The market is getting more crowded. Belgian LLC registrations grew 29 percent between 2019 and 2023, and worldwide patent filings increased 10 percent. In this environment, speed and strategic clarity matter more than ever. When Marty Cagan lists the five risks every product team must address, feasibility is framed as whether engineers can build what is needed. But that framing hides a much bigger strategic question. Build is only one option. You can also buy, or you can partner. Most teams default to building without considering the alternatives.
At Gathering #9, hosted at Dualoop in Brussels, Martin Crochelet explored this decision space in depth. Drawing on real-world case studies from Zapier, Amazon, McKinsey, GoPro, Nike, Sony, Groupe Ouest France, and the Belgian telecom and banking sectors, he laid out a framework for thinking about build, buy, and partner decisions at every level, from individual features to entire business models.
