Corporate Venturing: A Survival Guide

A lean, practical guide to developing high-performance Corporate Venturing (CV) programs. A compilation of ‘straight-talk’ rules around what matters most, why & when, with profiles of leading CV programs that demonstrate real impact and staying power. Corporate venturing has never mattered more. CV has earned a position of respect among portfolio companies and partners for the value it delivers; and CV leaders have a ‘seat at the table’ in setting corporate strategy, joining the handful of the highest-level executives who determine the company’s present and future course…But this is what hasn’t changed – corporate venturing is incredibly hard to do well, and in a way that lasts. Even when high performing teams closely follow the best practices derived from other programs’ models and professionals’ experiences, and impeccably execute everything required for program and team development, they are often impeded – even stopped dead in their tracks – by unpredictable events and decisions totally independent of their programs and outside of their control. The authors bring to bear decades of pioneering experience to create a ‘shorthand’ guide for CV professionals and parent company management as they craft and scale meaningful CV programs. It also provides valuable insight for the startup teams, as well as the many investment and business partners with which CV programs connect.