Reverse Innovation

FOREWORD

Years ago, in what feels now like a bygone era, large multinational businesses derived most of their revenues, and sought most of their growth, in home markets. If these firms looked abroad, it was typically to other rich countries.

But nothing in the global ecosystem is static. Home markets are mature and saturated. Most of the world’s untapped buying power is in the emerging markets of Asia, South Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, and Latin America. Multinationals now understand that a truly global strategy must include smart pathways to strong positions in emerging economies. For there is where the richest future growth is to be found.

Reverse innovation—the subject of this important book—is one of those smart pathways. It is a powerful ...