If you’ve ever tried to sell a product or idea to a large enterprise, you know that it’s never a straight line.
From the outside, a company can look like a single customer. From the inside, it’s an ecosystem made up of multiple teams and constant change.
When I tell people I work at Chik-fil-a on an innovation team, I often get: “I had no idea Chik-fil-a did that.” In today’s fast paced world, innovation is not an option, no matter your industry.
That’s why I spend my time bringing startups into the business and helping them navigate what it actually takes to get something implemented. Similar to what Catalyst does for Wellstar, who I joined for the SXSW panel “From pitch to pilot: How corporates partner and build” this year.
During the panel, one key message was that success is about understanding the system you’re stepping into.
One of the biggest misconceptions I see from founders is thinking they’re selling to one person or one team.
In reality, you’re working with multiple business stakeholders, legal, cybersecurity, IT, and budget owners.
Each one of those groups has a say. Each one has different priorities. And each one can either accelerate or slow down your progress.
So even when you have excitement from one team, there’s still work to be done.
I’ve seen incredible technologies struggle to make it through the enterprise because expectations weren’t aligned.
Startups move fast. Enterprises don’t.
There are layers of review and sometimes unexpected shifts that can impact a partnership.
From a founder’s perspective, that can feel frustrating. But it’s part of the process, and understanding that upfront changes how you approach everything.
If there’s one piece of advice I give founders, it’s this: communicate more than you think you need to.
A lot of what we’re evaluating is new, not just for you, but for us too. That means we’re learning alongside you.
The founders who stand out are the ones who:
You’re helping an organization understand why and how to adopt a product, and your job is not done until you show that value to multiple stakeholders.
Pilots are important, but they’re often misunderstood. Founders sometimes forget that, at the end of the day, pilots are experiments. They are not guarantees.
They’re a way for us to test whether something works in our environment and whether there’s potential for a long-term partnership. As a founder, you should be evaluating the same thing: is this the right company fit for me?
That’s why I always recommend founders think carefully about how they structure pilots. Make sure there’s alignment. Make sure there’s value on both sides. And make sure you’re compensated for the work you’re doing.
This process takes time.
There will be delays. There will be moments where things feel like they’ve stalled. Remind yourself that it just means you’re navigating a complex system.
The startups that succeed are the ones that:
For startups willing to do these things, the opportunity to build impact that lasts is real. And we want that as much as the founders do.
