Kazi	Monirul	Kabir
Founder	&	Chief	Innovation	Officer
Spider	Digital	Innovations
Spider	Digital	Innovation
UAE	based	Innovation	Consultancy	&	Tech	Aggregator	
Digital	Commerce	– Digital	Security	– Digital	Innovations
19	Years	across	FMCG	– Telco	– Tech	– Social
Google	– Grameenphone	– Banglalink	– BATB
South	&	South	East	Asia,	Middle	East	&	North	America
22	Years	of	entrepreneurship
7	Failed	Ventures	>	4	Successful	Ventures	YTD
CAN	ELEPHANTS	
DANCE?
Structuring	Innovation	at	large	corporates
@monirul www.kazimonirulkabir.com
Estd.	1880
147	K	Employees	
globally
Many	early	
innovations
Filed	for	
Bankruptcy	in	
2012
Estd.	2010
15	Employees
Sold	to	
Facebook	for	
US$	1	Bln +	in	
2012
Estd.	2008
Valued	at	
US$	30	Bln
2	Million	rooms	
in	191	
Countries	
Merged	2016
Valued	at	
US$	17.8	Bln
1.1	Million	
rooms	in	110	
Countries	
Source:	skift.com |	https://goo.gl/mLg2dW
History	repeats	itself	:	with	David	and	Goliath	match-ups;	
where	the	little	guy	wins	against	many	odds	!
Not	in	a	large	company	!
Picture	Credit:	https://goo.gl/fR6Lvk
Its	very,	very	hard	for	a	company	to	
grow	big	and	still	remain	innovative
Picture	Credit:	https://goo.gl/XY0XiS
Very	few	large	companies	would	take	
big,	bold	risks	and	invest	in	future
Picture	Credit:	https://goo.gl/e2xe0s
Being	creative,	impatient	and	disagreeable	are	
generally	not	admired	in	large	corporates
Picture	Credit:	https://goo.gl/e2xe0s
CREATIVITY	:	the	
ability	to	see	an	
alternative	and	
the	value	in	it
DISAGREEABLENESS
:	the	ability	to	fight	
against	a	common	
practice	and	
conformity
URGENCY:	the	
sense	of	completing	
task	in	a	timely	
manner
“We’re	going	to	do	this,	and	we’re	going	to	do	this	tomorrow!”
Picture	Credit:	https://goo.gl/Hs0dNJ
“The	easiest	thing	in	the	world	is	to	slow	things	down,”
Picture	Credit:	https://goo.gl/Hs0dNJ
So	how	do	we	make	the	elephant	dance	?
Picture	Credit:	https://goo.gl/Hs0dNJ
Three	approaches	to	Corporate	Innovation
Think	big,	start	small,	learn	(or	fail)	fast
Create	an	empowered	group	of	change	agents
Put	innovation	at	the	core	of	the	organization
Positioning	Innovation	in	a	large	organization
Specific Broad-based
Product
Process
Spread
Focus
R&D
Process	
Transformation
Business	Model	
Reinvention
Innovation	
Culture
@monirul www.kazimonirulkabir.com

Can elephants dance?