Our Story
The idea for Inspira Strategies emerged during our first 15 years working for high-tech companies. Our companies were investing a lot of time and money in developing new products. As engineers, we all believed we could convince customers with a specification sheet and a demo. The product features were so unique we thought customers would order it as soon as they saw it. But, in reality, things rarely happened this way.
We would get some prospective clients, but fewer than expected; some unique sales, but no volume; some promises to buy, but with a very long delay. As time went by, we came to realize that the “build it and they will come” approach works better in movies than in reality.
How come customers did not buy a technologically superior product? Why were our expectations, which we thought were realistic, not being fulfilled? We could see other companies thriving in our market, so we knew there was potential, but what were we doing wrong?
Our quest for answers led us to take a closer look at the product launch process. We became captivated by the topic and began spending nights and weekends reading books, taking classes, and experimenting with new approaches. Inspira Strategies is born out of this intense effort, which led to the creation of the unique reverse-engineering concept that we now use as the strategic foundation for our systematic product launch process. Tech innovators can now follow this process to successfully bring their product to market.
"As a tech founder, it was not clear to me what had to be done and when to reach our goals for the launch. Inspira Strategies helped us create a strategy and action plan to clarify this. The plan proved very successful; we now have to hire staff to meet demand."
Simon Chaput
Founder & President, Boreas Technologies
What makes us unique?
Technical Background
We have electrical and physics engineering degrees combined with knowledge of numerous technology markets. Prior to launching Inspira Strategies, we worked with several high-tech companies including Intel, Cisco, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Samsung, Nokia, Ericsson, Siemens, and Xilinx.
Reverse-Engineering Methodology
Our methodology is unique in that we start out by listing and analyzing the key reasons clients do not buy a new product, and we walk our way back to find solutions for each. This allows us to set the strategic foundations for a systematic new product introduction and product revitalization process that tech innovators can follow to successfully bring their product to market.
Management Framework
At the heart of our process is a framework for defining and tracking objectives named Objectives and Key Results (OKR). The OKR
framework has been used by several high-tech companies to support their growth from startup to multinationals. The list includes Amazon, Google, Intel, Juniper Networks, VMware, and many others.
Management Team
Etienne Fiset, B. Eng. MBA
Co-Founder
With 19 years of experience working with various high-tech companies, Etienne brings top engineering knowledge and market expertise to the companies he works with.
Etienne has an MBA in Business Development from the Fachhochschule Kiel, in Germany and a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic & Electrical Engineering. Born in Canada, he also speaks German, Italian, Spanish and French, in addition to English.
Stephanie Labrecque, B. Eng. MBA
Co-Founder
After traveling the world for 12 years to meet market leaders, Stephanie has acquired a broad technical background, a dedicated cultural awareness, and remarkable management skills.
Stephanie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics and an MBA with Honours in Business Management. As a frequent writer, she has produced technical articles for various technological fields and publishes the Inspiration Newsletter.