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- 🦉 It's Time for Corporate VC
🦉 It's Time for Corporate VC
As traditional VC weathers a perfect storm, corporate investors are filling the gap with strategic vision
Coeus Collective
March 03, 2025
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Welcome back to the Collective. Last week, we explored the rise of alternative VC models in response to the market reset. Today, we're continuing our analysis of the evolving venture landscape by examining another emerging trend: the increasing influence of corporate venture capital.
As traditional VCs grapple with the frozen exit markets and down rounds, corporate strategic investors are stepping into the gap with their unique advantages. These corporate venture arms aren't just providing capital during uncertain times: they're offering strategic partnerships, customer access, and domain expertise that cash-strapped startups increasingly value.
In this newsletter, we'll examine why corporate venture capital is proving resilient in today's challenging environment, which sectors are seeing the most corporate investment activity, and how the relationship between CVCs and traditional VCs is evolving. We’ll focus on two examples of corporate VC models, citing the legendary firms Plug and Play Tech Center and Intel Capital as case studies.
Also: for more information on the corporate VC landscape, check out our interview with Connie Weisman, VP of Corporate Partnerships at Plug and Play here!
Whether you're a founder navigating fundraising, a traditional VC adapting your strategy, or a corporation looking to build your innovation pipeline, understanding this shift in the funding landscape is becoming increasingly essential.
Also, if you’ll be in NYC on Thursday of this week, come through to our live podcast recording featuring Michael Baum (Founder of Splunk - acquired by Cisco for $28 billion in 2024) at NYU Stern at 5pm on Thursday! RSVP here.
— By Antonio DiMeglio and Leon Li
