What happens when a small group of mavericks decide to launch an unauthorized version of Lean Startup inside a huge multinational firm like Cisco? Over 1,100 new organic-growth ideas, including a surprise Shark Tank-like ending. Presented by Steve Liguori, (Founder Liguori Innovation and former GE Exec Director of Global Innovation) with Alex Goryachev (Cisco Senior Director Innovation Strategy and Programs) and Oseas Ramirez Assad (Cisco Senior Manager, Business Development and Innovation Enablement.)

1. Lean Startup Inside a Big
Company
(with a Shark Tank Twist)
Liguori Innovation & Cisco's Innovate Everywhere Challenge2016 Lean Startup Conference

2. 2016 Lean Startup Conference Liguori Innovation & Cisco's Innovate Everywhere Challenge
Steve Liguori Alex Goryachev
Founder & CEO
Liguori Innovation
Formerly GE’s Executive Director –
Global Innovation
Senior Director
Innovation Strategy & Programs
Senior Manager
Business Development
and Innovation Enablement
Oseas Ramirez Assad

3. WHY ARE WE HERE?
“We are under siege from new competitors and startups.
Our customers are switching like never before.
Now we are losing top talent too…
We need help!”
- Top Fortune 50 Exec to me

4. DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION FROM STARTUPS IS EVERYWHER
So the next step for large firms is obvious right?

5. The Solution?
Think like a Startup!

6. The Issue? BIG COMPANIES DON’T GET IT!!!!
2016 Lean Startup Conference Liguori Innovation & Cisco's Innovate Everywhere Challenge
How do you change the way you work?
Hint: CULTURE EATS STRATEGY FOR BREAKFAST

7. “Startups … Inside Giant
Companies”
At we connected with
Eric Ries and Others
“How GE Plans to Act Like a
Startup and Crowdsource
Breakthrough Ideas”
“How GE Exorcised the
Ghost of Jack Welch to
Become a 124-Year-Old
Startup”

8. Cisco’s dilemma
 Historically steeped in innovation and disruption
 Growth increasingly from M&A
 Lost our “mojo”..getting slow and bureaucratic
according to internal surveys
 Customer and employee attrition.. to startups
 No longer seen by their customers as innovative
2016 Lean Startup Conference Liguori Innovation & Cisco's Innovate Everywhere Challenge

9. Reactivating our startup DNA
… behaving like a startup
Why it’s great to attend the
Lean Startup Conference
Look what happens…

10. The first plan:
Cisco & Liguori Innovation
(June 2015)
1. Build the
engine
2. Form
first group
of coaches
0. Get your
first
customer
3. Tease key
stakeholders
4. Launch
pilots
5. Ask for
money
6. Communicate

11. Aligned journeys
Right people
on the bus
Get the
mindset
right
Build the
engine
Run - fall,
get up,
learn, run
Sponsorship
and scale
Founding
team
Values
alignment
First
product
First
customer
Scale,Exit

12. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
STARTUP//CISCO MEETS HQ//CISCO?
INNOVATE EVERYWHERE CHALLENGESTARTUP//CISCO
• New Innovation Skills
• Top 1% talent as tip of spear
• Lean Startup
• Learn by doing
• Market-led Innovation
• Cisco-wide competition
• Game-changing opportunities
• 1000+ submissions
• 15 Semifinalists

13. Cisco’s Imperative”
Chuck Robbins
CISCO CEO
We must increase our speed and create a
new culture of innovation
New Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins favors small,
internal ‘start-up’ teams over funding and
acquiring companies”
– Network World headline, November 16, 2015

14. Enter HQ and Alex
 The Challenge…
 Meeting with Steve to discuss challenge
idea/mandate
 If we build it, will they come?
 Invited everyone in the company to surface
new, innovative ideas
 Would anyone respond?
2016 Lean Startup Conference Liguori Innovation & Cisco's Innovate Everywhere Challenge

16. We Follow a Structured Process
Fund
3 weeks
Validate
12 weeks
Ideate
6 weeks
Incubate
3 months (flexible start)
Lean start-up & pitching workshops
$1k to develop venture ideaSpark ideas and
team-up
Is the idea valuable, should it
be built?
Sell your
idea
All Cisco employees
Focus
30 semifinalists 6 finalists
Create a venture
Form a team
Adventure kit 1
Community support
Video pitch + Business Model
Canvas + Experiment results
Adventure kit 2 with $ 1K & 20% stretch time
Startup//Cisco workshop + pitch coaching
Coach and mentor network
Live pitch
+ Q&A
Innovation rotation
25K seed funding
Top mentor & concierge
WhoTaskHelp
Grow venture
Prepare integration
3 winners…
Find product-market fit

17. The Grand Finale - Cisco’s Shark Tank
 Live studio audience – over 100
 Six “Sharks”
 Four Cisco Sr. Execs
 Two outside VCs of
 Broadcast live on Cisco TV to employees worldwide
 Presentations by six finalist teams
 Three winning teams chosen
2016 Lean Startup Conference Liguori Innovation & Cisco's Innovate Everywhere Challenge

18. Make it real and have some fun

19. Video

20. Things You Should Do
• Founders and angels networks in your
company
• Employee idea crowdsourcing
• Employee co-innovation with
customers/ partners/suppliers
• Mentoring/coaching startups and
accelerators
• Employee “entrepreneurs/investors”
clubs
and networks

21. What did we learn together?
 Even large organizations have an abundance of
“mavericks”
…..tap into their talent, energy and enthusiasm.
 Plenty of Big Co Senior Execs actually “get it”
…. and are willing make change happen.
 Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable!
.... take the chance and learn how to try your own
Innovative Disruption. It just might work !
2016 Lean Startup Conference Liguori Innovation & Cisco's Innovate Everywhere Challenge

22. Go be a Corporate Entrepreneur
and Innovator!
Let’s stay in touch
Alex Goryachev
+1 650 283 9669
agoryach@cisco.com
@AgoryachAlex
Steve Liguori
+1 203-918-7967
Steve@LiguoriInnovation.com
@StephenLiguori
Oseas Ramirez Assad
jramire3@cisco.com