Decision Support for R&D Activities of Innovative Technologies

Experimentation and validation tests conducted by or for technology startups are often costly, time-consuming, and, above all, not well organized. A review of the literature shows that existing tools and methods are either oriented towards lean iterative tests or strongly focused on technology improvement. There is therefore a gap to bridge by providing tangible decision-making supports involving both market and technology aspects. This paper introduces a new quantitative methodology called RITHM (Roadmapping Investments in TecHnology and Marketing), which is a structured process that enables startups to systematically experiment and reach, with relatively small effort, adequate maturity level for the most promising markets. The objective of this methodology is to model and optimize tests in the front end of innovation to progressively reduce uncertainties and risks before the launch of the product. A case study of a shape shifting technology is presented in this paper to illustrate the application of RITHM.