Cooperation between large companies and start-ups: the access to drive disruptive innovation

According to Christopher Clayton’s Innovator’s Dilemma large corporations face a threat of disruptive innovation. By use of products and services with a moderate amount of new technologies, new business models can be created, which later on oust established companies. Particularly start-ups seem to be more prone to drive disruptive innovations than large corporations. This paper illustrates the need for cooperation between large companies and start-ups in order to pursue disruptive innovations and thereby introduces a Disruptive Innovation Strategy. With this under consideration, an extensive classification model of different types of cooperation is generated. This Strategic Classification Model takes previous classification models in literature into account and integrates these in a holistic approach. The core idea of disruptive innovation rather referring to business model innovation than purely technologically driven innovation is reflected in this model. Hence, instead of facing disruptive innovation themselves through various different approaches, large companies are encouraged to face the Innovator’s Dilemma and drive disruptive innovation through cooperation.