The Art of Corporate Venture

Some 38% of CVC units have a team dedicated to helping portfolio companies make business connections. It is increasingly becoming a secret weapon for investors as portfolio valuations come under strain.

Technology is starting to make it possible to understand the complex interactions of the microbiome in more detail.

BiomeSense, a University of Chicago spin out, wants to create a 10m record dataset for the microbiome sector.

Sometimes called the “last organ under active research”, the human microbiome and therapeutics relating to it are attracting dollars and interest in the innovation community – albeit still from a low base.

Data centres need a revamp to allow for the high-speed data processing artificial intelligence requires — and light is key to the transition.

A small but growing number of CVCs are quietly reaching fund sizes of more than $1bn. When they get there, life changes in some ways.

The numbers of deals, exits and funding initiatives involving corporates continue a relative decline year-on-year. But there was a pause in the most recent quarter, when the fall is mostly in total dollar terms. The community appears to have weatherеd the SVB debacle successfully (at least for now).

Failure to understand product-market fit is at the heart of why most projects fail. CVCs could take some lessons from these post-mortems.

We asked leading corporate venture investors what they look for. Knowing your competition and how you stand out is crucial.

Lukasz Garbowski, investment director at Btomorrow Ventures, describes how the corporate venture unit helps its parent diversify away from tobacco.

From holograms and new collaboration platforms to dynamic pricing software, three investors told us what they are backing in the new world of work.