We’ve all heard the term pivot by now. When a startup isn’t working out, it’s time to try something different, thus the concept of pivoting to a new idea. What most people don’t know is that a large number of successful startups became successful after doing a pivot. I was reminded of this again a few days ago when Alan Dabbiere, chairman of AirWatch, spoke at the (co) lab summit. Both of Alan’s huge successes were pivots:
- Manhattan Associates (NASDAQ:MANH – Market cap of $1.8 billion) – Started out as a solution for printing packing slips in warehouses and eventually pivoted into supply chain software
- AirWatch (raised a $225 million series A round in early 2013) – Started out doing WiFi management for a restaurant chain (Panera Bread) and eventually pivoted into mobile device management software
On the personal front, Pardot started out as a pay-per-click lead generation service before pivoting into marketing automation software. Pivoting is a normal part of the startup process and more common than expected.
What else? What are your thoughts on pivots being more common than expected?
David Cummings on Startups 
As the saying goes…it is those with the ability to adapt that survive. Being nimble is the only option
Reblogged this on Software Marketing Advisor Blog and commented:
Planning is an important part of any tech business, but it’s important not to be married to your business plan. Remember even the best startups began with a pivot. Here are a few examples