In Churchill’s history of The Second World War he wrote of his emotions upon hearing that Japan had attacked US forces at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 that only “silly people, and there were many,” underestimated American strength. For him, the entry of the US into the war meant that the ultimate outcome—favourable for his countries… Continue reading Feeling ‘the greatest joy’
Category: Comment
Entrepreneurial success and CVC: unravelling the paradox
I began my doctoral work in management after a long career as a new product development engineering executive and soon became struck by the lack of research into how entrepreneurs benefited from corporate venture capital investments. This lack of research insight exacerbated the concerns in the research literature that corporate investors are inhibited from making… Continue reading Entrepreneurial success and CVC: unravelling the paradox
Eight-year review
Andrew Gaule, CEO, Aimava, reviews eight years of interviews with leaders of innovation and corporate venturing.
Why Meituan-Dianping’s expansion makes sense
Providing a multitude of services as a “super app” allows Meituan-Dianping to generate significant revenues from merchants and avoid using capital-intensive subsidies to lower prices for consumers and also potentially disrupt traditional advertising-only media models. This is a fundamentally sound business model that will be hard for competitors to beat. Super apps, if thoughtfully designed,… Continue reading Why Meituan-Dianping’s expansion makes sense
Growth benefits generations
May issue editorial by James Mawson, editor-in-chief
Editorial: US firestarters focus on government-funded research commercialisation
A fire is being lit in the US as Chinese competition comes increasingly to the forefront of the attention of its political leaders. One battleground coming into view concerns how much the American government is getting by way of jobs and economic development from its federally-funded research and development (R&D) dollars. As one Beltway veteran… Continue reading Editorial: US firestarters focus on government-funded research commercialisation
An Open Letter to the CVC Community
We are hiring diverse interns, won’t you join us?
Can governments turn engineers into entrepreneurs?
In South Korea, the saying goes that “to be an entrepreneur you have to kill two women – your mother and your future wife”. In South Korea, young male entrepreneurs would shame their mothers by not pursuing a professional career, such as doctor or lawyer, or working for a top chaebol – meaning conglomerate, such… Continue reading Can governments turn engineers into entrepreneurs?
A champion for innovation and entrepreneurship
Christine Gulbranson is a force of nature. It is nigh on impossible not to be captivated by her passion for her job – senior vice-president, innovation and entrepreneurship, at University of California (UC) System – and her dedication to the ecosystem – also notable in her position as chairman of the Global University Venturing Leadership… Continue reading A champion for innovation and entrepreneurship
Two views on tech transfer and university incubation
Andrew Gaule talks to Tal Badt, director of business development, X-lab Tsinghua University, Beijing & Quentin Compton-Bishop, CEO, Warwick Ventures
Interview: Reese Schroeder, MD, Tyson Ventures
How have the first nine months or so been? It has been a terrific learning experience. When I came on board at Tyson Ventures I really did not know very much about the space. I have learnt a ton in the first nine months. I tell people that I know 10 times more today than… Continue reading Interview: Reese Schroeder, MD, Tyson Ventures
Interview: Saemin Ahn, MD, Rakuten Ventures
What excites you as an investor? Being more of a contrarian has made for a lot of exciting verticals to focus on. If many investors head in one direction, I automatically look at what they have left behind. If you look at artificial intelligence (AI), right now a lot of the effort and energy is… Continue reading Interview: Saemin Ahn, MD, Rakuten Ventures
Unmissable action abounds
April issue editorial by James Mawson, editor-in-chief
Editorial: Management approaches to portfolio
Given the rise of intangibles in the economy, control versus delegation strikes at the heart of modern business practices. If or whether both Tencent and Alibaba continue to perform as well in the future might reflect their approaches in management.