CONCLUSION: The More Things Change… Now more than ever, companies see the need to digitize more aspects of their businesses, faster. Startups that can meet these needs are poised to beneift. Some of these changes may, at the margins, ease some of the potential problems that can crop up in enterprise-startup partnerships. If big companies are able to make procurement decisions faster, and are willing to listen to their employees’ on-the-ground needs and buy products to suit, some startups may have a slightly easier time landing these big customers. But ultimately, the core challenge of a partnership like this won’t change: startups and established companies are different. They have different needs and different internal processes. Some early-stage startups may simply not be ready to work with a Fortune 500 company. Some Fortune 500 companies may simply not be prepared to deal with the challenges that come with a partnership with a very early-stage startup. And yet it remains crucial for both parties to innovate with both speed and discipline. We believe that one of the best ways large companies can access innovative technologies is by partnering with exciting new startups; and one of the best ways startups can scale is by learning to work with Fortune 500 companies as partners and customers. We hope the advice in this whitepaper can help companies on both sides of this equation overcome some of these difficulties and learn to work together more productively. Feel free to contact me directly if you want to talk about any of this. Best wishes, Scott Goering Evan Witte Scott Goering Evan Witte VP, Business Development, Battery VenturDiresector, Business Development, Battery Ventures Scott Goering | [email protected] Evan Witt e| [email protected]