Corporate Venturing Insider

Nicolas Sauvage

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EPISODE 117

Passing the Baton: Lessons from Outgoing GCV Co-Chair, Arvind Purushotham

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 model. Interviewed January 5th, 2026

24 min
EPISODE 118

The Challenges Facing Corporate Venturing and GCV Leadership with Bill Taranto

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 reflects on nearly four decades in corporate venturing, shares hard-earned lessons on strategy, trust, and longevity, and offers candid advice to Sauvage as he assumes the GCV chairmanship. A thoughtful conversation on stewardship, community, and building institutions that endure. Interviewed January 6th, 2026

19 min
EPISODE 119

Proving Value Before Capital: Patricia Kroondijk on Pilots, VC-as-a-Service, and Corporate Venture Design

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 independence.

25 min
EPISODE 120

To CVC or Not to CVC: An Examination of Venture Clienting with Francesco Di Lorenzo

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 clienting, highlighting hidden OpEx costs, governance friction, and risks of short-termism. The discussion unpacks CapEx vs. OpEx, power law vs. distribution thinking, and how boards should structure venturing for long-term resilience. A thoughtful, critical look at where corporate venturing is headed next.

21 min
EPISODE 121

Inside BASF’s AgroStart Model for Startup Collaboration with Mirella Lisboa

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 structures partnerships around clear problems, measurable KPIs, and disciplined proof-of-concepts to avoid “innovation theater.” The conversation also explores AgroStart’s role as a venture client and how its work feeds insights to BASF Venture Capital. The result is a practical look at how corporates can build internal capacity to respond to innovation. Interviewed February 10th, 2026

27 min

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Striking Investor Gold one Insight at a Time

Creator

Nicolas Sauvage
Episodes

121
Seasons

7
Rating

Clean
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