The sixth annual Global Corporate Venturing awards are a celebration of the industry and how it helps entrepreneurs, the venture ecosystem and parent companies make the world a better place and deliver on their strategic and financial goals.

Germany-based media conglomerate Bertelsmann has a number of corporate venturing units spanning the world since Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI) was set up in 2006 to explore opportunities to work with innovative new businesses in the digital media landscape.

Since it was founded just before the turn of the millennium, cloud-computing company Salesforce has gone from strength to strength. Its success has, over the past couple of years, led to a high degree of speculation about a potential takeover, with Microsoft thought to have come closest to agreeing a deal with the San Francisco-based firm last spring.

Given where it is headquartered, it should come as little surprise that Silicon Valley Bank has continued to lead the field when it comes to catering for the venture capital and corporate venturing markets.

US-based law firm DLA Piper has a specialised international practice dedicated to emerging growth and venture capital, with 200 lawyers in the US and 400 around the world who specifically serve entrepreneurs, technology companies and venture funds by focusing on private equity and venture capital transactions.

In the world of venture capital, where relationships and professional networks have a hugely important role, it might come as a surprise to learn that cold calling still has a part to play.