The Value Proposition Matrix: An Innovator's Guide to Four Questions That Separate Success from Failure

Four questions drive innovation success. You'll find them in the Value Proposition Matrix.

Like the corners of a foundation, starting with four fundamental questions will put your new venture on solid footing. The Value Proposition Matrix explains how to use these questions to sharpen any business idea - be it a new product, service, or model - and chart an efficient path forward. This simple innovation methodology has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and students, and inspired some of the most respected organizations in the world, including Fortune 500 companies, major hospital systems, world-class cultural institutions, top universities, and professional sports teams.

If you're at the beginning of an innovation journey, trying to clarify your idea, or looking for a way to streamline your innovation efforts, you'll love this approachable, insightful book.

What are innovators saying about the Value Proposition Matrix?

“The VPM belongs on the innovator’s bookshelf. [It] redefines what it means to build a value proposition.”
- Joe Keithley, Former President, CEO, and Chairman at Keithley Instruments

"Brandon Cornuke is obsessed with customers - in a good way … a great read for entrepreneurial business leaders."
- Jeff Sinclair, Senior Partner Emeritus, McKinsey & Company; Adjunct Professor, the University of Michigan

"[The VPM] supports entrepreneurs on their quests to create, but also will help save them time, money and headaches along the way."
- Carla Macklin, Serial Entrepreneur

“The Value Proposition Matrix is now my go-to recommendation for all aspiring start-up founders.”
- David Sylvan, President of University Hospitals Ventures

How was this book developed?

This book was developed at MAGNET, Northeast Ohio’s preeminent center for manufacturing talent, transformation, and innovation (learn more at www.manufacturingsuccess.org). It was also supported by the Economic Development Administration (EDA), the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), the Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), and the MEP National Network.

Where are these tools being used?

Hundreds of start-ups, innovation professionals, and students use the Value Proposition Matrix.

In addition, Northeast Ohio's Blueprint for the Future of Manufacturing uses the VPM framework (www.makeitbetterohio.org).

The concepts in the Value Proposition Matrix are also taught at Case Western Reserve University (www.case.edu), including at the Weatherhead School of Management, the School of Engineering, and through the Fowler Center, in collaboration with the Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship.

About the Author

Brandon Cornuke has dedicated his career to helping innovators turn their ideas into growing businesses. He is a speaker, writer, educator, and entrepreneur. He has co-founded a consumer products company, served hundreds of startups and established companies as an innovation consultant, and led transformation and innovation efforts inside multi-billion-dollar businesses. Brandon is the Vice President of Strategy & Innovation at MAGNET, Northeast Ohio’s premier non-profit provider of manufacturing expertise, and teaches as an Adjunct Professor of Design & Innovation at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management. He holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.