Tom Rodgers, senior vice-president and managing director, McKesson Ventures: “Health systems and health plans looking to outsource ‘future core’ and partner emerging companies leveraging analytics technology – capabilities they know they will need to be good at in the future in order to survive.”
Alexander Steel, head of corporate venture capital, Syngenta: “Later-stage growth equity and private equity investments in agriculture.”
Andrew Pitz, associate, Transamerica Ventures: “We think the application of the blockchain across the insurance industry and insurance value chain will begin to take shape, and a lot of interesting companies will be created that challenge current insurance processes.”
Christopher Langford, director, Lowe’s Ventures: “The ability to harness emerging inspiration and visualisation technologies to enable better commerce experiences.”
Mark Sherman, managing partner, Telstra Ventures: “Machine learning.”
Matteo Gatta, technology strategy and innovation director, Proximus: “Internet of things – industrial and consumer – data analytics, security.”
Tom Hawkins, managing partner, Forté Ventures: “Information security and compliance.”
George Coyle, head, ConocoPhillips Technology Ventures: “Innovative oil and gas technology companies that help the energy industry improve efficiency and lower cost.”
Keith Muhart, director of marketing, Qualcomm Ventures: “Security on devices and networks will continue to evolve and be areas of great opportunity in 2016.”
Mark Richey, managing director, West Capital Advisors: “It is still about the data, delivering actionable insight to the right place at the right time – driving customer engagement, personalisation, hyperconvenience, brand expression through digital.”
Jay Onda, director of strategic investments, Yamaha Motors Ventures and Laboratory: Smart mobility, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, medical/industrial/consumer robotics, precision agriculture.”
David Hansen, investment director, Suez Ventures: “Industrial internet of things.”
Tony Cannestra, director of corporate ventures, Denso: “Technologies related to autonomous driving systems.”
Renee Ryan, vice-president, Johnson and Johnson Development Corporation: “New company formation. Alliances across sectors.”
What will you look to improve in 2016?
Rodgers at McKesson: “Spend more time concentrated in the areas of our thematic interest and less time responding to other inbound dealflow.”
Cannestra at Denso: “Our plan is to grow our investment team and increase both the dealflow and number of deals that we close.”
Langford at Lowe’s: “As an emerging fund, we continually look to improve our access to quality deals. We are getting better at knowing what good looks like and understanding the process for pipeline development. We look forward to constant improvement of the quality and relevance of our pipeline.”
Sherman at Telstra Ventures: “Data services for origination.”
Gatta at Proximus: “Funnel.”
Steel at Syngenta: “Driving mutual value creation at our portfolio companies and realising exits.”
Hawkins at Forte: “Relationships with a broader array of corporate strategic partners and co-investors in our network.”
Richey at West Capital: “Sourcing, process, executive education, delivering true strategic impact.”
Muhart at Qualcomm: “Connections with financial VCs.”
Onda at Yamaha: “Building stronger internal support for investment initiatives.”
What bespoke legal terms do you use if any?
Rodgers at McKesson: “None. We feel that corporate venture firms should strive to invest on terms similar to traditional venture. Avoid anything that could negatively impact the portfolio company’s eventual liquidity dynamics.”
Pitz at Transamerica: “We behave like an independent institutional VC, so the terms are different in every deal.”
Richey at West Capital: “Protection of company-specific project/initiative/business partnership information related to venture investments or engagements.”
Cannestra at Denso: “Nothing particularly special as we try to work within the normal legal terms that have become standard within the VC industry. We do not ask for any exclusivity as part of our deals.”