Product Led Growth Leaders

Creating Internal Startups: Fostering Innovation Within Large Enterprises

145 - Creating Internal Startups: Fostering Innovation Within Large Enterprises

October 02, 20252 min read

Driving Enterprise Innovation with AI and Product Leadership: Insights from Adarsh Subramanian at Box

Custom HTML/CSS/JAVASCRIPT

In a recent episode of the Product Led Growth Leaders podcast, host Thomas Watkins sat down with Adarsh Subramanian, Group Manager of Product Management at Box, to explore how enterprise product teams balance innovation, AI integration, and startup-like agility within large organizations. Adarsh shared actionable strategies for product managers, innovation leaders, and executives looking to drive growth, streamline workflows, and make smarter, data-driven decisions across the enterprise.


Fostering Product-Led Innovation in Large Enterprises

Adarsh emphasized that successful enterprise innovation starts by connecting user needs to business impact. At Box, the approach combines deep empathy for users with a systematic process for identifying opportunities to automate, accelerate, and improve workflows. AI acts as a force multiplier—enabling product managers to synthesize data, prioritize features, and deliver proactive insights that increase productivity across teams.

Creating startup-like agility within a large organization is another key focus. Adarsh highlighted initiatives like internal hackathons, cross-functional incubation teams, and innovation funnels that allow high-risk, high-reward ideas to be tested and scaled quickly. This model ensures that even in a structured enterprise environment, experimentation, rapid iteration, and user feedback remain central to product development.

Finally, Adarsh discussed the importance of end-to-end product thinking. Box has evolved from a cloud storage provider into an AI-powered intelligent content platform, integrating workflow automation, compliance, and predictive insights. The goal is to help enterprises transform dormant content into actionable intelligence while maintaining security and operational efficiency—demonstrating how product-led strategies can scale across complex organizations without losing focus on user value.


About Adarsh Subramanian

Adarsh Subramanian is Group Manager of Product Management at Box and a recognized thought leader in enterprise product management and AI-driven innovation. He specializes in bridging technology, business strategy, and user experience to drive product-led growth in large organizations. Connect with Adarsh on LinkedIn.

About Box

Box is a cloud-based content management and collaboration platform that helps enterprises securely manage, share, and automate content workflows. By integrating AI, automation, and end-to-end workflow solutions, Box enables organizations to improve productivity, maintain compliance, and turn data into actionable insights.

Links Mentioned in This Episode


Key Episode Highlights

  • AI as a force multiplier for enterprise product management.

  • Creating startup-like agility within large organizations through hackathons and incubation teams.

  • End-to-end product thinking transforming content into actionable intelligence.

  • Integrating user empathy and business impact for scalable innovation.

  • Product-led strategies that balance compliance, workflow efficiency, and intelligence delivery.


Conclusion

Adarsh Subramanian’s insights demonstrate that enterprise innovation doesn’t have to be slow or disconnected from user needs. By combining AI, product-led principles, and agile experimentation, organizations can drive impactful change, streamline workflows, and unlock the full potential of their content and teams.

Ready to explore AI strategies for your business? Visit 3Leaf Consulting for expert insights and resources.

Want to share your expertise on the podcast? Apply to be a guest on Product Led Growth Leaders here.

Enterprise product managementAI-powered content platformsProduct-led innovationAgile enterprise workflowsIntelligent workflow automation
blog author image

Thomas Watkins

Thomas Watkins is the visionary Founder of 3Leaf, a Houston-based design collective dedicated to enhancing usability and fostering meaningful connections through innovative design. With a rich background in technology and design psychology, Thomas has consistently championed the integration of business goals with human-centered design. His expertise spans crafting intuitive mobile interfaces, architecting SaaS systems, conducting in-depth usability research, and mastering data visualization. Through 3Leaf, Thomas empowers businesses to transform complex concepts into accessible, actionable solutions, ensuring that every creation resonates with its intended audience.

Back to Blog

In case you're curious what we do...

Listen & Subscribe to Product Led Growth Leaders

Stay Connected with us and get our latest news

© 20253Leaf. All Rights Reserved