Innovation Strategy

Designing innovation strategies for sustainable growth

KisStartup partners with businesses, organizations, and innovation ecosystems to design innovation strategies aligned with growth objectives, internal capabilities, and rapidly evolving market dynamics.

Innovation—from slogans to executable strategy

In an increasingly volatile market environment, innovation is no longer a series of isolated experiments or a communication slogan. At KisStartup, innovation is treated as a strategic capability —one that must be intentionally designed, aligned with business objectives, organizational structures, and long-term development pathways.

We support organizations in addressing critical questions such as:

• What problems should innovation solve within the business model?
• Where in the value chain can innovation create true competitive advantage?
• How can internal capabilities be effectively combined with external resources?

KisStartup’s approach

KisStartup’s approach to innovation strategy integrates strategic thinking,  market insight, and hands-on experience in implementing innovation within the real-world contexts of businesses and organizations in Vietnam and the broader region.

1. Positioning innovation within the growth strategy

We support organizations in clearly defining the role of innovation within their overall growth strategy—from optimizing existing business models and expanding markets to developing new growth engines.

Illustrative examples:

A manufacturing company recognizes that innovation lies not only in new products, but also in partnering with technology startups to optimize processes, reduce costs, and meet green transformation requirements.

A business support organization redesigns its innovation strategy to shift from administrative support toward data-driven and market-oriented services.

2. Open Innovation

KisStartup advances open innovation models in which organizations do not innovate in isolation, but leverage external knowledge, technologies, and solutions.

Open innovation approaches supported by KisStartup include:

• Connecting corporations with startups to pilot new solutions through innovation challenges.
• Designing collaboration programs between enterprises and universities to commercialize research outcomes.
• Building platforms and processes that enable organizations to source, screen, and experiment with innovations from the broader ecosystem.

Illustrative examples:

A corporation in the chemicals and materials sector launches an open innovation program to source solutions from startups and research institutes, rather than developing all capabilities in-house.

A large agrifood company collaborates with startups to pilot new technology solutions at small scale before scaling up.

3. Corporate Innovation

For large enterprises and corporations, KisStartup supports the design and operation of innovation models tailored to organizational structures, decision-making processes, and risk appetite.

We focus on:

• Developing innovation governance frameworks.
• Designing dedicated innovation units or programs that operate alongside core business functions.
• Linking innovation initiatives with business objectives, digital transformation, and green transformation.

Illustrative examples:

A corporation implements an internal innovation program combined with external startup collaboration to shorten product experimentation cycles.

A large enterprise develops an innovation roadmap to meet ESG requirements, directly linking innovation efforts with operational efficiency and international market expansion.

From strategy to real-world impact

A key differentiat or of KisStartup’s approach is its strong focus on practical impact. Innovation strategies are not treated as conceptual frameworks or static documents, but are designed to be translated into concrete actions, programs, and measurable outcomes.

We prioritize strategies that:

• Can be implemented under constrained resource conditions
• Enable rapid experimentation, learning, and continuous adaptation
• Are suitable for organizations at different stages of development
• Strengthen human resources to support innovation strategies
• Are closely integrated with digital transformation, green transformation, and sustainable development
• Are tightly connected to internal and external innovation ecosystems
• Deliver measurable impact for both organizations and the broader ecosystem