U+ Leads Product Development and Innovation

In the wake of Covid-19, a decade of digital transformation is being compressed into only a few years, and organizations are feeling the urgency to bring product development and user experience optimization to the forefront.

It has become critical to an organization’s success to possess the ability to innovate, adapt quickly to market pressures, and meet ever-changing consumer expectations. This pressure, combined with the standard uncertainty of success, may cause enterprises to act impetuously on launching a product without the necessary resources or cease development altogether. Organizations can find relief and benefit in partnering with a venture builder that provides top talent and resources to bring their products to reality.

Reimagining Venture Building

Venture builders have gained traction and popularity over the past few years within corporations that find themselves struggling with product development in a digital landscape. Instead of companies pooling their resources across various departments, or hiring on a product development team, venture builders provide the alternative to partner with them and benefit from utilizing their talent and resources.

Organizations can find this top product development talent and resource in venture builder, U+. The company, led by CEO and founder Jan Beranek, works closely with Fortune 1000 companies globally, to bring digital products to market successfully using a proven product development methodology.

They have created a “one-stop-shop” for organizations to bring their products to life. U+ is horizontally integrated and will take a company’s product from the build to the market and beyond. With over 10 years of experience in the market, U+ has brought over $1B in new value and has developed 80+ new products over multiple key industries. U+ has experience working with small startups and corporations alike. However, it is the startup DNA that the U+ team possesses that elevates the company and sets them apart from other venture builders. 

Attracting Top Talent

U+’s staff comprises former CEOs, Product Managers, Backend Developers, and DevOps Engineers that all possess the innovation, knowledge, and drive to ensure customer success. The team focuses on finding where the digital product will fit in the current market, if at all, and from there determine if profitability is possible.

Quarterly cycles for each product include defining goals, designing execution, delivering the product to the market and debriefing for future proceedings. The company’s stage-relevant team focuses on this standardized product development process that has the ability to move across multiple industries including automotive, real estate, banking, and retail. As the team looks to expand into new industries and locations, they have brought on renowned Silicon Valley leader, venture capitalist, and serial tech entrepreneur, Sean Sheppard to lead the business’s growth in the Americas.

While Sean Sheppard joined as the U+ Managing Partner of the Americas earlier this year, he had already been partnering with the company for assistance with his startups. Sheppard has seen first-hand how the U+ methodology has improved the development of his businesses. He now is dedicated to focusing on the growth and development of U+ in North, Central and South America. Sheppard specializes in corporate innovation and has created a trusted following in the industry for his knowledge of successfully building startups, including several of his own. He has seen what works and does not work, and knows the necessary steps to ensure success stating, “Corporations need to think and act like startups to be successful in the innovation economy. U+’s portfolio-based approach towards venture-building is the most innovative and effective that I’ve seen in reducing the failure rate.” Sheppard shares a synergistic mindset with Jan Beranek that makes them a promising team. Since Sean has joined, U+ has passed its 2021 goals and continues to grow upward.

The Future of U+

U+ is revolutionizing how companies listen, sell, serve and communicate to their consumers. Their standardized product development process and methodology can be translated across every industry they work in. Organization stakeholders may find relief in learning of U+’s existence in the marketplace to assist with the challenges of product development during the pressure of digital transformation.

With Sean Sheppard joining the team, 2021 seems to be a promising year for U+. The company has set the stage for success with upward goals and continued growth into the Americas. Look for the company as they expand into more industries and grow within the healthcare industry, where there is an opportunity with ever-present rising costs and quality concerns. The future of corporate innovation is in portfolio-based corporate venture building, and no one executes innovation the way U+ does.

FOOTNOTES:

Sean Sheppard joins U+ 01-2021: INSIGHTS. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2021, from https://u.plus/insights/sean-sheppard-joins-u--01-2021

Venture building & product development. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2021, from https://u.plus/

About the author: Dennis Wakabayashi

I am the VP of CX Implementation for RR Donnelley, a global business communications firm specializing in the production, execution and delivery of customer engagement tactics along the entire path to purchase.

In May 2020, I was named as one of the top 50 (CX) experts of the decade and rank on social media among the top 150 CX influencers globally. 

I regularly work with Fortune 500 brands, defining CX strategies and leading tactical implementation with the teams at RR Donnelley.

Additionally, as an industry influencer, I share the latest CX innovations and strategic practices on social media channels with an audience of more than 50,000 followers.