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The Market Opportunity Navigator

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The Market Opportunity Navigator (MON) is a methodology in strategic management that aims to help innovators and entrepreneurs identify and select the most valuable market opportunity to pursue current and future resources and capabilities. It was added as the fourth tool[1][2][3][4] in the lean startup toolset and can be used with the Business Model Canvas developed by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur and the Minimum Viable Product.[5][6]

MON was developed by German management researcher Marc Gruber and Israeli entrepreneurship specialist Sharon Tal[7] as a strategic framework to help firms identify and capitalize on promising market opportunities based on their studies of hundreds of startups.[8][9][10] It consists of three steps: generating the Market Opportunity Set, evaluating Market Opportunity Attractiveness, and designing the Agile Focus Strategy. Through these steps, the MON assists in understanding a firm's core abilities, assessing the attractiveness of potential market opportunities, and strategically planning for growth while remaining agile in a dynamic market environment. MON guides decision-making processes, fosters a shared language within organizations, and offers ongoing guidance for pursuing valuable market domains.

Overview and background

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The idea that the resources and capabilities of a new firm can be applied to create different offerings and address the needs of different market segments was first spelled out in Edith Penrose’s influential "Theory of the Growth of the Firm,"[11] and since then has become a cornerstone of the resource-based view in strategic management. Contemporary writings seek to forge a link between the lean startup and academic research, including MON.[12]

MON was developed based on insights from several research studies as well as practical work with startups and established firms. Most closely related to the origins of the method are four academic studies.[9][8][10][7] For instance, a research study of over 80 startups found that experienced entrepreneurs tend to generate a set of market opportunities before deciding which market to pursue initially, deriving key performance benefits from doing so.[8] A study of 500 technology ventures showed that the number of identified market opportunities and the variance (distance) among them have a lasting impact on the growth potential of the firm over time and its likelihood of subsequent diversification.[9]

Where to Play: 3 steps for discovering your most valuable market opportunities
Cover
AuthorMarc Gruber and Sharon Tal
LanguageEnglish
SubjectEntrepreneurship, market strategy
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherFT Publishing International
Publication date
September 21, 2017
Pages240
ISBN978-1-292-17892-9 ISBN-13
The book was also published in German, French, Chinese, and Korean.

Gruber and Tal worked on the concept for years before bundling and presenting it in their book "Where T Play: 3 Steps For Discovering Your Most Valuable Market Opportunities" (Pearson, 2007). In the book, Gruber and Tal present MON as a template and a framework tailored for entrepreneurs, technology transfer offices (TTOs), startups, established organizations, and educators. MON was developed to help decision makers overcome the challenge of commercializing innovative ideas. The authors argue that for innovators the concept of speed or running fast is critical to successful product development and marketing and that the biggest mistake to run fast in a wrong direction (i.e., not pursuing the most valuable market opportunity). The set of unique resources and skills of an innovator creates multiple potential paths of different products that can solve different problems, addressing different needs for a wide variety of customers. And opportunities with bigger value generating potential would generate more sales and maximize the chances of success in a given market.[7]

Principles

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The resources and capabilities of a (new) firm can be applied to create different offerings and address the needs of different market segments. The choice of which markets to focus on is critical for firm growth[8][13] and has an important imprinting effect on the business.[14][15] MON proposes a structured process to support managers, entrepreneurs, and innovators in discovering their most valuable market opportunities and set their strategic focus. It is based on three steps:

The three steps of MON (MON)

Generate your Market Opportunity Set using Worksheet 1

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Using Worksheet 1, managers learn how to describe the core abilities of their firm, independent of any envisioned product,[13] and how to identify different applications that can be developed with these abilities, along with potential customers that may need these applications. The desired outcome is the Market Opportunity Set.

Evaluate Market Opportunity Attractiveness using Worksheet 2

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Using Worksheet 2, managers learn how to evaluate the attractiveness of each market opportunity based on two dimensions: the potential of the opportunity and the Challenge in capturing its value. The result of this scoring process is depicted in the Attractiveness Map (AM).

Design your Agile Focus Strategy using Worksheet 3

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Using Worksheet 3, managers learn how to assess potential backup and growth options. Once the Primary Market Opportunity is chosen, they decide which opportunities to pursue now, which ones will be kept open for later, and which ones will be placed in storage. The resulting strategy (the "Agile Focus Strategy") is depicted on the Agile Focus Dartboard.

Case studies and application

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The MON has been applied in companies worldwide. For instance, MyoTecSci (MTS), a South Korean biotech startup. Its founder Hyeson Soo Kimmm utilized MON to focus and prioritize its five market opportunities in the life sciences sector, particularly in the field of muscle health. The startup utilized the tool to cull and prioritize its options, aiding in minimizing risk and optimizing resource allocation for its pre-clinical stage endeavors in tackling sarcopenia and muscle wasting diseases. Through this strategic approach, MTS's management team streamlined their choice process, enhancing their chances of success in their selected market segments.[16]

MON was used in conjunction with Roger's Diffusion of Innovations Theory and Porter's Diamond Model to analyze the market opportunities for a connected cardiotocography (CTG) telemonitoring solution. MON was utilized within the research framework to assess the potential market for a proposed CTG telemonitoring solution for antenatal care, focusing on a promising market within the OECD. Through a combination of survey analysis, screening of potential markets, qualitative interviews with industry stakeholders and medical professionals, and a literature review, MON helped evaluate the viability and attractiveness of the market opportunity. This approach allowed for a comprehensive examination of various factors influencing adoption, such as industry readiness, regulatory considerations, and customer acceptance, eventually guiding strategic decision-making for market entry and product development.[17]

MON was also used to assess the market opportunities for reusable packaging solutions in e-commerce for retail companies in Austria.[18]

The Market Opportunity Navigator is applied in various programs across the globe. For example, at Cornell Tech’s Runway Program,[19] NJIT’s new venture management course,[20] and in EU programs.[21]

References

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  1. ^ Sadeghiani, Ayoob; Shokouhyar, Sajjad; Ahmadi, Sadra (2022-01-01). "How digital startups use competitive intelligence to pivot". Digital Business. 2 (2): 100034. doi:10.1016/j.digbus.2022.100034. ISSN 2666-9544. For example, recently Shepherd and Gruber (2021) introduced the Market Opportunity Navigator as a module of the Lean Startup which had previously been introduced for opportunity navigation and competitive positioning independent of the Lean Startup (Gruber & Tal, 2017).
  2. ^ Cassens, Nathalie; FH Wedel, Wedel. "The Lean Startup – A Systematic Literature Review" (PDF). Another term introduced by Shepherd and Gruber (2021) is the "Lean Startup Framework" which adds concepts like the Market Opportunity Navigator, Business Model Canvas, Customer Development and Agile Development to the Lean Startup. So, it should be paid attention to the use of terms which are related to the Lean Startup.
  3. ^ "Steve Blank How to Stop Playing "Target Market Roulette": A new addition to the Lean toolset". Steve Blank. 2019-05-07.
  4. ^ Bruton, Garry D.; Pryor, Christopher; Cerecedo Lopez, Jose A. (2023-10-24). "Lean Start-Up in Settings of Impoverishment: The Implications of the Context for Theory". Journal of Management. doi:10.1177/01492063231204869. ISSN 0149-2063. The Market Opportunity Navigator is a tool in lean start-up that enables entrepreneurs to evaluate a range of potential opportunities based on the desirability and difficulty of exploitation (Gruber & Tal, 2017). Opportunities emerge from specific markets, industries, technologies, and resource providers, and entrepreneurs who target infeasible opportunities experience reduced performance or costly adaptations if they target new opportunities (Blank, 2019; Gruber, MacMillan, & Thompson, 2013). Alternatively, entrepreneurs who can uncover and evaluate a range of opportunities before dedicating resources to building a start-up might be able to mitigate uncertainty, learn about customer needs more fully and more quickly, and adjust their resource deployments more effectively (Shepherd & Gruber, 2021). Entrepreneurs can also use the Market Opportunity Navigator to evaluate the potential of opportunities they uncover during the start-up process and whether they need to make adjustments or pivots (Gruber & Tal, 2017).
  5. ^ Blank, Steve; Eckhardt, Jonathan T. (2023-04-18). "The Lean Startup as an Actionable Theory of Entrepreneurship". Journal of Management: 014920632311680. doi:10.1177/01492063231168095. ISSN 0149-2063.
  6. ^ Dimov, Dimo; Maula, Markku; Romme, A. Georges L. (September 2023). "Crafting and Assessing Design Science Research for Entrepreneurship". Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. 47 (5): 1543–1567. doi:10.1177/10422587221128271. ISSN 1042-2587.
  7. ^ a b c Gruber, Marc; Tal, Sharon (2017). Where to play: 3 steps for discovering your most valuable market opportunities. Harlow London New York Boston San Francisco Toronto Sydney Dubai Singapore Hong Kong Tokyo Seoul Taipei New Delhi Cape Town São Paulo Mexico City Madrid Amsterdam Munich Paris Milan: Pearson. ISBN 978-1-292-17892-9.
  8. ^ a b c d Gruber, Marc; MacMillan, Ian C.; Thompson, James D. (September 2008). "Look Before You Leap: Market Opportunity Identification in Emerging Technology Firms". Management Science. 54 (9): 1652–1665. doi:10.1287/mnsc.1080.0877. ISSN 0025-1909.
  9. ^ a b c Gruber, Marc; MacMillan, Ian C.; Thompson, James D. (February 2013). "Escaping the Prior Knowledge Corridor: What Shapes the Number and Variety of Market Opportunities Identified Before Market Entry of Technology Start-ups?". Organization Science. 24 (1): 280–300. doi:10.1287/orsc.1110.0721. ISSN 1047-7039.
  10. ^ a b Gruber, Marc; MacMillan, Ian C.; Thompson, James D. (September 2012). "From Minds to Markets: How Human Capital Endowments Shape Market Opportunity Identification of Technology Start-Ups". Journal of Management. 38 (5): 1421–1449. doi:10.1177/0149206310386228. ISSN 0149-2063.
  11. ^ Penrose, Edith Tilton (2013). The theory of the growth of the firm. Mansfield Centre, CT: Martino Publishing. ISBN 978-1-61427-536-7.
  12. ^ Shepherd, Dean A.; Gruber, Marc (September 2021). "The Lean Startup Framework: Closing the Academic–Practitioner Divide". Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. 45 (5): 967–998. doi:10.1177/1042258719899415. ISSN 1042-2587.
  13. ^ a b Danneels, Erwin (May 2007). "The process of technological competence leveraging". Strategic Management Journal. 28 (5): 511–533. doi:10.1002/smj.598. ISSN 0143-2095.
  14. ^ Abell, Derek F. (1980). Defining the business: the starting point of strategic planning. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0-13-197814-0.
  15. ^ Geroski, P. A (1998-11-01). "Thinking creatively about markets". International Journal of Industrial Organization. 16 (6): 677–695. doi:10.1016/S0167-7187(98)00012-5. ISSN 0167-7187.
  16. ^ York, John M.; Pradhan, Vineet; Luo, Polly; Toscani, Michael (2022-04-29). "Market Selection for MyoTecSci: How to Decide "Where to Play" from Multiple Options". Journal of Commercial Biotechnology. 27 (1). doi:10.5912/jcb1010. ISSN 1478-565X.
  17. ^ KANGEFJÄRD, SARA; EMANUELSSON, LISA. "An Investigation of the Market Potential for Connected CTG Telemonitoring Solutions in Health Care Systems: The Case of Antenatal Care Setting". The information gathered was then analysed using a framework built up by Roger's diffusion of innovations theory, Porter's Diamond Model and the Market Opportunity Navigator, to enable examination of the data from different point of views. The analysis shows that there are several factors that influence the adoption of a CTG telemonitoring solution. The main barrier to adoption of connected medical technologies involves acceptance by both healthcare systems and individual healthcare professionals.
  18. ^ Pfoser, Sarah; Massimiani, Andrea; Coreth, Augustin. "Market opportunities for circular e-commerce packaging: The case of Austria" (PDF). p. 223. What are the market opportunities for circular e-commerce packaging in Austria? In order to evaluate the market opportunities of reusable packaging solutions in ecommerce for retail companies, the attractiveness map by Gruber and Tal (Gruber et al., 2018) is used. The attractiveness map constitutes the core of the market opportunity navigator, a corroborated framework helping companies to identify, evaluate and prioritize market opportunities for their business (Escursell et al., 2021). An attractive market opportunity is one that will likely produce significant potential for value creation and poses relatively few challenges in capturing that value.
  19. ^ de Haan, Uzi; Shwartz, Shuli C.; Gómez-Baquero, Fernando (December 2020). "A startup postdoc program as a channel for university technology transfer: the case of the Runway Startup Postdoc Program at the Jacobs Technion–Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech". The Journal of Technology Transfer. 45 (6): 1611–1633. doi:10.1007/s10961-019-09764-7. ISSN 0892-9912.
  20. ^ Roy, Raja. "ENTR 410-001: New Venture Management".
  21. ^ "Backing visionary entrepreneurs: Realising the Deep-Tech Entrepreneurial Talent of Europe" (PDF). eic.ec.europa.eu. April 2022.
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