Semelparous Reproduction
In business, monocarpic/semelparous strategy means deploying most resources into one reproductive event (exit, IPO, major transformation) where the parent company may not survive.
The cost of premature flowering in nature is extinction. The cost in business is Theranos.
Semelparous reproduction (from Latin semel = once, pario = to beget) is a reproductive strategy where organisms reproduce once, then die. Century plants, bamboo, and Pacific salmon exemplify this pattern. The organism accumulates resources slowly for years, then deploys ALL resources into a single massive reproductive event. When bamboo flowers after sixty years, millions of seeds overwhelm predators. Pacific salmon spawn 2,000-5,000 eggs per female, then die - their decomposing bodies providing marine-derived nutrients that fertilize freshwater ecosystems and indirectly feed their offspring.
Business Application of Semelparous Reproduction
In business, monocarpic/semelparous strategy means deploying most resources into one reproductive event (exit, IPO, major transformation) where the parent company may not survive. This is optimal when adult survival probability is low, the industry is disrupting, or offspring would be stronger under an acquirer's resources.