AI can find the deal, but it cannot navigate the board

As fast as venture capital is investing in artificial intelligence (and our August funding round data showed how mega-rounds in AI, robotics and defence boosted even a normally sleepy month), AI is also changing the day-to-day mechanics of how CVC itself operates.  

As MSD GHIF’s Bill Taranto outlined in his column last week, AI algorithms can now scan patent filings, compress weeks of technical due diligence into hours and track portfolio burn rates in real time. Yet, speed and automated data processing do not equal strategic value. An algorithm can flag a promising startup, but it cannot build internal conviction, convince an executive committee to back a pre-revenue concept or mentor a burned-out founder through a tough board meeting. 

This human “translator” role remains the true litmus test for CVC longevity. Sourcing startups has become relatively straightforward; driving actual industrial adoption inside a complex corporate parent is far harder. That is the central focus for Bernardita Araya at CMPC Ventures, who is shifting the Chilean paper group’s focus from writing cheques to aligning external innovation with internal operational execution. 

Similarly, in our latest CVC Titans interview, Minette Navarrete reflects on how Globe Telecom’s Kickstart Ventures expanded over 14 years from a $2.5m incubator into a $250m multi-LP platform. Her key insight? Long-term survival isn’t about blindly chasing tech hype — it is about deep team relationships, disciplined operational overheads and staying relentlessly close to corporate LP pain points. 

Nobody that I have interviewed about their CVC unit’s success has ever put that down to having better data tools. They almost all say that relationships and communication are the key.   

But how do corporate venture arms bridge the gap between early enthusiasm and becoming a long-term trusted partner for the business? How do you go from making smart financial investments to creating real industrial impact?   

That is the exact subject of our upcoming GCV webinar on Wednesday 16 September: What does it take to scale a successful CVC programme? Join us alongside Lukasz Garbowski, chief investment officer at Btomorrow Ventures, and Travis Bales, managing director at Booz Allen Ventures, as we explore how units navigate those tricky middle years of a CVC — typically years four to six — when it must go from being a promising experiment to a durable, institutionalised engine that creates real results.   

Sign up here to secure your place and receive the summary and replay. 

And if you are interested in discussions with CVC peers about best ways to use AI in CVC operations, my colleague Liz Arrington is creating an AI working group. To join or find our more drop Liz an email.

This editor’s note was first published in GCV’s Blueprint newsletter, which tracks corporate venture news, key deals, new funds best practice and jobs.

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