Antock, where I work, is developing a new corporate discovery model called the “Victory Road Analysis (Victory Road)” algorithm. It derives common growth patterns and key success factors by analyzing the initial business journeys and key activity records of successful venture companies. It is a method of extracting secrets from the past that early companies achieved rapid growth beyond their survival period by benchmarking the very early days rather than the current state of major companies. Through this, growth factors and major milestones for each industry are defined, and current promising startups in the most similar path are identified based on data.
Recently, Antock is conducting experiments related to extracting growth DNA (Growth DNA) in the semiconductor industry and discovering innovative companies using this model through a technology verification (Proof of Concept) project with financial institutions. As a basic work to this end, we focused on past data from domestic semiconductor automation equipment and general manager (materials, components, equipment) companies that have already settled on a successful track. As a result of reviewing extensive history, activities, and press releases over the past 20 years through big data, various success formulas were revealed above the surface, and one implication stands out.
The point is that the initial commercialization of most successful domestic semiconductor equipment and component companies progressed surprisingly quickly. In general, while technology development and product launch are carried out sequentially over time, semiconductor companies subject to benchmarking show how technology, product development, and sales are realized simultaneously from the first year of establishment. Also, in many cases, overseas exports were completed within 3 years after establishment, and the business area was expanded from various angles. It is believed that the reason for this parallel commercialization and soft landing on the market was due to the existence of an organic win-win network with large domestic semiconductor companies.
From the beginning of the business, I was able to observe the successful transition of the startup Death Valley by forming relationships with major semiconductor companies as partner companies to establish stable revenue sources and establish a self-sustaining business model.
Signing a contract with a large domestic company goes beyond a simple delivery relationship and acts as an excellent reference in the global market. This acts as a key factor for semiconductor start-ups to naturally enter overseas markets at an early stage. The role of large companies is one of the reasons why the domestic semiconductor startup ecosystem has expanded and successful cases have been born.
The growth of startups and the expansion of the startup ecosystem through cooperation with large companies are not limited to a specific area, and can be achieved throughout the industry. In this context, it is an encouraging phenomenon that channels connecting startups and large companies are being diversified, such as CVC (corporate venture capital) investment, open innovation-based partnerships, and spin-offs through in-house ventures. Through this, start-ups can secure funding and external credibility, and large companies can improve work efficiency and lay the foundation for developing new markets.
However, in order for a win-win relationship to be established in a desirable form, mutual trust must be the foundation, and large companies should not only view this as a business opportunity. The news of technology theft, leakage, and takeover of startup technology by large companies, which is easily received through news, is a hindrance to the cooperation and growth of the entire ecosystem. Legal safeguards and efforts to protect technology within startups should also be involved to prevent this, but more fundamentally, large companies themselves need to recognize that they are active nurturers of the startup ecosystem, and they must also be aware of the social responsibility associated with this.
We often inadvertently limit the entities that nurture and revitalize the startup ecosystem to the government and public institutions. However, this is an unconscious framework that excludes private companies as stakeholders in fostering an ecosystem. In the meantime, it is necessary to remember that many start-ups have grown through cooperation and coexistence with large companies, and that large companies have played a direct and indirect role as a breeding ground. We hope to expand the window of cooperation between large companies and startups that are healthier and more socially responsible, and we hope that this will accelerate the growth of startups and their global expansion.
[Money Today Startup Media Platform Unicorn Factory]
