial models for smart grid pilot for commercial buildings cluster

Policy engagement:

Provided analysis of state, federal, and international policy developments, including scenario planning for proposed cap-and-trade legislation

New partnerships:

Created a CEO-level advisory board of international thought leaders and counseled executives on engagement in U.S. Climate Action Partnership

Branding and communications:

Crafted and advised on messaging to support strategic initiatives targeting policy makers, influencers, and media (including op-eds, executive speeches, etc.)



Results:
  • Successful launch of major smart grid pilot with support from stakeholders like President Bill Clinton
  • Significant progress towards achieving ambitious energy savings and peak reduction goals
  • Insights for long-term plan on carbon policy and U.S. EPA regulation


Headline: A software company breaks barriers and engages its competitors to set its vision

Challenge: Engaging leaders across the organization to help answer “What’s next?” for their sustainability strategy

Approach:
Internal engagement:

Conducted focus groups with functional leaders and “green teams” to identify major barriers to success, such as applying product-oriented innovation to sustainability initiatives and closing cultural gaps between management and workforce

Industry and market assessment:

Used customized tool to benchmark competitors’ sustainability strategies based on motivations, objectives, focus areas, and effectiveness; interviewed competitors and industry thought leaders to help frame vision-setting exercise

Vision and goals:

Facilitated executive workshop to deepen engagement among leadership and discuss megatrends impacting the technology sector, which led to alignment on the desired level of ambition for the company’s sustainability vision, goals, and related investments



Results:
  • Established cross-functional alignment among executives on ambition level for sustainability
  • Gained robust understanding of competitor goals and strategies
  • Identified internal opportunities and challenges, priorities, next steps, and barriers to implementation by synthesizing “Voice of the employee” analysis


Headline: A global pump manufacturer develops strategy to build services capabilities

Challenge: Identify new opportunities to provide an expanded set of service solutions and develop perspective those with the highest potential for market growth and synergies with existing company product set

Approach:
Industry and market assessment:

Identified and validated market for advanced building energy and water services, benchmarked competitive landscape, and identified comparable solutions

New partnerships:

Conducted due diligence on partnership landscape and recommended potential partnership models for Grundfos



Results:
  • Validated a range of services, and identified key additional solutions for consideration
  • Prioritized recommendations for services roll out based on market readiness
  • Identified key partnership criteria and models for services roll out
  • Developed partnership strategy recommendations