Closing the gap between innovation and go-to-market, with AWS’s Jelena Joffe Weil
Feb 12, 2025
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Jelena Joffe Weil, founder and leader of the Venture Innovation program at AWS, discusses pivotal strategies for connecting startups with large enterprises. She highlights the importance of collaboration in innovative ventures and shares insights on overcoming challenges from pilot projects to full-scale implementation. The conversation also explores change management in adopting new technologies, including a fascinating case study on NASA’s remote health monitoring for astronauts. Lastly, she emphasizes patient-centric strategies in healthcare innovation.
AWS’s Venture Innovation program connects startups and enterprises to foster collaborative innovation that addresses specific business needs.
Effective partnerships between large enterprises and startups are crucial for overcoming procurement challenges and enhancing innovation outcomes.
Deep dives
Role of Venture Innovation at Amazon
The venture innovation team at Amazon Web Services plays a crucial role in connecting startups with enterprise customers to foster collaboration and innovation. Rather than selecting specific ventures, they leverage a large global team to understand the ecosystems and match startups with enterprises’ needs. This approach is grounded in the belief that startups seek not just funding, but access to decision-makers and the opportunity to provide solutions to existing gaps within enterprises. By implementing a structured method through the Venture Innovation Program, Amazon aims to create meaningful partnerships that drive innovation on both sides.
Collaborative Innovation Challenges
The process of open or collaborative innovation involves addressing three main challenges: identifying what to solve, finding the right partners, and understanding how to scale solutions effectively. The venture innovation team emphasizes working backward from the customer’s needs to determine the right problem to focus on, while also guiding partners on who to collaborate with based on cultural fit and technological capability. Additionally, they assist enterprises in establishing the necessary foundational elements for successful innovation, including organizational structure and a supportive culture. Overcoming these challenges ensures that innovations are not only feasible but aligned with the broader strategic goals of the company.
Importance of Effective Partnerships
Successful collaborations hinge on addressing common pain points that arise when large enterprises partner with startups. Often, these challenges include long procurement processes and resistance from internal teams, which can hinder innovation outcomes. The venture innovation team focuses on ensuring that decision-makers from the enterprise are actively involved in the collaboration, thereby improving the chances of fruitful outcomes. Through strategic matchmaking and a clear understanding of enterprise needs, they have facilitated transformative partnerships that yield impactful results, such as collaborations that enhance product testing and validation.
Case Studies of Successful Innovation Matches
One exemplary case involved connecting a large manufacturing company with a generative AI startup, Physics X, to revolutionize engine durability testing. This collaboration reduced simulation time from weeks to hours, demonstrating the potential of leveraging advanced technology to solve pressing industry problems. Another significant match was between NASA and a startup for remote health monitoring in space, which required a unique blend of expertise in both mental health and data transmission. Such success stories highlight how well-structured partnerships can lead to innovative solutions that may not have been possible through traditional methods.
McKinsey innovation leader Erik Roth speaks with Jelena Joffe Weil, the founder and worldwide leader of the Venture Innovation program at AWS, Amazon’s cloud computing arm, about how AWS works to close the gap between innovation and go to market for start-ups and large enterprises. The global hyperscaler is known for helping businesses grow and scale rapidly, but it also helps start-ups and established enterprises find each other to engage in open, or collaborative, innovation.