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Land Grab

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This is a high-conviction move to claim ground early in an emerging space, before others recognise its value.

As well as entering a market, you’re framing it. That might mean building infrastructure, defining the dominant interface, or owning scarce resources. Once you’re in position, anyone else entering must work around you.

Done well, it creates compounding advantage through inertia, integration, and mindshare. It’s expensive, but if the bet is right, decisive.

Have you captured a position, or just walked somewhere that no one else cared about?

  • Creating centres of gravity (Attacking): Land grabs often include attracting talent and partners around your position.
  • Standards game (Market): You can lock in your land grab by defining the standard others must follow.
  • Open Approaches (Accelerators): “Open” can accelerate adoption of your position while keeping control.
  • Tower and Moat (Ecosystem): The land grab is the tower; moat comes from network effects and switching costs.
  • Licensing (Poison): Sometimes used post-grab to limit what others can do near your position.