Through two decades of working with more than 40 corporate and startup ventures, we've discovered the underlying problem

It's an innovation challenge like no other.

Like malware in a computer, a market barrier corrupts a venture's "core business operating system". That drives up the cost structure for any business model built on it, raising the price required for profitability above customers' willingness to pay. 

Once corrupted, no amount of optimisation or disintermediation will solve the cost problem. The core business operating system must be re-engineered. 

IVE is built to solve the Market Creators' Dilemma and create a robust path to profitability, while cutting the time and cash to reach demonstrated profitability. 

It's how market creating ventures need to be built when real profits—rather than paper profits—are the measure of success. 

IVE was born out of an applied research program centered at Cornell University’s Johnson School of Business from 2004-2010, and has been developed over the past 15 years in partnership with entrepreneurs, investors, and corporate innovation teams. 

IVE harnesses core principles, techniques, and tools of integrative design and systems engineering– the “go-to disciplines” for innovating new, complex systems under high uncertainty with a high level of reliability.

These two fields pioneered how to reliably design new systems capable of radical "factor-10" performance gains and how to systematically build and test them before full launch to achieve maximum risk reduction at minimum cost. 

IVE adapts systems engineering's V-model, architecting the venture "top-down", starting with the definition of the core business operating system before designing the product, processes, and control systems. Modelling, prototyping, and simulation are used throughout to de-risk and boost the market creation margin—a measure of the venture's robustness.

IVE then builds and field tests "bottom-up", starting with tests of individual components and subsystems, building up to a full system test. 

The output of the V-Model is a ready-to-launch-and-scale venture with maximum robustness—one that can take a "punch in the mouth" and still be profitable. 

Incubated 50+ internal ventures through multiple cohorts. Ventures received $15m+ in investment and generated $100m+ revenue

Program ran for 3 years, with 4 ventures progressing internally, targeting growth areas the core business could not currently service

19 ventures incubated. 3 proceeded to pilot, receiving £4m in investment. Generated material revenues for their country units

Our mission is to dramatically increase the number of market creating ventures that become enduring companies. 

Over more than two decades of venture building research, our team has developed Integrative Venture Engineering (IVE), the world's first methodology for profitably and reliably creating new markets. We collaborate with venture builders, universities, and professional organisations to develop and disseminate IVE via the Market Creators' Lab Global Network, and work with entrepreneurs, investors, and corporates to design and build market creating ventures. 

Erik has spent his career working at the intersection of market creation and research. He has guided over forty new corporate ventures and startups, in industries from financial services to FMCG. Drawing on this experience, Erik founded the practice of Integrative Venture Engineering, a novel market creation methodology that reduces the time, risk and cost to build a profitable new market venture. He holds a PhD in Strategy from Cornell, and has been published in leading journals including Harvard Business Review and Sloan Management Review.

Patrick is a seasoned innovation leader with 20+ years of experience in product, business, and engineering roles at Facebook, Automattic, Rockwell and mission-driven startups. As a 0-to-1 venture leader, he has created multi-million dollar revenue impact, led corporate innovation and research efforts, and was the co-founder of the Hoop Fund and head of product for eParachute, driving impact across a range of industries. Erik and Patrick first worked together when Patrick was completing his MBA at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School. 

The Market Creator's Dilemma:
The dilemma posed by market creation & the unique innovation challenge of market barriers

The Big Misconception:

Why corporations & self-funded entrepreneurs can't use lean startup

The Market Creators' Lab Global Network is a global research network that was created to deepen understanding and spread awareness of the Market Creator's Dilemma, and to advance and disseminate Integrative Venture Engineering as a methodology to reliably build market creating ventures. 

In 2025, MCL Global Network will be running the first Market Creators' Lab, with cohorts in New York and London. The lab will bring together investors and venture builders across a range of industries to learn about the unique challenges of market creation and how to use IVE's tools and processes to overcome them. Over 9 months, members will hear from experts, connect with peers, and have a front row seat as two market creating ventures are developed. Learn more about the 2025 Market Creators' Lab here. 

We work with corporations, accelerators, and other change agents to establish venture studios centred around Integrative Venture Engineering.

Clients will be set up with everything they need to build future blue-chip ventures using the IVE tools, infrastructure, and ecosystem. 

Interested in working with us to build your own blue-chip studio? Email patrick@half-solved.com

“A problem well-stated is a problem half-solved,

while a problem not well-stated is unsolvable.”

– Charles Kettering

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