Startups

Instead of buying Figma for $20bn Adobe might have been better served by expanding its CVC programme. A deal to take out one competitor is standard business practice but doesn’t fix Adobe’s burning platform.

As telecoms networks continue to expand their services, what even counts as a strategic investment these days? A selection of industry figures tell Global Venturing it can include Web3, ESG and 5G-related technologies.

Corporate investors shied away from big funding rounds for telecoms startups, with the value of deals down to $2.42bn in 2021 from $5.14bn the year before.

Telecoms companies had 91 exits for their portfolio companies last year, with an estimated total value of $50bn.

Telecoms investment funds had a boom in 2014-16 which has not been repeated since. But 2021 saw signs of an uptick with telcos in emerging markets creating investment funds.

Invest in a business development function — early. Be creative with funding and careful with how your strategic value is measured.

Spinouts working on ketamine-based therapeutics, regenerative medicines for dogs and better sleep are among those that caught our eye this month.

The global food system is creaking — creating an impetus for global agriculture companies to invest in new solutions. Corporates took part in agtech deals worth a record $18bn last year. But are they investing fast enough?

Corporates have dramatically slowed down the rate at which they invest in startups, except in these two sectors.