Services

Utilities fall back on longer-term plans to drive innovation in the sector.

Entrepreneurism explodes as shackles fall away in India.

Venture capital (VC) firms claim their connections are highly valuable to portfolio companies and there is evidence to suggest this is true. But, by working together, do close-knit VC communities collude to depress valuations and prevent new teams from entering the market?

Global Corporate Venturing's round-up of deals struck in July published on the website.

The Hubert Burda-backed investor joins Germany-based business network company Wolfman Holding as a backer of the virtual office provider.

The US conglomerate, which oversees the DYMO Endicia brand, is helping Equaship to gear up for an autumn launch.

Pelillo was previously at phone operator Orange-France Telecom Group, latterly as head of networks and advertising exchange, and internet services provider AOL.

Freeman had been CEO of Mediabrands Ventures since January last year and will now be global head of innovation for McCann Worldgroup. Jimmy Poon, chief executive of Mediabrands also now leads its Ventures unit.

VC@OMD helps its parent manage soft drinks maker PepsiCo's Pepsi 10 and industrial conglomerate General Electric's GE/OMD Innovation Incubator programmes and Jonathan Haber has stepped up to be chief innovation officer.