The global food industry is evolving rapidly—alternative proteins, sustainable ingredients, a rash of startup players in foodtech and development, and advanced processing techniques are reshaping the market. But while discovery and product development are thriving, many companies struggle to turn R&D breakthroughs into successful, sustainably profitable offers in the market.

Tom, 45, the VP of Product Development within a global food multinational, found himself struggling to navigate similar challenges. Despite investing heavily in cutting-edge technologies, his company saw too many promising innovations stall in early-stage development.

With mounting pressure to improve ROI and accelerate product news and new product launches, Tom needed a solution—how could he bridge the gap between innovation and brand positioning?

Let’s find out!

Innovation Without Impact: The Hidden Barrier to Food Tech Success

Tom’s team of food scientists and technologists constantly experimented and innovated—exploring new ingredient formulations, experimenting with cutting-edge processing techniques, and testing breakthrough technologies from startups.

Yet, despite the company’s best efforts and heavy investment, most of these products did not pass beyond the R&D stage.

The stagnation was personal for Tom — he had invested multiple years and significant sums of company resources (people, time, investment funds) into these projects. His mandate was to turn foodtech innovation into market-ready products with strong brand positioning.

However, his team lacked a structured process to commercialize new technologies, and their track record in transforming R&D investments into revenue-generating products was below their aggressive targets.

His team lacked a structured process to commercialize new technologies, and their track record in transforming R&D investments into revenue-generating products was below their aggressive targets.

A Critical Roadblock: Transforming Technology Innovation into Successful Brand Positioning

The problem escalated during a high-stakes executive review meeting. The leadership team voiced growing concerns about why competitors were launching faster and capturing market share while their innovations struggled to gain traction.

As they analyzed the latest R&D report with Tom, the numbers painted a grim picture—low conversion rates, stalled projects, and a widening gap between investment and returns.

It further revealed that less than 15% of their technology acquisitions had resulted in successful market launches.

As they analyzed the latest R&D report with Tom, the numbers painted a grim picture—low conversion rates, stalled projects, and a widening gap between investment and returns. It further revealed that less than 15% of their technology acquisitions had resulted in successful market launches.

The CEO, frustrated by the lack of ROI, questioned whether the company was making the right investment in growth strategy.

After the meeting, Tom’s boss made it clear — the company could not afford another year of delayed product launches and lackluster brand positioning. Investors were watching, and there was no room for missteps. He gave Tom an ultimatum: he had to show tangible results by the end of the next quarter.

Tom was under immense pressure and decided to seek external help. As he reached out to traditional consulting firms, his stress intensified further. Many of them estimated it would take three to six months just to develop a detailed growth strategy and emphasized the need for multiple data points and exhaustive interviews, reviews, and processes to generate consumer insights.

Many of them estimated it would take three to six months just to develop a detailed action plan and emphasized the need for multiple data points and exhaustive interviews, reviews, and processes to generate reports.

But Tom didn’t have that kind of time. He needed an action-oriented partner—one that would hit the ground running.

A Demand-Driven Breakthrough: Reshaping R&D for Market Success

Frustrated and running out of time, Tom scoured his network for answers. That’s when a former colleague recommended CURVEJUMPER — an agile strategic consulting and advisory firm that delivers business growth three times faster and at up to 70% lower cost than traditional consulting firms. Their expertise in turning data into actionable consumer insights and transforming innovation into market-ready success stood out to Tom, and he implemented the solution.

CURVEJUMPER — an agile strategic consulting and advisory firm that delivers business growth three times faster and at up to 70% lower cost than traditional consulting firms. Their expertise in turning data into actionable insights and transforming innovation into market-ready success stood out to Tom and he implemented the solution.

The CURVEJUMPER difference was evident from the start. Unlike other firms that focused on lengthy analysis, CURVEJUMPER took a hands-on, General Management, results-driven approach. Within just three months, they helped Tom’s company implement a demand-centric business growth strategy that fundamentally changed how they evaluated and launched new products.

CURVEJUMPER’s approach was built on four key pillars:

The CURVEJUMPER Growth Capability Model – armed with 16 World Class Capability specs informed by how the greatest companies drive consumer Insights, Ideas, and Implementation, the CURVEJUMPER team performed a process and capability audit with Tom’s team in less than four weeks to understand roadblocks to brand positioning success.
Demand-Centric, Contextual Insights – CURVEJUMPER conducted expert interviews and projective conversations with global trend analysts, Michelin-star chefs, dietitians, and behavioral psychologists, coupled with an advanced analytics audit of existing internal data, to provide a clear roadmap of potential consumer demand spaces and a clear growth strategy for market validation.
Storytelling in Early-Stage Development – CURVEJUMPER shifted the focus from technical specifications to compelling product narratives, helping Tom’s team bridge the gap between innovation and consumer adoption.

The final breakthrough came when CURVEJUMPER distilled 43 key findings into 12 critical consumer tensions—contradictions in behavior that directly influenced product adoption. Instead of simply assessing technologies based on feasibility, Tom’s company could now evaluate innovations through a demand-driven lens.

Further, via a combination of capabilities in CURVEJUMPER’s Growth Capability Model, Tom and his team were able to better communicate and articulate their progress according to World Class Innovation processes, helping to claritfy two specific projects that were ready for expedited commercial development, brand positioning and consumer testing – this visibility was a gamechanger for Tom’s team to start reaping the rewards for years of work.

For Tom, CURVEJUMPER was the difference between endless research and real market success. What had once been a frustrating cycle of stalled projects and wasted investments became a streamlined, results-oriented innovation pipeline.

As we speak, Tom’s team celebrated a new record of innovation launches in Fiscal 2024, setting a new record for success.

CURVEJUMPER: Tuning Innovation into Market Success

Tom’s company had the right innovations but lacked a structured commercialization strategy. CURVEJUMPER provided the missing link, transforming their R&D investments into market-ready products with a strong brand positioning.

Unlike firms that rely on lengthy reports, CURVEJUMPER focuses on actionable growth strategies and hands-on execution. Their customized, insight-driven approach ensured that only the most viable innovations moved forward, eliminating inefficiencies and wasted efforts.

Unlike firms that rely on lengthy reports, CURVEJUMPER focuses on actionable strategies and hands-on execution. Their customized, insight-driven approach ensured that only the most viable innovations moved forward, eliminating inefficiencies and wasted efforts.

For companies struggling to turn breakthrough ideas into successful products, CURVEJUMPER offers a smarter, faster alternative. With deep industry expertise, extensive experience, and a bias for action, they help businesses unlock growth and bring innovations to the market.

Don’t let your innovations stall in R&D. CURVEJUMPER helps businesses commercialize products 3X faster—at 70% lower cost.

Ready to transform your R&D pipeline? Contact CURVEJUMPER today!

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Brian Myers

Founder and CEO of CURVEJUMPER

Brian Myers is the Founder and CEO of CURVEJUMPER Growth Foundry who has specialized in Growth Acceleration, Business Design, World Class Marketing, Brand Management, Innovation, Design, and Growth Strategy for over 25 years. Brian has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, serves on the Kellogg Advisory Council, and is a prior SMD / Practice Leader for Accenture, Partner with Prophet, and General Manager / Brand Manager with SC Johnson and Son.

Revolutionizing Brand Positioning: How CURVEJUMPER Transformed Early Development into Go-to-market Records for a CPG Multinational