Your External Innovation Strike Team
Powered by Buildative Methodology
Breakthrough corporate red tape with our proven rapid hardware methodology. We build first,
design second—delivering working prototypes in weeks, not years.
The Corporate Innovation Problem
Great Ideas Don't Die From Lack of Talent.
They Die From Too Many Meetings.
You have talented engineers. You have budget. You even have executive support.
But you also have:
- 6-month road-map planning cycles
- Committee approvals for every decision
- Risk-averse "Design → Build → Test" culture
- Competing priorities and resource constraints
- "That's not how we do things here"
Innovation doesn't happen in PowerPoint decks. It happens when small, autonomous teams can
build, learn, and iterate fast—without asking permission for every decision. That's where the Buildative Strike Team comes in.
The Buildative Methodology
Build → Design → Test
(Not the Other Way Around)
Traditional hardware development is backwards. Teams spend months perfecting designs on
paper, then discover all the real problems after the first build. By then, you've wasted 6-
12 months.
The Buildative methodology flips this:
**Week 1: Build ugly breadboards** that prove critical functions work
**Week 2-4: Test, learn, iterate** on working hardware (not CAD files)
**Week 5-8: Design and refine** based on what actually works
Instead of designing for 6 months and hoping it works, we build rough prototypes in days and
learn what actually works. This "fail fast, learn fast" approach compresses 18-month
projects into 60-90 days.
**The 5 Buildative Stages:**
1. **Risk Reduction Sprint** - Prove critical functions work (2-3 weeks)
2. **Alpha Development** - Integrate subsystems (3-4 weeks)
3. **Beta Refinement** - Production-ready design (4-6 weeks)
4. **Manufacturing Transfer** - Tooling and production support
5. **Production Ramp** - Scale from pilot to volume
For corporate strike teams, we typically focus on Stages 1-2: proving the concept works
fast.
How the Strike Team Works
Your Autonomous External Innovation Unit
Think of us as your external R&D skunkworks using proven rapid methodology:
**Autonomous Operation**
- Direct reporting line to your innovation lead or executive sponsor
- No committee approvals, no internal politics
- Fast decision-making using Buildative principles
- Weekly progress updates with working hardware demos
- Confidential NDA-protected work
**Buildative Rapid Cycles**
- Week 1: Build breadboard proving critical function
- Week 2-3: Test, iterate on working hardware
- Week 4-6: Refine and integrate subsystems
- Week 7-8: Deliver working prototype + documentation
- 60-90 day total timeline to proof-of-concept
**Seamless Handoff**
- Complete design files and documentation
- Buildative decision logs (what we learned, why we chose each approach)
- Knowledge transfer and training included
- Option to continue as extended team for full development
Perfect For:
Large Companies Needing:
- New product concepts that don't fit existing roadmaps
- Innovation initiatives requiring proof points fast
- Skunkworks projects requiring external confidentiality
- "Zero-to-one" validation before scaling internally
- Technology validation before major investment
- Competitive response requiring rapid development
- Breaking through design-paralysis culture
Engagement Models
Option A: Innovation Retainer
- Monthly retainer
- Dedicated Buildative strike team allocation
- Ongoing innovation pipeline (multiple concepts)
- Build-test-learn cycles every 2-3 weeks
- 6-12 month commitments
Option B: Single Strike Mission
- Fixed Price innovation sprint
- 60-90 day delivery timeline
- Single product focus
- Working prototype deliverable
- Full Buildative documentation
- Option to extend for production
Option C: Hybrid Model
- Retainer for ongoing innovation exploration
- Project pricing for focused builds
- Flexible based on your innovation pipeline
What You Get
Deliverables:
- Working functional prototypes (not just CAD)
- Week-by-week evolution photos (breadboard → alpha)
- Buildative decision log (why we chose each approach)
- Test data and validation results
- IP developed is owned by your company
- Manufacturing feasibility assessment
- Road map for internal hand-off or production
Process:
- Weekly demos with working hardware
- Direct access to engineering strike team
- Executive sponsor briefings
- Confidential throughout engagement
- Flexible pivots based on test learnings
Buildative vs. Traditional
Buildative Strike Team
Traditional Approach
Build breadboard in week 1
Design for 6 months
Autonomous decision-making
Wait for committee approvals
Working proof at week 2
First prototype at month 9
Learn problems early
Discover problems late
60-90 day proof-of-concept
18-24 month timeline
External team bypasses bureaucracy
Internal politics slow progress
Case Study Example
Fortune 500 Industrial Equipment Manufacturer
Challenge:
Internal team at capacity, new IoT product idea didn't fit roadmap, needed proof of concept for
board approval within 90 days. Traditional process would take 18+ months.
Buildative Strike Team Approach:
- Week 1: Built ugly breadboard proving sensor concept worked
- Week 2-4: Tested in real industrial environment, iterated on 3 designs
- Week 5-8: Integrated wireless connectivity, refined enclosure
- Week 9-11: Final integration and executive demonstration
Result:
Working prototype delivered in 11 weeks, demonstrated at board meeting, secured $5M internal
funding for full development, handed off to internal team with complete Buildative decision log.
Client Quote:
"Watching them build rough prototypes in week one instead of spending months in CAD was uncomfortable at first. But when we had working hardware demonstrating our concept by week two, our entire innovation team wanted to adopt the Buildative approach."
Why Buildative Strike Teams Work
Speed Without Compromise
Build-first methodology proves concepts in weeks while your internal team maintains focus on core products.
Political Firewall
External teams avoid internal politics, competing priorities, and "not invented here" syndrome. We answer to
physics, not committees.
Learn Fast, Fail Fast
Ugly breadboards in week one reveal problems that perfect CAD models hide for months. Early failures save
late disasters.
Fresh Perspective
Outside teams bring Buildative methodology and aren't constrained by "how we've always done it" or "Design
→ Build → Test" culture.
Documented Learning
Complete Buildative decision logs show what you tried, what worked, what didn't, and why—invaluable for
internal teams taking over.
Is this the right fit for you?
We're NOT the right fit if:
- You need full control over day-to-day decisions
- You can't dedicate an executive sponsor for weekly check-ins
- Your legal/procurement process takes 6+ months
- You're uncomfortable with "ugly" early prototypes
- You need a "staff augmentation" body shop
- You want consulting reports instead of working hardware
- You have budget authority and executive support
- You value working prototypes over perfect presentations
- You're comfortable with external innovation partners
- You want proof-of-concept, not PowerPoint concepts
- You need confidential skunkworks capability
- You're frustrated with design paralysis culture
The Buildative Advantage
What makes Buildative different from other "agile hardware" approaches:
✅ Proven methodology - Not just "move fast," but a specific Build → Design → Test framework
✅ Documented process - Decision logs show why each choice was made
✅ Ugly is beautiful - Breadboards and hot glue are features, not bugs
✅ Test-driven - Every design decision backed by hardware test data
✅ Owned IP - Buildative is our unique methodology, not generic consulting
When someone says "We need hardware innovation fast," you'll think "Buildative Strike Team."
