Build vs Buy · Make / Buy / Partner · Medium · 25-35 min

Acquiring a New Technology Capability

Acquiring a New Technology Capability is a medium Build vs Buy make / buy / partner case interview that runs 25-35 min. A consumer-goods company wants a direct-to-consumer data and personalization capability it doesn't have today. A strong answer works through 5 phases: Frame the decision on Ability, Cost, and Time; Assess whether the capability is core/strategic enough to own vs access via partner; Compare build (slow, control), acquire (fast, integration risk), partner (fastest, least control); Address talent; Recommend a path matched to strategic importance, speed need, and risk appetite.

Last updated 2026-09-05

The brief

A consumer-goods company wants a direct-to-consumer data and personalization capability it doesn't have today. It can build the team and tech, acquire a small martech startup, or partner with a specialist. Speed matters, talent is scarce, and the board is wary of integration risk from acquisitions. You recommend make, buy, or partner.

How to approach it

  1. Frame the decision on Ability, Cost, and Time — can we build it, what does each path cost, how fast
  2. Assess whether the capability is core/strategic enough to own vs access via partner
  3. Compare build (slow, control), acquire (fast, integration risk), partner (fastest, least control)
  4. Address talent — acqui-hire vs build vs rent — given the scarcity
  5. Recommend a path matched to strategic importance, speed need, and risk appetite

What a strong answer does

  • Uses Ability/Cost/Time (or similar) to structure rather than gut feel
  • Ties the build-vs-buy-vs-partner choice to how strategic the capability is
  • Treats acquisition integration risk and talent retention as real costs
  • Considers partner-now-then-build sequencing as a hedge
  • Matches the recommendation to speed need and risk appetite explicitly

Red flags interviewers score down

  • Recommends acquisition without addressing integration and retention risk
  • Assumes the company can build despite the talent scarcity it just flagged
  • Ignores how strategic the capability is to the make-vs-access decision
  • No view on time-to-capability when speed was stated as critical

Cases are written in each firm's style, written and reviewed by working consultants; they are not the firms' own published cases.

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