Ignaas Caryn is director of innovation and venturing at Netherlands-based KLM and its representative at Mainport Innovation Fund, which is a partnership of the Dutch airline with the Delft University of Technology, Schiphol and Rabobank.
He helped set up the joint venture three years ago. Caryn said: “Why has a company like KLM embarked on an exotic journey, like corporate venturing is perceived to be? The reasons for our innovation efforts are two-fold. The first reason was to create a window on attractive innovations in the start-up community and increase the speed of implementing those at KLM.”
Caryn added:”You often need different competencies to make the innovation successful. Also, innovation has difficulty to flourish when it has to follow the procedures and decision making process of a big corporate. Dealing with uncertainty and long(er) term developments requires another mindset than dealing with core business issues. We tend to say “it is easier to decide on the multi-billion purchase of new airplanes than on investing a few hundred thousand euros in a start-up”.
Caryn said: “”Apart from above concerns a sole KLM fund would lack certain competencies which are critical to the fund’s success, so we aimed for a complementary mix of partners relevant for the fund. “
Caryn has worked in business innovation and venturing since 2007, while from 2003 to 2007 he was head of customer relationship management development and venturing. Before that he was a business manager at KLM.
He studied business economics at University of Ghent.
Lessons from the top: Caryn said: “If you want to do corporate venturing you need a strategic link with the corporate, as we have to deliver added value to our business units next to the fund’s return, but should be separate legal entity. Being able to act and decide along different lines to the corporate is very important. We are in the fortunate position to have the full support of top management, especially from both our previous and current CFO.