The Five Forces framework is 45 years old. It still works as a lens — but a modern competitive read needs signals Porter never had access to.
Porter's Five Forces is a durable mental model. It is also incomplete for the way modern markets actually move. In vertical software, in regulated industries, and in any market where distribution is platform-mediated, the interesting forces are outside the original five.
The output is not a prettier framework. It is a competitive read that survives contact with a board that asks, 'and how do you know?'
More insights
Software has already taken over research, benchmarking, and diligence support. The strategy layer is the last big pool of billable hours — and it is moving.
Enterprise-first playbooks assume a homogenous market. In Europe's fragmented, regulated verticals, the mid-market is a faster, cheaper, more defensible landing zone.
The best acquisition target is rarely the loudest one in your CRM. It is usually in a category adjacency you have not screened yet.
