Steve Jobs is one of the great business icons of our time, and he steps down from the reins as chief executive of Apple (to become chairman) after it fleetingly became the world’s biggest company this month. Yet in the world of corporate venturing he is arguably the man who wasn’t there.
Category: Comment
China sails to healthcare’s future
The launch of 3SBio’s corporate venturing fund draws less attention than it should.
Firms jump aboard dedicated SoMoLo funds
The Intel Capital Ultrabook fund launch follows the $100m A-fund to support the open-source Android mobile phone operating system and the $250m sFund to help Facebook’s social media platform, all announced in the past 10 months and in the wake of the success of the iFund for Apple products.
Cash to spend on investing
US investment grade bond yields return to 1966 levels, which, along with bumper cash balance sheets, will lead to the money being used – in one way or another.
From portfolio hedge offering options to growth engine
In order to provide the right answers, the corporate venturing fund manager will need to break out of the traditional corporate venture fund structure and strengthen alliances beyond its home sector.
Collusion or added value?
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?
Lighting the fire of cross-border investment
To continue success: energise European SMEs and drive economic growth, bringing down national barriers and light the fire of cross-border investment.
How to run a good board meeting
Firas Raouf, an investor in early stage technology companies, gives his tips for what corporate venturers should expect from their portfolio company CEOs.
Keeping corporate entrepreneurs happy
Robert Hisrich, Garvin Professor of Global Entrepreneurship and director of the Walker Center for Global Entrepreneurship at Thunderbird School of Global Management, discusses how to promote corporate entrapreneurship.
Gaule’s Question Time: AkzoNobel
As part of a series of interviews with leading innovation and venture developers, Andrew Gaule, founder of the Corven Corporate Venturing Network, talks to Harmen Kielstra, open innovation leader at AkzoNobel Decorative Paints.
Success is finely balanced
To ensure longerterm survival better, rather than the historic two to three-year longevity, a number of groups are putting in place the governance structures that provide greater independence and stability of funding, and working out their own comparative advantages rather than blindly following the hot investment areas.
Venture opportunity is one of partnership
Earlybird report shows the opportunity in venture investing.
Good for Chesapeake, good for America
Energy company Chesapeake’s move to pump more than $1bn into venture investment to boost the development of natural gas powered clean technologies is a big splash in the world of venture capital.
Personnel links between firms increase
As the venture industry continues to mature and more firms graduate as successful businesses from being a portfolio company and then set up a corporate venturing unit it could be these ties are the next generation of networking connections rather than MBA university among investment managers.