Intro to the NEO Era

Understanding Networked, Exponential, Orchestrated Business Models

Workshop Preparation Material | VBK Master Class | December 27, 2025

Dražen Kapusta | COTRUGLI Business School

The big picture: What is NEO Era

THE BIG PICTURE: Why NEO Matters Now

You’re a business leader in 2025. Some lessons you learned about running a business are becoming obsolete.

Some leaders will adapt. Most don’t. The ones who understand the new rules will thrive.

Right now. 2025 marks the entry point into what we call the NEOhttps://cotrugli.org/fomo-and-fofo/ Era.

NEO stands for:

NETWORKED: Value created through connections, not just transactions

EXPONENTIAL: Growth that accelerates rather than accumulates linearly

ORCHESTRATED: Success through coordination of diverse capabilities, not hierarchical control

This isn’t about technology adoption. It’s about understanding how business fundamentally works in an AI-driven, globally connected, rapidly accelerating environment.

“The NEO Era is not coming. It’s here. The question is whether you’ll lead the transformation or spend the next decade trying to catch up.”

PART 1: NETWORKED

From Transactions to Connections

For most of business history, value was created through transactions: you make a product, I buy it, transaction complete. The relationship ends.

In the NEO Era, value is created through networks of ongoing relationships. Every customer is also a potential advocate, referral source, feedback provider, and co-creator.

The Shift:

OLD MODEL: Linear supply chains → Products → Customers → End

NEO MODEL: Interconnected ecosystems where customers, partners, employees, and suppliers continuously interact and create value together

Real-World Example: Tesla

Tesla doesn’t just sell cars. They’ve built a network:

• Supercharger network creates infrastructure value
• Over-the-air updates continuously improve existing products
• Customer referrals drive sales more than advertising
• Data from every car improves autopilot for all cars
• Energy products (solar, batteries) integrate with vehicles
• Community advocates evangelize the brand organically

Result: Tesla’s market cap exceeded all traditional automakers combined—not because they make better cars, but because they built a better network.

What This Means for You:

• Stop thinking “customer journey” (linear). Start thinking “customer ecosystem” (networked).
• Every interaction should strengthen multiple connections, not just complete one transaction.
• Your employees, partners, and customers should be amplifying your value, not just consuming it.
• Invest in platforms and communities, not just products and services.

PART 2: EXPONENTIAL

When 1+1 = 10

Traditional business growth is linear: add more salespeople, get more sales. Open more stores, reach more customers. Double your marketing budget, double your leads (maybe).

Exponential growth works differently. Initial progress is slow—then suddenly explosive. This is how AI capabilities improve, how network effects compound, and how winner-takes-most markets emerge.

The Math:

LINEAR: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (after 10 steps, you’re at 10)

EXPONENTIAL: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512 (after 10 steps, you’re at 512)

After 30 steps?

LINEAR: 30

EXPONENTIAL: 1,073,741,824

This isn’t theoretical. This is how AI improves, how platforms scale, how markets shift.

Real-World Example: OpenAI’s ChatGPT

ChatGPT reached 100 million users in 2 months—faster than any product in history.

First week: Slow adoption (tech enthusiasts only)

Week 2-4: Word of mouth spreads

Month 2: Mainstream breakthrough

Month 3+: Becomes default tool for millions

Traditional products take years to reach this scale. Exponential products can do it in weeks.

What This Means for You:

·       Your competitors can go from zero to dominant in months, not years. Your lead time is shrinking.

·       Early moves compound dramatically. Being 6 months late can mean being 6 years behind.

·       Focus on mechanisms that compound: network effects, data advantages, platform ecosystems.

·       Linear improvement strategies (hire more, spend more) won’t compete with exponential strategies.

PART 3: ORCHESTRATED

Beyond Hierarchy to Coordination

For 150 years, business success meant building hierarchies: clear reporting lines, centralized decision-making, command-and-control management. This worked when change was slow and information was scarce.

In the NEO Era, success comes from orchestration: coordinating diverse, distributed capabilities toward shared outcomes—without needing to own or control everything.

The Difference:

HIERARCHY: Control → Compliance → Execution

ORCHESTRATION: Alignment → Autonomy → Emergence

Real-World Example: Amazon

Amazon doesn’t manufacture most products it sells. It doesn’t employ most delivery drivers. It doesn’t own most warehouses in its network. Yet it orchestrates the world’s largest retail operation.

• Third-party sellers provide 60%+ of products
• AWS provides infrastructure for competitors
• Delivery network combines employees, contractors, partners
• Algorithms coordinate millions of decisions daily
• Unified platform creates seamless customer experience

Amazon’s power isn’t ownership—it’s orchestration capability.

What This Means for You:

• Stop trying to own everything. Start orchestrating ecosystems.
• Your competitive advantage isn’t what you control—it’s what you can coordinate.
• Invest in platforms, APIs, partnerships, and alignment mechanisms.
• Hire for autonomy and judgment, not just compliance and execution.
• Build systems that enable distributed intelligence, not just centralized decision-making.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER: The NEO Advantage

The real power of NEO thinking isn’t any single element—it’s the combination:

NETWORKED × EXPONENTIAL × ORCHESTRATED = Superintelligence

When you combine networked connections, exponential scaling, and orchestrated coordination, you create something that resembles organizational superintelligence—a capability that far exceeds the sum of individual parts.

Examples of NEO Advantage:

Google: Networked users → Exponential data → Orchestrated algorithms = Dominant search

Apple: Networked ecosystem → Exponential loyalty → Orchestrated hardware/software = Premium pricing power

Microsoft: Networked enterprise → Exponential cloud growth → Orchestrated AI integration = Trillion-dollar valuation

Meta: Networked social graph → Exponential engagement → Orchestrated ad platform = Attention economy dominance

These companies aren’t just bigger or richer than competitors. They operate on different principles. They’ve built NEO-native organizations.

WHY NOW? The 3-Year Window

You might be thinking: “This sounds interesting, but my business is different. We’re in [manufacturing/retail/professional services/etc.]. This doesn’t apply to us.”

That’s what Blockbuster said about Netflix.

That’s what traditional banks said about fintech.

That’s what taxi companies said about Uber.

Here’s the reality:

AI is accelerating the shift to NEO models across EVERY industry. What took Amazon 20 years to build, new companies can now make in 2 years with AI augmentation.

Research shows organizations have approximately 3 years to adopt NEO principles before the gap becomes too big. After that, catching up becomes ………………..?.

The Early Mover Advantages:

Network Effects: First mover builds connections that become competitive moats

Data Advantages: Early adopters accumulate data that improves their AI faster

Talent Attraction: The Best people want to work where innovation happens

Market Positioning: Leaders define the category; followers fight for scraps

Learning Curves: Mistakes made early are cheaper than mistakes made late

GETTING STARTED: Your NEO Transformation

You don’t need to rebuild your entire organization overnight. Start with one area. Prove the concept. Scale from there.