Innovation, Leadership & Future Opportunities: Unlocking Corporate–Startup Collaboration
Innovation today is not built in isolation. It is driven by bold leadership and the ability to collaborate across ecosystems. Yet, while corporate–startup partnerships promise agility, scale, and growth, they are often difficult to navigate in practice.
In this session, Professor Shameen Prashantham, Associate Dean (Africa) at CEIBS, draws on over a decade of research to explore why the very factors that make collaboration attractive also make it complex. From differences in speed and structure to misaligned expectations, he unpacks the paradox of asymmetry at the heart of these partnerships.
The session introduces a practical framework—Synergy, Interface, Exemplar—to help organisations move from fragmented collaboration to structured, high-impact engagement. This includes clarifying shared value, creating effective collaboration mechanisms, and learning from proven success cases.
Looking ahead, the discussion extends beyond traditional partnership models to explore how organisations can embed societal impact into their strategies, evolving from simple win-win outcomes to win-win-win—where corporates, startups and broader ecosystems all benefit.
This session is designed for leaders, founders, and ecosystem builders looking to unlock future opportunities through more effective, scalable collaboration.