A startup company grows and grows until it proven itself, then a corporation acquires it, at least that is how the old story goes. The new story, however, is quite different, at least in the smart building sector. “Corporations and start-ups have begun working together in fundamentally new ways, with a focus on flexible, early-stage, open-ended partnerships,” suggests our most recent report – StartUps and their Impact on Smart Buildings 2017, a comprehensive evaluation of startup companies in the smart building space. The report comprehensively explores the fundamental change in the nature of collaboration between the established incumbents and early stage startups over the last two years. The report goes so far as to say that many corporations now consider this new relationship as being critical to their success. Typically, the first conversation between a corporation and a startup was at the negotiation table. Most corporations have become experts in assessing the value, timing the […]