The First Mile

PROLOGUE

The Promise and Perils of Innovation’s First Mile

It was June 2009. I was in an enclosed space in Bangalore, the IT capital of India, a sprawling metropolis of about 10 million. A stranger who didn’t speak English pressed a sharp blade against my neck. And I was loving it.

I was living in what I call the first mile of innovation, where you take those precious early steps to translate an idea on paper into an honest-to-goodness business.

The first mile is an exhilarating place.

I was in Bangalore as part of a field visit to determine whether it made strategic sense for me to shift my responsibilities from running Innosight’s consulting business to its nascent venture investment and incubation arm. That arm had been set up a few years ...