VentureFuel POV

Passing the Baton: Designing Innovation So Pilots Actually Scale

Written by Fred Schonenberg | Feb 11, 2026 5:58:16 PM
On the VentureFuel Visionaries podcast, Jeff Barry, Head of Innovation at Dot Foods (episode here), shared a metaphor that stuck with us:
 
Innovation is a relay race.
 
The innovation team runs the first three laps.
The business unit runs the fourth and gets the credit.
 
But great relay teams know something most enterprises overlook:
The race is won in the handoff.
 
During a VentureFuel internal thought leadership session to unpack the episode, the metaphor
took on new depth. One of our teammates, James Oleson, ran relays in high school and
brought firsthand perspective on what actually makes a relay work.
 

What great relay teams understand

In a relay, success isn’t just about speed. It’s about designing the handoff.
  • The runner passing the baton doesn’t stop at the exchange they run through it
  • The runner receiving the baton doesn’t start from zero they start accelerating early.
  • The critical moment is the overlap, where both runners are moving together
That overlap is where momentum is preserved.
 

Why startup pilots stall inside enterprises

This is where innovation efforts especially startup pilots often break down.
Too often:
 

  • The pilot is designed to prove a point, not to scale

  • The pilot is chasing a fad, new tech, not beginning with a business problem worth solving

  • The business unit isn’t preparing to own it

  • The innovation team disengages once “success” is declared

  • The value of the final lap isn’t explicit or aligned to real KPIs

In relay terms: the baton handoff was never practiced.

The core purpose: design for the fourth lap

Ensuring experiments scale back into the core business starts before the first lap is ever run.

That means:

  • Starting with a problem worth solving one the business actually owns

  • Designing pilots with the handoff in mind, not as an afterthought

  • Involving business leaders early enough that they can begin “running”

  • Keeping innovation teams engaged through the transition, not just the test

A pilot that can’t be handed off cleanly isn’t a pilot — it’s a demo.

The real insight

Jeff’s relay metaphor captures something essential:
Innovation doesn’t win the race alone.

Winning happens when:

  • Innovation teams create momentum and guide the transition

  • Business units are ready, incentivized, and accelerating before ownership transfers

  • The exchange zone is intentional, not improvised

When that overlap is designed deliberately, startup experiments don’t stall.

They scale.

They embed.

They finish the race.
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