Spinout creation rates vary wildly at universities and intelligent capital and corporate partners have a big role in changing the numbers.

Invest like a VC, lean into corporate expertise, bring in external entrepreneurs and set up the unit with as much independence as possible.

From joint startup prize competitions to joint investment funds, corporates are increasingly joining forces to source innovation.

Corporate investment units that have business development embedded in their teams tend to outperform those that do without.

From the reluctance to invest in AI to the emergence of a shadow VC space, this is what we learned from one of the biggest gatherings of corporate investors.

Knowing your co-investors — and voting rights — extremely well is essential, says Merck GHI’s Bill Taranto.

It is time for startups and investors to get pragmatic about down rounds

The economic downturn has made corporate venture capital units vulnerable to restructurings and budget cuts. What should you do when the mothership assigns you a new boss who wants to change direction?

We look at some of the greatest corporate VC investments, from a $2.5m investment in a future $170bn company in the 80's to a deal in the wake of the dotcom boom that has produced $130bn.

More corporations are setting up venture studios. They work well with CVC units as long as you understand the strengths of each.

As corporate investment units get bigger, they need a mix of skillsets and career levels — and a good COO to manage them.

Some 38% of CVC units have a team dedicated to helping portfolio companies make business connections. It is increasingly becoming a secret weapon for investors as portfolio valuations come under strain.

A small but growing number of CVCs are quietly reaching fund sizes of more than $1bn. When they get there, life changes in some ways.

Failure to understand product-market fit is at the heart of why most projects fail. CVCs could take some lessons from these post-mortems.