All Working With Startups

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  ArticleBeneath the Buzz: What are Venture Studios and Builders, and How Do They Work with Corporates?

  May 4, 2022

  A growing number of big company leaders like the idea of hiring a firm like this to help them develop that elusive “next big thing.” But it’s a confusing landscape. There are hundreds of organizations of different shapes, sizes, and capabilities that call themselves venture studios, or say that they...
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  ArticleWhy ‘AgeTech’ is a $9 Trillion Sector You Shouldn’t Ignore

  January 26, 2022

  Rick Robinson, VP of Product and Startup Engagement at AARP, makes a case for opportunities in the growing AgeTech sector.
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  ArticleInside MetLife’s Relationships with VCs and the Startup Ecosystem

  January 18, 2022 | By Scott Kirsner

  Since 2014, the $68 billion insurer MetLife has run more 160 experiments with startups — 70 of which later developed into contractual relationships. Vice President of Innovation Terrence Luciani has created a structured process for collecting requirements from around the company, and then working with venture capital firms, accelerators, and other parties to...
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  ArticleFidelity Labs SVP: ‘The Only Success Metrics That Really Matter are Financial Metrics’

  January 4, 2022 | By Scott Kirsner

  How do you avoid winding up in the “danger zone” as an innovator inside a big company? Mona Vernon, the head of Fidelity Labs at Boston-based Fidelity Investments, says it’s all about making sure your metrics are aligned with your CEO and CFO.
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  ArticleHow Best Buy’s CTO Assesses New Technologies for Strategic Business Value

  December 13, 2021 | By Scott Kirsner

  We spoke to Brian Tilzer, Best Buy’s Chief Digital and Technology Officer, a few weeks ahead of Black Friday 2021. The starting point for our discussion was how Tilzer and his team evaluate emerging technologies that could impact Best Buy’s business. “Ninety percent of what we do is about what’s...
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  ArticleHow Suffolk Construction is Boosting ‘Built Environment’ Startups

  December 6, 2021 | By Alexander MacDougall

  We talk to Suffolk’s Chief Data and Innovation Officer about how the Boston construction is investing in startups focused on AI, robotics, and green building technologies.
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  ArticleThree Ingredients for Building a High-Functioning Corporate-Startup Partnership Engine

  December 1, 2021

  Amanda Cashin of Illumina and Diana Joseph of the Corporate Accelerator Forum provide three key pieces of advice about how large corporations can better interact with startups.
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  VideoData Insights: Top 5 Challenges Startups Face When Working with Corporates

  November 23, 2021 | By Collin Robisheaux

  In this short video, Scott Kirsner and Alex Slawsby of Innovation Leader share the top five challenges for startups initating a formal engagement with a large company. Numero uno is all about speed. 
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  ArticleVenture Capitalist Jasmine Robinson on Sports Trends — at Home and at the Stadium

  October 29, 2021 | By Collin Robisheaux

  Jasmine Robinson, a Partner at Causeway Media Partners, talks about some of the recent investments her sports-focused venture capital firm has made, and what she sees coming next…
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  ArticleTracking Disruption in Sports at an Indianapolis-Based Techstars Accelerator

  October 25, 2021 | By Collin Robisheaux

  The world of sports is experiencing a highlight reel of disruption — from streaming content to legalized betting to digital collectibles like the NBA’s Top Shot series. We talk with Jordan Fliegel, Managing Director of the Techstars Sports Accelerator, to understand what matters most.
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  ArticleBook Excerpt: 3 Types of People You Need to Win Over

  October 22, 2021

  The new book from Shameem Prashantham, Gorillas Can Dance,  presents examples of effective startup engagement strategies from companies like Microsoft, Unilever, BMW, and Cisco. This excerpt discusses the three types of internal corporate players who need to be on board in order to make startup collaborations successful.
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  ArticleHow a $19 Billion Truck Maker Scouts Relevant Startups in Silicon Valley

  October 21, 2021 | By Scott Kirsner

  Paul Konasewich is a key player at the PACCAR Silicon Valley Innovation Center, which helps the $19 billion truck maker connect to relevant startups. ”You need to get honest about whether [your startup scouting activity is about] cultural enrichment,” he says, “or actually creating new products.” More of Konasewich’s advice...
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  Article4 Pieces of Advice for Corporates and Startups on ‘Baking the Cake’ Together

  October 6, 2021 | By Scott Kirsner

  ”From the corporate side, a lot of times, a [startup engagement] program gets started, but the people who have to do the physical work of integrating the startup’s technology view the startup as just any other vendor, and they don’t understand that it’s a three-person company,” says Ken Durand, a...
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  ArticleDole’s Sustainability Promises Depend on Fresh Innovation

  September 30, 2021

  Dole, one of world’s largest fresh fruit and vegetable producers, is taking action to combat food inequality, climate change, and human rights issues. Dr. Lara Ramdin, Chief Innovation Officer, and Barbara Guerpillon, Global Head of Ventures, share how they are driving the company’s sustainability initiatives through open innovation.
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  ArticleExxonMobil Exec on the Three Questions Startups Should Be Asking Corporate Partners

  September 14, 2021 | By Lilly Milman

  Xinjin Zhao of ExxonMobil shares the top three questions he wishes startup leaders asked corporates during meetings, and other tips for successful relationships. 
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  ArticleFM Global VP Shares Tips for Nailing a Startup Partnership

  September 10, 2021 | By Lilly Milman

  Sujata Mehta, Assistant Vice President of Innovation at FM Global, shares insights on how to avoid common mistakes corporates tend to make when beginning a partnership with a startup.
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  ArticleHow Transparent Timelines Can Improve Startup Collaborations

  August 30, 2021 | By Kaitlin Milliken

  Mori, a startup focused on extending the shelf life of products, hopes to use science to reduce food waste. CEO Adam Behren shares the factors that fuel constructive corporate-startup partnerships. 
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  ArticleSumitomo: Why Respect is Necessary for Corporate-Startup Relationships

  August 30, 2021 | By Lilly Milman

  Sumitomo Chemical is one of the largest chemical companies in Japan. And in its US branch — which has a small office in California and in Cambridge, Mass. — managers have a mission: creating next-generation products through corporate venturing and collaborations. 
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  ArticleHow BAE Systems Identifies “Win-Win” Opportunities with Startups

  August 23, 2021 | By Lilly Milman

  In 2018, BAE Systems reorganized its FAST Labs R&D division and added a Technology Scouting group. We spoke with Stephen Russell of FAST Labs to learn more about how it successfully partners with startups.  
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  ArticlePepsiCo’s Demand Accelerator Takes Consumer Insights to Next Level

  August 20, 2021 | By Collin Robisheaux

  The Global SVP and Head of PepsioCo’s  Demand Accelerator program discussed the efficacy of the Demand Accelerator, the specific data PepsiCo uses, consumer trends in the food and beverage industry, and more.