A hamstring injury in high school inspired triathlete Lia Winter to invent the Easy Whip solution. Knoxville News Sentinel


Landing a large corporate client can be an absolutely game-changing event in the life of a startup.

Not only can a paid pilot with a “BigCo” generate meaningful revenue for an early stage company, it can also create credibility, shorten the funding gap, entice new investors, and generally create a sense of momentum.

That’s exactly what a young company needs to get through the “valley of death” that most startups have to endure on the path to success. 

A good friend of mine often says, “If it’s that easy, why aren’t you rich yet?” and I think the logic applies here.

The reason that more startups don’t close more deals with more corporations is because it’s hard. There are a million factors at play: Personnel, timing, needs, market conditions, and organizational structure, just to name a few.

Every situation is different, but I asked a few corporate leaders and a few startup founders who’ve had successful partnerships for some perspective on the “Do’s and Don’ts” of chasing corporate whales and landing the deal. 

Bill Kouns: Co-founder/CMO of Jewelry Television

Try to understand who the decision makers are and try to get your pitch directly to them, Kouns said. You can waste a lot of time barking up the wrong tree.

Also make sure you don’t overpromise and are prepared to deliver on time and in quantity needed, he added. Many startups aren’t prepared to deal with the scale of a large corporation, so you don’t want to get out over your skis.

Lastly, be very direct and don’t waste their time with long-winded presentations. Get to the point.

Show Thumbnails
Show Captions

Anita White: Associate director of innovation at Radio Systems

It’s important to know your audience, White said. Do your homework, understand who you are talking to in terms of the company and the people with whom you are meeting.

On the company side, know what they do and what are they offering to your potential customer. On the people side, many company websites offer bios of their management – read them!

Large companies are busy, so give them time to respond and ask for a "by when" – they will appreciate it and be more likely to hold the by when date, she added.


Also, the first "no" does not have to be the end – ask for their feedback on what would make it better, what would allow them to say "yes". Build the relationship, because later on you can ask if they know others in the industry that might want to hear about your product or service.  

James Horey, CEO of Review Box

Before you sell to a large organization you should probably know the answer to the following question: What are you best at and are you significantly better at it than your competitors?

If your answer is price, then it better be huge because otherwise no one will care. Like an order of magnitude cheaper. Otherwise, why would they trust a new startup for a maybe 10% cost reduction.

Working with startups presents a certain amount of risk to corporations, so it’s really important to make sure that you provide a lot of value and that you deliver on that value. 



Read or Share this story: