October 17, 2017

Cesar Keller (CK)

CEO
Collec�ve Brains, Inc.
Bellevue, Washington, United States

A constella�on is a group of stars that are considered to form imaginary outlines or meaningful paterns on the
celes�al sphere. Similarly, we could call a business constella�on a group of businesses that temporarily align
around a significant purpose. Companies that get together to complement each other and cooperate towards a
broad and impac�ul objec�ve. That no�on differs from tradi�onal business partnerships by its impact and
number of collaborators.

"Knowledge is a func�on of being. When there is a change in the being of the knower, there is a corresponding
change in the nature and amount of knowing", writes Aldous Huxley in his book. We are living the fourth industrial
revolu�on, and we need to recollect and reassess our knowledge about how businesses interact, compete and
collaborate. Digital and new technologies are disrup�ng companies, business channels, business models, jobs
and en�re industries. Simultaneously, new genera�ons are coming to the workplace with different mentality and
understanding of rela�onship models. Genera�ons born with broader social reach, real-�me virtual collabora�on
and need to make the difference. The result is a significant shake on before understood permanent business
structures, demolishing old paterns of supply-demand dominance and crea�ng en�re new ecosystems
mo�vated to collaborate, deliver quan�c leaps in human progress, and to launch reinvigorated business concepts.

NEW BUSINESS MODELS

New business models have surged in recent years and new terms coined to define them.
"Frenemies" are companies that compete in one area and are business partners in another. Samsung
manufactures most of the I-phone screens and yet is the largest manufacturer of Android phones, making Apple
its archrival on Smartphones and the most prominent customer at the same �me. Amazon and Microso� just
announced Gluon, a partnership to deliver a new so�ware tool for developers that makes it easier for developers
to build AI/machine learning systems. Both are the most significant contenders on Cloud compu�ng solu�ons,
but they need help to fight Google in that space.

"Customer-Partner" is another model that boomed along with the Cloud tech growth. On these networks, a
company can be simultaneously a user of one product, a reseller of your solu�ons and partner on your technology.
Let's get a seller of Microso� Azure as one example - typically a partner. The partner will develop solu�ons based
on Azure and sell to its customer base. Those solu�ons might live in their websites or transact in Microso�’s
marketplace. That same partner might also resell Office365, and use it as their produc�vity solu�on. In that case,
the partner will be at the same �me a customer of Microso� SaaS and IaaS and a partner on PaaS, increasing
mutual dependency.

"Business ecosystems" are created around big companies that offer market wide strategic solu�ons. Amazon is a
good example of a big business ecosystem anchor, and one of high growth. "Amazon ecosystem, made up of
merchants, writers, reviewers, publishers, apps developers, and the informa�on market of commentators,
analysts, journalists and feature writers who get the word out about opportunity on the Amazon pla�orm", says
the Forbes ar�cle. The cri�cal fundamental on those business rela�onships is that every en�ty works to the
success of the ecosystem and depend on it at the same �me. So, a retailer using Amazon virtual distribu�on
system will profit more if the ecosystem grows and vice versa.

New ideas, new models, but we can do beter.

BRAVE NEW WORLD

The world has experienced unparalleled growth in the last seven decades and wealth has mul�plied and spread.
That big new economy we have inherited from the "baby boomers" came with its challenges too. The way we
explore resources, fuel growth and expand demand became not sustainable. Time to pass the baton to new
thinkers. Especially "millennials", came to the workplace to challenge those no�ons. Growth can be sustainable,
society can be more equitable, and the workplace can be more mo�va�ng and fun. Businesses around the globe
recognized a new expanding market and started to adapt to this new consumer-user-entrepreneur-employee
demands. Those same companies embraced new causes and purposes - recycling, no-GMO, organic, sustainable,
ethical, socially responsible, equal opportunity, diversity and more - as never.

A new class of atrac�on and collabora�on has surged. The one mo�vated by genuine purpose. People want to
express their point of view, voice their passions and meaning, and create change by adop�ng a product or brand
and choosing where to work. Businesses recognized the power of purpose and brought it to the cover of their
strategies.

At the same �me, the new genera�ons can leverage the digital economy to disrupt businesses they are not happy
about, and create their clusters when necessary. Or collaborate with bigger ones where there is opportunity.

BUSINESS CONSTELLATIONS
That movement started to bring closer businesses aligned by meaningful purpose and boost collabora�on to an
en�rely new level. Companies are partnering in leveraging services, aggrega�ng solu�ons, changing regula�ons
and helping each other to achieve bigger results and transforma�on. Those are Business Constella�ons,
conceptual networks of individuals and businesses that get together to solve a problem or innovate with no or
low formality. Businesses that come together and go at same speed, and make significant progress in cri�cal areas
of social, moral, economic and technological development. Companies may be part of many constella�ons at
same �me and collaborate on different projects in mul�ple purposes. A company can offer equal opportunity,
partner with the local mayor on developing educa�on and create new technology to support an efficient
classroom all at the same �me. In what constella�ons is your company taking an ac�ve role?