Startup Scouting and Integration Process in the context of Open Innovation: A Case Study of Mixic Innovation Center

The Thesis aims to analyze the startup scouting and integration process, with a specific focus on Open Innovation strategies. In particular, it examines the process carried out by the Mixic Innovation Center of Milan, which is part of the Industry X division of the consulting firm Accenture S.p.A. The primary objective of the center is to identify and integrate emerging innovative technologies, in order to enhance its reputation and prestige with clients, while also providing startups with greater visibility in their market, giving them access to a greater customer base and enabling them to scale their solutions more rapidly. The Thesis initially provides an analysis of the existing literature on the different corporate strategies for startup integration, with a particular focus on Corporate Venture Capital, Intrapreneurship and Acceleration Programs. Subsequently, it presents the four-phase process applied by the Mixic Center, starting with the initial search for emerging technologies to their final integration into the center's catalog, which includes other significant innovations. The study is based on real cases of startups that have been successfully integrated and are continuously showcased to clients. The Thesis proceeds to describe the process conducted firsthand, starting with startup research through two primary innovation programs: the first one is international and globally recognized, while the second one is Italian, developed in collaboration with the Politecnico di Torino. The following phases involved a detailed analysis of the technologies identified in the previous step through the creation of One-Pagers; then, meetings with startup teams followed, in order to gain an in-depth understanding of their solutions. Finally, a deck summarizing the key points of the scouted innovations was created, and ultimately evaluated by the Mixic Center's manager. This research represents a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the scouting and integration process carried out by the Mixic Center, assessing its effectiveness and validity while comparing it to other corporate innovation strategies.