Corporate Venturing Insider

Filmed at the GCVI 2026 Summit in Monterey, Corporate Venturing Insider #126 features Nicolas Sauvage in conversation with Barbry McGann, co-head of Workday Ventures. Barbry shares how a career in enterprise software product leadership led her from PeopleSoft, Oracle, and Workday into corporate venture capital. She explains how product thinking shapes Workday Ventures’ investment strategy, why the...

Interviewed March 25th, 2026 at the GCV Monterey Summit In this episode of Corporate Venturing Insider, Nicolas Sauvage speaks with Ana Lopes of IBM Ventures about her journey from astrophysics and MIT tech transfer to startup building, GE Ventures, and IBM Ventures. Ana shares lessons on translating science from lab to market, why founders should start with the problem rather than the technology,...

Bobby Franklin joins Nicolas Sauvage for a conversation on venture capital policy, the rise of corporate venture capital, AI regulation, and the future of innovation. They explore why exits matter, how Washington misunderstands startups, and why stronger alignment between VCs, CVCs, and policymakers is increasingly critical to sustaining entrepreneurship and technological leadership. Interviewed M...

In this episode of Corporate Venturing Insider , recorded on March 24, 2026 at the Global Corporate Venturing Innovation Summit in Monterey, Nicolas Sauvage sits down with Hoolie Tejwani to unpack one of the most unconventional models in venture today. With over 600 investments since 2018, Coinbase Ventures has taken a radically different approach—prioritizing speed, breadth, and ecosystem develop...

In this episode of Corporate Venturing Insider , Nicolas Sauvage speaks with Laurel Buckner , head of BHP Ventures, about what it takes to step into and lead an already established corporate venture fund. Laurel shares how she approached her first 30 days, aligned with senior leadership, and built on a high-performing team without disrupting momentum. The conversation explores BHP Ventures’ integr...

In this episode of Corporate Venturing Insider, Nicolas Sauvage speaks with Mirella Lisboa , Head of AgroStart LatAm at BASF, about how large corporations can turn startup collaboration into real business impact. Mirella explains how AgroStart operates as an open innovation platform connecting BASF business units with startups tackling real agricultural challenges. She discusses how the team struc...

In this episode of Corporate Venturing Insider, recorded January 6, 2026, Nicolas Sauvage speaks with Francesco Di Lorenzo of Copenhagen Business School about the evolution of corporate venturing. Drawing on a decade of research, Francesco explores the shift from traditional CVC to venture clienting, examining why collaboration models are gaining traction. He challenges the hype around venture cli...

Interviewed January 5th, 2026 In this episode, Nicolas Sauvage speaks with Patricia Kroondijk of Canon Marketing Japan about building corporate venture capability through venture clienting. They unpack Canon’s VC-as-a-Service approach, why pilots come before investments, and how Japanese corporate culture shapes decision-making. Patricia shares where the platform is heading next as it gains indepe...

In this episode of Corporate Venturing Insider , Nicolas Sauvage sits down with Bill Taranto , founder of the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund and outgoing co-chair of the GCV Leadership Society. Recorded on January 6—just one day after his conversation with fellow co-chair Arvind Purushotham—the discussion offers a rare look at leadership transition inside the global CVC community. Taranto ref...

As Nicolas Sauvage steps into the role of co-chair of the GCV Leadership Society, he sits down with outgoing co-chair Arvind Purushotham of Citi Ventures to reflect on how corporate venturing has matured over the past 15 years. Together, they explore what it takes to build durable CVC programs—covering strategic impact, incentives, governance, and the importance of patience in a long-term venture...

Interviewed October 18, 2025 In this episode of Corporate Venturing Insider , Nicolas Sauvage sits down with Jody Thelander , founder and CEO of J. Thelander Consulting, to unpack how compensation shapes autonomy, retention, and performance in corporate venture capital. Together they explore the delicate balance between VC-style incentives and corporate governance. Listeners will learn how to desi...

Interviewed October 6, 2025 In this episode of Corporate Venturing Insider , Nicolas Sauvage sits down with Annie Goman , Managing Director of Btomorrow Ventures , to explore how BAT’s venture arm is redefining corporate innovation. Goman shares how she led a strategic reset of Fund II, emphasizing “high alignment and high autonomy” to guide BAT’s transformation beyond nicotine. She also shares he...

Interviewed September 25, 2025 In Episode #113 of Corporate Venturing Insider, Nicolas Sauvage speaks with Alexandra Renner , Program Manager at BMW Startup Garage , the world’s first venture client unit. Alexandra shares her journey from co-founding an augmented reality startup to shaping how BMW collaborates with hundreds of business units and pilots startup technologies at scale. She discusses...

Interviewed August 15th, 2025 In this episode of Corporate Venturing Insider #112 , Nicolas Sauvage speaks with Valery Yakubovich from Wharton’s Mack Institute about his latest report on corporate venturing. Valery explains how CVC has evolved from “David vs. Goliath” disruption toward symbiotic partnerships, where corporations and startups co-create value. The conversation unpacks six core corpor...

Interviewed August 14, 2025 Nicolas Sauvage interviews Tammi Smorynski—24-year Intel Capital veteran and now GCV Institute instructor—on her winding path from J.P. Morgan to venture and why great CVCs must balance strategic impact with financial discipline. She shares boardroom best practices (say the hard thing first, observers can be powerful, use her eight-slide handover pack) and lessons from...

On July 21st, 2025, Corporate Venturing Insider welcomed Mike Smeed , Managing Director of InMotion Ventures , the CVC arm of Jaguar Land Rover. In conversation with Nicolas Sauvage , President of TDK Ventures, Mike shared how InMotion balances strategic alignment with entrepreneurial agility through its evergreen structure, fast decision-making, and clear corporate engagement. The episode explore...

Tune into our conversation with Matt Rhodes-Kropf , Managing Partner at Tectonic Ventures and Professor at MIT Sloan School of Management. Interviewed on March 28th, 2025

Interviewed May 5th, 2025 In Episode 108 of Corporate Venturing Insider , Nicolas Sauvage sits down with Temple Fennell , cofounder and managing partner at Clean Energy Ventures. Temple shares his journey from systems engineer to climate-focused investor, offering insights into launching the CREO Syndicate and building Clean Energy Ventures. He breaks down his investment framework—like boundary ru...

Tune into our conversation with Angela Lee , Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia Business School. Interviewed on April 15th, 2025 In this episode of Corporate Venturing Insider , Nicolas Sauvage sits down with Angela Lee, founder of 37 Angels and professor at Columbia Business School, to unpack her unconventional path from founder to investor and educator. Angela shares how she built 37...

Tune into our conversation with Gustavo Schwed , Professor of Finance and Professor of Management Practice at NYU Stern School of Business. Interviewed on March 4th, 2025 https://cv-insider.com/

Join Bonny Simi, President of Operations at Joby Aviation and former founder of JetBlue Ventures to discuss her corporate venturing career. Interviewed March 19th, 2025 at GCVI 2025 Summit in Monterey, CA. Hosted by Nicolas Sauvage Find the Full Episode here: https://cv-insider.com/

In this episode of Corporate Venturing Insider , Steve Westly —Founder and Managing Partner of The Westly Group , and former Controller and Chief Fiscal Officer of the State of California—joins Nicolas Sauvage for a wide-ranging conversation on investing, innovation, and leadership. Recorded live at GCV Monterey on March 20, 2025, Steve shares hard-earned lessons from his journey through public se...

Interviewed on March 19th, 2025 Megann Vaughn Watters shares her journey from biomedical engineering to one of healthcare's most strategic corporate venture funds at LabCorp. She and Nicolas Sauvage discuss lessons in sourcing innovation, managing a fund of funds, partnering with startups, managing a growing portfolio, and scaling strategic value across the enterprise.

Tune into our conversation with Joseph LiPuma , Associate Professor In Global Business, Strategy And Innovation at the Boston Questrom School of Business. Interviewed on March 6th, 2025

Tune into our conversation with Steven Kaplan , Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Interviewed on March 3rd, 2025