Signify Health: Building International Technology Development to Support Platform Scaling

On July 2022, Signify Health, a health care services company that was disrupting the US health care market with its value-based care provision, announced the opening of a new technology centre outside the United States. This was a significant first step for the company beyond its home country. The company had an ambitious plan to develop an international centre of excellence for innovation that it expected would grow to employ more than 125 people by the end of 2023. The new technology centre was seen as a critical step to develop new solutions and provide technologies that would enable the platform to scale up its business. However, the company had to make some important and urgent decisions, including where to locate the international technology centre and how to integrate the new centre into the wider domestic organization.

This case can be used in courses or modules on international management, international business, global strategy, entrepreneurship, international entrepreneurship, and research and development management at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive levels. The case is suitable for in-person, online, or hybrid classes. This case can help students learn about a platform business model and the strategies required to achieve desired growth. They will also learn about the role that investing into technology development plays in scaling a platform business, and the key considerations for setting up an international technology centre. After completion of this case, students will be able to<ul><li>explore the key elements of a platform business model;</li><li>discuss the challenges of scaling a platform business and how they can be addressed;</li><li>discuss the location choice criteria for an international technology centre; and</li><li>understand the structure, organization, and integration of a global technology development organization.</li></ul>

• entrepreneurship, scaleup, platform