The Sky is not the Limit

This paper is account of a company that is in the process of writing its first prospectus and therefore has an aim of conveying a true and fair picture of its future prospects to existing partners and potential investors. Via a longitudinal case study over a period of 2½ years, we studied the development of a network-based company’s innovation process from a perspective of business model innovation rather than merely product innovation and throughout this process; story-telling was continuously emphasized in order to strengthen the value of the company and its partner network. In our theorization of the case company from a due diligence and business reporting perspective, the story-telling element is once again mobilized and is found efficacious in transferring the case company’s business model to a value-perspective that is also appreciated by investors. As such, this case study illustrates the merits of working systematically with business model analysis, both in relation to growing the company and promoting the investment case.