The other day, we were talking to a friend about what makes entrapeer so unique (namely, our verified evidence) when they raised the obvious but essential question:
Why can’t I just do the startup scouting and collect that evidence myself?
Now, you might even be thinking, I know my way around a search engine. I bet I could figure it out on my own. Or maybe, I’ll just have the intern do the research.
The thing is, the majority of innovation teams spend 75% of their time scouting for potential startup partners – not innovating. Yet all that time researching doesn’t result in real progress because this research only results in a POC ⅓ of the time.
Entrapeer dramatically reduces time spent startup scouting because our search filters allow you to find the right technological solution for the particular challenges you face. Plus, you can’t find data of the same caliber that we offer. Not even on the web-scraping digital innovation platforms of our competitors or in the deepest depths of the internet. Why?
Entrapeer vs. Google
Well, say you’re trying to learn more about a startup’s past project with a large enterprise. If you Google search, you might find a case study on the startup’s website, maybe even a couple of news articles if it was a big enough success.
But that case study needs to be taken with a hefty grain of salt and, if you’re reading an article published in a renowned news publication, you’re probably late to the party. That startup’s dance card is already full, and they’re well beyond the early seed stages where an enterprise partnership can be the most critical – and most fruitful.
These sources probably don’t include details like the project duration, the specific teams and titles involved, or the technical and cultural requirements for such a partnership. Let alone the juicy insider information like return on investment, environmental impact, and other key data points.
Entrapeer vs. Crunchbase
Let’s say you take it a step further. You scour the most reputable, free-market intelligence platforms for more information. Let’s say you spend some time digging through Crunchbase, Pitchbook, CB insights, and others. These sites can offer a useful snapshot of a startup’s current status and investment history. But there’s no way of knowing if the information on display is accurate.
You see, many of these digital innovation platforms simply scrape the web and harvest whatever information they might find. The problem is that none of that data is verified. None of those sources are vetted.
These sites rely on startups to regularly check their profiles and update their info. And if you know anything about early-stage startup life, you get why this task would fall low on the list of priorities.
Firsthand research
The best way to get an accurate picture of a startup’s past success and current capabilities is to schedule a call and get the facts straight from the proverbial horse’s mouth.
Even then, it’s critical that you ask the right questions. And even then, you’re only getting one side of the story – unless you ask a startup for a customer reference, which they might be understandably reluctant to give.
By the time you’ve done all this research, you’ve spent countless hours collecting data that may or may not be true. And handing all that hard work off to even the best-intentioned intern isn’t going to get you any further.
The simple truth is that our evidence gathering system and verification process is more thorough than any online tool or web sleuth. We’ve done the homework to know exactly what questions enterprises need answers to, and how to guarantee accuracy in our reporting.
So before you spiral down the Google search rabbit hole or shell out thousands per month on innovation enablement platforms that still require you to do all the grunt work, why not sign up for a free trial?
