Google Ventures' fifth arrow in its quiver - helping its portfolio companies and their mergers and acqusitions strategy.

As corporations become increasingly open to external innovation and many of their own executives become angel investors themselves, there is a great opportunity to help the nascent start-ups.

The challenges faced by all three - Q.Cells, SunTech and SunPower - have been more broadly reflected across the clean-tech industry but there could be light at the end of the tunnel, judging by a new report by Global Corporate Venturing in partnership with Baker Botts.

VMware, a New York-listed provider of virtualization and cloud infrastructure, last week agreed to acquire Virsto, which provided the first exit for venture capital firm Correlation Ventures.

Media group Disney is understood to have scaled back its financial commitment to its corporate venturing affiliate, Steamboat Ventures, after strong performance in its portfolio caused the fund to be closed relatively early.