Innovation initiatives rarely fail because teams lack ideas. They fail because organizations increase commitment before the weakest assumptions have been tested and the evidence can support the next decision.
I provide independent innovation strategy consulting in Switzerland for boards, executives, founders and innovation leaders deciding what to test, fund, pivot, stop or scale. Based in Zurich, I work with organizations across DACH and Europe in English and German.
The work starts with the decision—not a generic transformation program. We clarify what must be true, which assumptions carry the greatest exposure, what evidence is missing and what threshold should justify the next commitment.
When Innovation Strategy Consulting Is Useful
This work is useful when an organization needs to:
decide which innovation opportunities deserve further investment;
determine whether an initiative should continue, pivot, pause or stop;
identify the weakest assumptions in a business model or corporate venture;
compare initiatives using evidence rather than internal advocacy;
assess whether customer demand and economic viability justify scaling;
evaluate AI investments beyond productivity claims;
prepare a consequential decision for a board, steering committee or investment review.
Innovation Advisory and Executive Sparring
Some decisions require independent challenge rather than a large consulting programme. Within my innovation strategy consulting, I provide innovation advisory and executive sparring for executives, boards, founders and venture leaders preparing funding, portfolio, business-model or strategic innovation decisions.
The work focuses on clarifying the available options, challenging the assumptions behind internal recommendations, assessing the strength of the evidence and defining what should justify the next commitment.
Depending on the decision, the output may include a focused recommendation, explicit decision criteria, an assumption and evidence map or a concise decision memo.
Innovation advisory and executive sparring are available in Switzerland and across DACH and Europe, in English or German.
What the Engagement Produces
The output depends on the decision, not on a predetermined consulting package. It may include:
a clear decision diagnosis;
an assumption and evidence map;
prioritised learning questions;
explicit funding or continuation criteria;
a business-model viability assessment;
a portfolio comparison based on evidence quality and exposure;
a board-ready decision memo;
a recommendation to test, fund, pivot, defer, stop or scale.
Selected Innovation Strategy Consulting Cases
Case 1: From an Unvalidated Idea to Ten Paying Customers
Decision: Whether to continue pursuing the founders’ original business idea, stop the venture or pivot after no problem–solution fit had been established.
Weakest assumption: The original idea did not address a sufficiently important customer problem. Without problem–solution fit, further attempts to optimise the business model could not produce reliable evidence of viability.
My contribution: As interim CEO, I led the customer research, established a clear user and problem definition around an important underserved struggle, and redirected the value proposition, solution, revenue logic and commercial approach around that evidence.
Observed result: The pivot produced a working B2B business model and secured ten paying customers among larger Swiss transport companies.
Case 2: From OEM Dependency to Utility-Led Validation
Decision: Whether to continue, adapt or discontinue an existing energy business model.
Weakest assumption: The business model assumed that OEMs would integrate the solution into their products because it helped utilities incorporate more renewable energy assets into their grids and managed-service portfolios.
My contribution: I redesigned the business model by shifting the primary customer from OEMs to energy service providers and grid operators. OEMs were repositioned as ecosystem partners supporting an integrated end-customer solution.
Observed result: The pivot led to early proofs of concept and pilots with integrated solutions, designed to quantify the financial impact and determine whether larger rollouts were justified.
Case 3: From Technological Interest to a Stop Decision
Decision: Whether to pursue a dual-use, sensor-based monitoring solution for civilian and military settings that could indicate whether personnel were fit to continue working or should rest because their vital signs suggested an elevated risk of collapse.
Weakest assumption: The team treated expressed interest in the technology as evidence of demand. The initial interviews had not established a specific job to be done, dissatisfaction with existing alternatives, willingness to switch or willingness to pay.
My contribution: I conducted Jobs-to-be-Done research with the main potential user groups, examined the relevant demand and adoption factors, and established a clear user and problem definition.
Observed result: Despite interest in the technology, the research found insufficient willingness to switch and pay. The likelihood of adoption was too low to justify further long-term investment, so I recommended stopping the initiative and reallocating the resources to other innovation candidates.
Ways of Working
Engagements are scoped around the decision and the evidence required to make it. They can take the form of:
a focused review of one innovation initiative;
an innovation portfolio and funding review;
a business-model strategy and viability assessment;
an executive or board decision workshop;
independent sparring across a decision cycle;
a structured engagement to redesign and validate an innovation strategy or business model.
The scope remains as small as the decision allows. The objective is not to create a large consulting programme, but to improve the quality of the next consequential commitment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an innovation strategy consultant do?
An innovation strategy consultant helps leaders decide where to invest, what must be tested and what evidence should justify further commitment. The work connects strategic priorities with customer demand, business-model viability, organizational capability and financial exposure.
When should an organization use innovation strategy consulting?
It is most useful before a consequential commitment: funding a venture, scaling a solution, changing a business model, restructuring a portfolio or continuing an initiative whose evidence remains uncertain.
Do you work only with organizations in Switzerland?
No. I am based in Zurich and work with organizations across Switzerland, DACH and Europe. Engagements are available in English or German, in person or remotely.
How does an engagement begin?
It begins with the decision. You describe the options, the available evidence, what remains uncertain and what becomes expensive if the decision is wrong. I then recommend the smallest useful scope.
Related Services
For focused executive challenge and decision reviews: Innovation Advisory and Executive Sparring
For leadership teams working on a current decision: Innovation Training and Workshops
For conferences and leadership events: Innovation and AI Keynotes
Start with the Decision
You do not need to know which consulting format you need.
Send a brief description of:
the decision you face;
the initiatives or options involved;
the evidence currently available;
what remains uncertain;
what becomes expensive if the decision is wrong;
when the decision must be made.
I will recommend the smallest useful scope for improving that decision.