Mission Portfolio

A startup security products manufacturer wanted to understand the market for counterfeit product tracking systems in the European (EU) market. It faced a series of entrenched competitors with intimidating market reach and brand presence. This startup’s investors actively questions whether they should attempt to enter the Euro Zone market, or whether they should remain focused on the US market opportunity.

An automotive parts supplier wanted to understand the impact of new patent filings by a major rival. The combination of new filings as well as recent patent acquisitions did not seem to make sense. They were in a line of business the company had publicly stated they had no interest in. Aurora GPS was not asked for legal due diligence – the organization had that in spades – but they didn’t know what it meant.

A financial services firm wanted to better understand why its customers still preferred human advisors while its competitors all had made the transition to automated online tools. Maintaining a large-scale human network put the firm at a margin disadvantage compared to its rivals, and the firm’s CEO was under increasing pressure from its Board of Directors to make a change. Was it the quality of the firm’s online tools? A quirk of the firm’s customer base? Or some other factor?

A mid-sized enterprise software firm wanted to expand its market potential. It was linked to one specific hardware platform, and while that proved successful, its investors grew concerned that the software firm’s fate was in the hands of another firm it could not control. They approached Aurora GPS with a strategy to build a bridge to another – completely dissimilar – consumer hardware platform.

A consumer packaged goods company approached Aurora GPS for help understanding an upstart new competitor. It had detailed profiles gleaned from publicly available data on its long-standing competition, but as a private company comprised of industry outsiders, this new competitor was an enigma. The client wanted to know if they should be concerned, and if so, in what areas.

A major medical device company consistently fell behind its competitors getting its device adopted by major healthcare systems. It had success with smaller hospital groups, but it could not meet its revenue and profit goals on the backs of smaller providers. It needed to understand why it continued to lose deals with larger networks. Certainly, the competition was fierce and pricing tight, but this did not provide actionable methods its salespeople could use.

A global credit organization needed to confirm or refute a rumor regarding the takeover or possible takeover of a smaller competitor. This rumor, if true, would create a new firm capable of challenging it in several global markets – especially the EuroZone. Executives were highly distracted with the discussion, hijacking strategy meetings for weeks with the latest unfounded speculation.

A mid-level intelligence department manager at a regional mortgage services firm approached Aurora GPS to build the skills of her department. She recently hired three new analysts to assist one senior level analyst already on staff. None of her staff members had any formal intelligence training, and although they worked hard and assembled excellent work product, company executives still did not give the department the respect she felt like it deserved.

A small consumer products organization found itself deep into negotiations with a new channel partner in Asia when it began to uncover unsettling news about its prior business dealings. Instead of pulling the plug immediately and risking backlash in a tight-knit industry, the company approached Aurora GPS to support the due diligence process.

A mid-sized electronics manufacturer approached Aurora GPS to understand the risks and benefits of its plans to consolidate its supply chain from 120 vendors to 25. The financial team estimated the savings at nearly 15 points of gross margin – a compelling case. The CEO was concerned that severing ties with nearly 100 suppliers could have unintended consequences.

An established healthcare company approached Aurora GPS to help understand the future of their industry as social media, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things changed the landscape of what “healthcare” meant. Their organization also was embroiled in its own internal upheaval. The timing was perfect to get everyone in the same room to develop a shared vision for the future.

A toy manufacturer approached Aurora GPS for help understanding the opportunity to incorporate augmented reality into its line of dolls. Other manufacturers had experimented with advanced electronics and augmented reality, but none had captured significant market share.

A large food ingredients manufacturer seemed to always be one step behind its competitors. Bluntly, its competitors seemed to know more about their strategies, tactics and plans better than its executives. Clearly, its competition was doing a better job with its intelligence services. The organization asked Aurora GPS to help it understand how these intelligence services worked and what it could do differently to protect its own insider information.

A leading pharmaceutical company asked Aurora GPS to provide conference and tradeshow coverage for six regional events that its staff did not have time to attend in person. While the company was focused on the “big events”, it was concerned that upstart competitors might attend the smaller shows first. It wanted early warning on potential threats – or potential acquisition candidates.

A logistics company approached Aurora GPS to understand the impact of autonomous vehicle laws and regulations on the over-the-road trucking industry. The company had tracked (and influenced) OTR legislation at both the state and federal level in the United States for many years, but autonomous driving rules were a new area, largely driven by Silicon Valley and not the traditional lobbyist groups.

A regional insurance organization wanted to understand why it seemed to be losing business to an upstart competitor. Its salespeople repeatedly told its product management group that the competitor’s prices were 40-50 percent lower, but management resisted the calls to drop that low without more information. A reduction of that magnitude was unsustainable.