Corporate Venturing Success Stories – Insights and Best Practices

Описание: “Success in corporate venturing can look very different depending on where you start.”

At 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘦𝘵, Anna Heim-TechCrunch moderated a dynamic panel with Julie Dvorakova-Plug and Play Tech Center, Remus Radvan-Wayra UK, and Franz Zöchbauer-VERBUND X Ventures on 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘝𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 – 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 — tackling not just the wins, but also the scars and failures that shape sustainable innovation.

Key takeaways:
• 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲: For VERBUND it’s the “double dividend” — financial return and strategic impact. For Wayra, one simple metric: 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 between startups and Telefónica (€1B+ to date). For Plug and Play, success flexes depending on whether you start with venture clienting, accelerators, or CVC.
• 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 ≠ 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭: Broad “spray and pray” cohorts delivered weak results. Narrow, problem-specific scouting and Series A+ startups proved far more effective.
• 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫: Begin with efficiency-focused pilots in HR, ops, or marketing. Small proofs build trust and open doors for larger bets.
• 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Counter “not invented here” with “proudly found elsewhere.” Place champions in business units (80% BAU, 20% innovation) so ownership doesn’t stop at the central team.
• 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐤𝐞𝐲: CVC works best as a long-term innovation engine. Structure funds with proper governance, carry for top talent, and mechanisms that outlast changing CEOs.

Failures weren’t hidden — from shutting down nine accelerators to struggling with business unit buy-in — but the panel showed how those lessons become the real foundation of success.

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