All insights from Andrea Kerwat

Exits aren’t events. They are the product of long-range thinking, not just performance metrics or market timing. In fact, the most successful companies don’t “get bought,” they set the conditions that make a deal inevitable, compelling, and competitive.

In November, we hosted the second annual Corporate Innovation event. The discussion, under Chatham House rules, offered a deep dive into the intricate dance between startups and corporates and provided a candid exploration of the challenges and strategies inherent in these collaborations.

In the second part of our Corporate-Startup panel roundup, we gathered founders and CEOs from our startup ecosystem and corporate innovation leaders for an intimate and informal discussion. We asked the group for some real honesty about some of the difficulties the corporates and startups faced working together: “Tell the truth: what annoys you about each other?”

In October 2022, we hosted our first Corporate-Startup networking event at the Bankside Hotel in London. The goal was to convene founders and CEOs from our startup ecosystem with corporate innovation leaders for an intimate and informal discussion around the state of innovation in a downturn. The event began with a panel discussion on the state of corporate innovation, which we've recapped for you below.