Lessons from the field
Selected articles, ideas and practical perspectives from mantro
FIG. 01№ 013 min readDocument processing: application of AI in companiesEvery company processes a huge amount of documents every day. With the rise of artificial intelligence, powerful tools are now emerging to automate these time-consuming and traditionally labor-intensive processes.Read article 
FIG. 02№ 022 min readMarketing & Sales belonged together even before OMR!The hurdles in the collaboration between marketing and sales are by no means "trend topics". We have experienced the problem too often for that, and the effects can be devastating.Read article 
FIG. 03№ 035 min readPredictive maintenance and artificial intelligencePreventive and predictive maintenance are no longer just pipe dreams in the industry. The underlying concepts are now standard in many companies.Read article 
FIG. 04№ 047 min readTechnology ≠ Product ≠ Company. And That's Where Most Ventures Die.Read article 
FIG. 05№ 056 min readWhat Didn't Pencil Yesterday Pencils TodayWhy AI doesn't just change your processes — it changes which business models are worth building, and why that matters most for established companiesRead article 
FIG. 06№ 0610 min readThe Cost Centre That Out-Earns Your Core BusinessWhy after sales earns the better margin wherever manufacturers report it as a business of its own — and why most still steer it by cost per caseRead article 
FIG. 07№ 079 min readThe Asset First, Then the DemoWhy AI projects don't fail on the model but on a missing business case and missing data — and why the unglamorous step decides the outcomeRead article 
FIG. 08№ 089 min readStranded IP: Why a Carve-Out Isn't a TransactionCorporates keep more technology in the drawer than the market will ever see. Why it gets stranded there — and why a carve-out isn't a deal but a company buildRead article 
FIG. 09№ 097 min readDead Equity: Why a Large Corporate Stake Chokes the VentureA large stake feels like control. For a young company it's often the opposite of backing: a shareholder who doesn't co-fund but makes every round harder.Read article 
FIG. 10№ 108 min readLicense or Company: Why Out-Licensing Goes Nowhere When the Market Isn't There YetA license monetizes a technology once. A company monetizes a market. Why early technology rarely finds a licensee — and when licensing is still the right tool.Read article 
FIG. 11№ 118 min readBurn, Not Balance Sheet: What a Carve-Out Really Does for the CFOThe standard pitch for a carve-out is: avoid the write-off. For most projects it doesn't hold. What actually convinces the CFO sits in the P&L, not on the balance sheet.Read article 
FIG. 12№ 127 min readSupplier, Not Owner: The Best Seat for the Corporate in the VentureAfter the carve-out, the question is how close the corporate should stay. The research is remarkably consistent: neither cut loose nor hold on. The best link is as a supplier.Read article 
FIG. 13№ 137 min readTwo Beachheads: Why Every Deep-Tech Venture Needs a Fast Path to RevenueA strong technology doesn't protect you from a weak sector. Why early ventures need a second, faster market next to the big bet — and why sector sentiment gets checked before incorporation, not after.Read article 
FIG. 14№ 147 min readTechnology First, Team Second: Why Deep-Tech Ventures Don't Start With a FounderAlmost all startup support starts with the founder. For deep tech, that's the wrong order. Why the team is built around the technology, why the inventor stays indispensable, and what an accelerator learned when it turned itself around.Read article 
FIG. 15№ 156 min readReverse Scouting: Why Venture Building Starts Where Scouting EndsScouting finds what exists. But what if the startup you need doesn't exist? Why corporates come in late, why buying isn't free either, and how you build the M&A target of your future instead.Read article 
FIG. 16№ 167 min readThe Owner Inside: Why a Board Seat Never Brings the Business HomeBuilding a new business outside your walls is right. Leaving it alone out there isn't. Why ventures that are meant to come home need named owners inside the company, and why paying alone doesn't get anyone to the gym.Read article 
FIG. 17№ 176 min readInnovation Theater: Lots of Motion, No CompanyWhy corporate innovation rarely fails because of the idea, but at the seam between strategy and execution — where nobody is in charge any moreRead article 
FIG. 18№ 188 min readSkin in the Game: If You Don't Share the Risk, You're Only AdvisingWhy incentives beat intentions — and what realtors, physicians and investors reveal about who really stands behind a ventureRead article - FIG. 19№ 198 min readBetween the Lab and the Cap TableWhy Europe's deep-tech problem isn't the founders, but the machinery missing between research and companyRead article
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