Alexandre Steiner (pictured), a fomer portfolio strategist at consulting and technology firms Getronics and Capgemini, will launch at the Global Corporate Venturing Symposium on Tuesday a firm to help advise on and manage corporations’ innovation venturing activities.
Steiner, who is also an angel investor through the IT@ngels network, set up France-based OIOVentures after four years asa vice-president of innovation at Netherlands-based Getronics, a subsidiary of local phone operator KPN, and 14 years at consultancy Capgemini.
He said after his 20 years’ experience working for big businesses that OIOVentures would close a gap in large organisations in how to take equity stakes in start-ups and apply operational links between the nascent companies and the investors.
He said: "We can help operate the synergies between start-ups and corporations as we would work as a representative of the group, such as helping prepare an exit plan that could be to the investor or to a third party."
OIOVentures will act as investment manager so corporations can take minority equity stakes of usually 20% to 49% in entrepreneurial businesses each year and be paid a retainer, a percentage of the deals struck and performance fees.