Incredible startups and how to find them

It’s crucial for businesses to stay abreast of startup activity. The right market intelligence solutions can make that much easier.

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Knowledge is power. This adage rings as true today as ever, particularly for companies vying for market share in a world of ever-increasing globalization, choice, and competition. Today’s customers have more knowledge than ever at their fingertips, enabling them to make more informed decisions about which products to buy and which services to procure. 

Businesses have a wealth of knowledge available to them too, which they need to take advantage of if they wish to be competitive in such an environment. It helps to have a way of filtering and understanding all this knowledge, however. That’s where market intelligence comes in. 

Market intelligence is a structured approach towards gathering, analyzing, and managing market data that provides businesses with insights into external factors like market and technology trends, customers, competitive dynamics, and product life cycle analysis. 

With their vast databases of company information, market intelligence solutions can also help organizations monitor startup activity. This is crucial because startups are frequently at the forefront of innovation, with a more intimate understanding of customer issues and under-served markets. They also develop and deploy technologies and approaches that might disrupt the status quo. 

Let’s explore how and why market intelligence tools can enable you to find and track startups. 

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1. The industry angle

One of the great advantages of a good market intelligence solution is that it positions startups clearly in the context of their industry. This is hugely useful for incumbents needing to understand the potential challengers to their market share, or perhaps wishing to innovate through the acquisition of a company with great prospects. It’s equally helpful to organizations wishing to venture into a new field, with startup activity an indicator of that market’s potential opportunities and competitive landscape. After all, it’s as important to be alert to developments that your company could capitalize on as it is to recognize which bandwagons have reached capacity. For those charged with developing business strategy, this sort of intel can ensure research and development and valuable resources are directed down avenues with the greatest potential. Easily digestible market maps like the one below can segment startups further, by their position within the larger ecosystem of an industry, for example, or by product maturity stage, enabling decision-makers to identify players with the highest market potential before they commercialize. ‍

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2. Stay abreast of tech

Startups spearhead technological innovation, developing new solutions that disrupt industries at a seemingly ever-increasing rate. Keeping pace with new and emerging technologies is thus crucial for companies that wish to stay competitive. High-quality market intelligence tools can aid in this by tracking which startups’ emergent tech is making waves, how quickly this is being adopted across industries, and, crucially, how exactly that tech is being used in each case. Many teams are aware of new technologies being unleashed on the market but remain unsure about how they are practically applied and what real-world implications they may have. Specific use cases like those illustrated below provide deeper insight than a broad or generic view. A company interested in Generative AI, for example, can see at a glance how this technology is being utilized in different sectors and by whom. 

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3. A competitive (analysis) edge

With so many startups, it can be difficult to know how to find them, and which to partner with, invest in, or acquire. That makes the competitive analysis capabilities of market intelligence tools incredibly useful, enabling businesses to compare startups with other disruptors in their particular niche as well as the broader industry. It can help to compare startups not just against their peers, but also the industry giants. Evaluating the capabilities of disruptors alongside incumbents provides an indication of whether or not the former can contend with major players, and what might need to change to make that possible. Depending on the nature of your business, you may be able to provide complementary resources and capabilities to make that happen, or perhaps find a partner that can facilitate this. 

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This image provides an at-a-glance indication of how Zocdoc’s platform differentiates itself from incumbent player CVS, for example, with a deeper dive into each company’s strengths and weaknesses just a click away. 

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4. Track who the competition is tracking

Of course, your competitors have the same ideas as your business – constantly on the watch for new opportunities. The best way to meet them is by adopting a proactive strategy, and the best way to develop that is by understanding their activities. Market intelligence tools enable you to see who the competition is partnering with or acquiring, and what these activities are yielding. From there you can research similar or competing startups that might give you an edge over your competitors. For example, you can see how CVS acquired Signify Health to enter into the home healthcare space. with After all, in a hyper-competitive market, it’s crucial to leverage every tool and source of information at your disposal. 

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5. Conclusion

Startups are the beating pulse of innovation, driven to disrupt the status quo through new technology, solutions, and ways of thinking. To stay abreast of what startups are doing is to stay abreast of developments that could potentially change an industry, and is thus an imperative for organizations of all sizes. Market intelligence tools can help companies track startup activity across a number of metrics, and through this gain insight into new market potential, technological breakthroughs and their practical applications, potential acquisitions or partnerships, and how competitors are interacting with the startup ecosystem. In an ever-changing business landscape, this sort of information is essential for guiding corporate innovation strategy. 

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Get ahead with SPEEDA Edge

SPEEDA Edge brings thorough, verified, and accessible market intelligence services to the table, backed up by teams of analysts ready to dig deeper into the data. Our tools helps businesses track startup activity across 200 emerging sectors, providing unparalleled breadth of coverage coupled with depth of insight. You can download our free report on the top 140 startups to watch or contact us to find out more.