The Open Edge: How SMEs and Startups Can Use Open Innovation to Turn Collaboration into Competitive Advantage

By Andrea Gamucci

You built something valuable. How do you make sure you keep it?
Every year, thousands of small companies enter innovation partnerships that create real value - and walk away with almost none of it. They share too much. They sign the wrong agreements. They let larger partners capture the profit from jointly developed products. Open Innovation can accelerate your growth and give you access to expertise you could never build alone. But without the right strategy, it can expose your know-how and hand your best ideas to someone bigger.

This book shows you how to collaborate without losing control.
The Open Edge is a practical handbook that translates Open Innovation research into clear, actionable guidance for small companies. Every chapter includes real-world examples and practical tools you can use immediately.

What you will learn: The three models of Open Innovation and how to choose the right oneHow to create value AND capture your share of itWhere to find the right partners: universities, corporates, ecosystemsHow to protect your IP without killing collaboration How to negotiate with large corporations without being crushedA 90-day step-by-step playbook to launch your first partnershipIncludes cases from IBM, Xerox, Pfizer-BioNTech, ARM Holdings, Tesla, and Procter and Gamble, plus checklists, scorecards, and decision frameworks in every chapter.

Written by an innovation strategist with a PhD in Physics, a Master's in Innovation Management, and hands-on experience building partnerships between deep-tech startups and major corporations.

Be open, but not naive.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H5RBCNHB
• ISBN13: 9798182000192
• Release Date: June 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 98 Pages
• Weight: 0.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"