Inside CVC by u-path

u-path

Welcome to Inside CVC —Inside CVC by U-Path is the podcast where corporate venture capital meets strategy, leadership, and systemic change. Hosted by Philipp Willigmann and Steve Schmith, the show brings senior voices from across corporate venture, startups, investment, academia, and policy to the table. Each episode goes beyond buzzwords to explore how capital, technology, and leadership shape the future of business and society. From AI and robotics to geopolitics, board governance, and inclusive innovation, Inside CVC is designed for executives and policymakers who want to understand not just what’s happening — but what to do about it.

  1. -4 ДН.

    Inside CVC: Orchestrating Connection: Why Trust, Gratitude, and Community Drive Better CVC & M&A Decisions

    In this episode of Inside CVC, we’re joined by David Homan, author of Orchestrating Connection, for a wide-ranging conversation on why trust, gratitude, and intentional community building are no longer “soft skills,” but strategic advantages in corporate venture capital and M&A. Drawing from more than a decade of building a global, high-trust network spanning family offices, venture capital, private equity, and corporate leadership, David challenges the transactional mindset that dominates deal-making today. He argues that the biggest failures in CVC and M&A often stem from ignoring relationships—while the biggest wins are unlocked by honoring the chain of connection behind every opportunity. We explore why leaders who prioritize curiosity and vulnerability make better long-term decisions, how communities function as strategic “current” rather than static structures, and why boards should treat trusted relationships with the same rigor as capital allocation. Along the way, David shares real stories from the worlds of venture investing, corporate strategy, and global leadership that illustrate how connection can de-risk bold bets—and why cutting out the connector often costs more than leaders realize. This is a conversation for CEOs, board members, CVC leaders, and operators navigating complexity, uncertainty, and transformation—where who you trust may matter more than what you buy. What You’ll Hear in This Episode Why **relationships—not assets—often determine the success or failure of M&A and CVC betsHow honoring the chain of connection builds trust, access, and long-term advantageThe difference between transactional capital and community-driven value creationWhy curiosity and vulnerability are underutilized leadership strengths in boardroomsHow trusted communities act as a strategic hedge during periods of disruptionWhat corporate leaders miss when they prioritize speed over integrity in deal-makingA simple, practical ritual leaders can use immediately to strengthen trust and influenceSupport the show Catch up on all episodes of Inside CVC at www.u-path.com/podcast.

    31 мин.

  2. 2 ЯНВ.

    Inside CVC: Berlin CVC Open Innovation Summit, Part 2: From Urgency to Execution: Aligning Capital, Institutions, and Leadership in Europe

    In Part Two of our special Inside CVC series recapping the CVC Open Innovation Summit in Berlin, the conversation moves from diagnosis to execution. Episode One explored urgency.  Episode Two focuses on alignment. As Europe faces accelerating technological change, geopolitical pressure, and widening capital gaps, the challenge is no longer awareness. It’s how leaders align capital, institutions, and organizational systems once the direction is clear. This episode brings together perspectives from SAP, the European Stability Initiative, Roche, PwC, policymakers, and summit leadership to examine why execution breaks down — and what it takes to move from ambition to coordinated action. The conversation culminates with a look ahead to Miami, where these themes continue at the next CVC Open Innovation Summit. Support the show Catch up on all episodes of Inside CVC at www.u-path.com/podcast.

    33 мин.

  3. 29.12.2025

    Inside CVC: Berlin CVC Open Innovation Summit, Part 1: Capital, Policy, and Risk

    In late November, leaders from across Europe gathered in Berlin for the first European edition of the CVC Open Innovation Summit. What emerged was not another debate about whether innovation matters, but a far more urgent question: is Europe actually set up to execute? In Part 1 of this special two-part Inside CVC series, host Steve Schmith takes listeners inside the Berlin summit to explore why this moment feels different. Corporate investors, policymakers, founders, and ecosystem leaders speak candidly about capital gaps, risk tolerance, regulation, and the growing pressure to move from ambition to action. Across conversations with summit co-host Philipp Willigmann, German Bundestag Financial Policy Spokesperson Katharina Beck, venture investor Tanja Emmerling, PwC’s Florian Noell, SAP’s Florian Kunzke, Roche’s Caroline Creven-Fourier, and former Inside CVC guest Martin Hüllen, a clear pattern emerges. Europe does not lack ideas or talent. What it struggles with is execution at scale. This episode explores: Why access to capital alone is not enoughHow regulation and policy must keep pace with innovationThe growing tension between risk-taking and hesitationWhat execution actually looks like inside corporationsWhy human capital, culture, and trust are central to innovationAnd why alignment, not awareness, is now Europe’s binding constraintBerlin did not produce easy answers. Instead, it surfaced the hard work still ahead. In Part 2, the conversation turns forward—into AI, sovereignty, policy alignment, and what real collaboration must become if insight is going to turn into action. Support the show Catch up on all episodes of Inside CVC at www.u-path.com/podcast.

    25 мин.

  4. 15.12.2025

    Inside CVC: Why Europe Fell Behind in Autonomy. And How It Can Catch Up with Christian Schumacher

    Europe once led the world in autonomous driving. Massive public investment. Breakthrough demonstrations. Real vehicles on real highways long before autonomy was mainstream. So what happened? In this episode of Inside CVC, we sit down with Christian to unpack the rise, stall, and potential resurgence of autonomy in Europe. Drawing from decades of experience across research labs, OEMs, and boardrooms, Christian explains why Europe’s challenge isn’t technology. It’s culture, regulation, and execution. You’ll hear how early European leadership gave way to faster deployment in the U.S., why China’s “progress over perfection” mindset changed the global pace of innovation, and how fragmented regulation slowed momentum across the EU. We also explore the growing gap between hardware-centric automotive cultures and agile software development, and why autonomy is no longer about cars, but autonomous systems across industries. This conversation goes beyond autonomy. It’s about trust, talent, and the courage to deploy innovation before perfection. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why Europe led early in autonomy and why it lost momentumHow U.S. and Chinese regulatory models accelerated deploymentThe cultural clash between automotive hardware and agile software teamsWhy autonomy is evolving into broader autonomous systemsWhat Europe needs to rebuild trust, talent, and speedSupport the show Catch up on all episodes of Inside CVC at www.u-path.com/podcast.

    19 мин.

  5. 08.12.2025

    Inside CVC: Trust as Currency. Congruency as Strategy. A Conversation with SGNL’s Jen Randle

    In this episode of Inside CVC, Steve and Philipp sit down with Jen Randle, co-founder of SGNL, a strategic advisory and content firm known for helping leaders communicate with clarity, coherence, and purpose. Jen has spent her career advising executives, founders, and institutions on how to build trust by aligning what they say with what they do. Her work at SGNL focuses on narrative clarity, strategic storytelling, and the deeper system dynamics that shape leadership and culture. Jen introduces a simple but powerful idea. Congruency is the new credibility. When the inside matches the outside, trust grows. When it doesn’t, trust erodes. And that erosion shows up everywhere including valuation, culture, M&A integration, AI adoption, ESG strategy, customer loyalty, and even a company’s license to operate. Listeners will hear:  • Why trust should be treated like an asset on the balance sheet  • How congruency breaks and what it costs  • Why greenwashing is a failure of alignment rather than messaging  • How ESG becomes stewardship when leaders think long term  • Why M&A deals collapse when trust mapping is ignored  • How innovators earn public trust in AI, robotics, and new industrial technologies  • What leaders can ask themselves right now to find where trust is fracturing This is a conversation for anyone building innovation portfolios, running CVC programs, merging cultures, navigating public scrutiny, or operating in markets where the permission to move fast must be earned daily. Support the show Catch up on all episodes of Inside CVC at www.u-path.com/podcast.

    19 мин.

  6. 01.12.2025

    Inside CVC: Kristin Slanina and Shifting Gears on Discomfort, Mobility, and Leading Transformation

    Engineer, board director, and Shifting Gears author Kristin Slanina joins Inside CVC for a candid conversation on what it really takes to lead transformation in an industry that’s been “five years away” from disruption for more than a decade. Kristin shares how discomfort became one of her greatest teachers, what she learned building Ford’s original Blueprint for Mobility, and why electric and autonomous vehicles will only scale when leadership mindsets change as fast as the technology. She also takes us inside her work on EV adoption, boardroom blind spots, and the bold choices that have shaped her own career. Listeners will hear: How discomfort shapes stronger leaders and why Kristin sees self-trust as a superpowerWhy EV adoption still struggles and what she uncovered during the Charge Across America rallyThe real gap between boardroom assumptions and the everyday mobility experienceHow leaders can future-proof their companies by getting back to the front lines and embracing innovationBuy Kristin's book here: Shifting Gears: 7 Power Moves to Design a Life You Love, Grow Your Career, and Lead With Impact Support the show Catch up on all episodes of Inside CVC at www.u-path.com/podcast.

    48 мин.

  7. 17.11.2025

    Inside CVC: The Playbook Problem: Yaron Flint on Fixing Innovation From the Inside

    Innovation inside large companies often runs on instinct, scattered pilots, and wishful thinking. Yaron Flint joins us to explain why so many corporates still lack a true playbook — and how a more structured approach can turn chaos into clarity. Listeners will hear Yaron discuss: Why he wrote Innovative Business Development and the gap he saw across global organizations.The four pathways for bringing innovation into a company — and why partnership remains the most underused.How competitor-to-competitor collaboration can actually accelerate maturity.The fragmentation of CVC in Europe and what it takes to build strategy-driven venture programs.We also explore leadership blind spots, the tension between long-term innovation and short-term markets, the slowdown and reset of the “future of mobility,” and what executives should prioritize as they build the next decade of innovation inside their companies. Buy Yaron's book here: Innovative Business Development: Implementing Transformation from Within Support the show Catch up on all episodes of Inside CVC at www.u-path.com/podcast.

    34 мин.

  8. 10.11.2025

    Inside CVC: Resilience Over Sovereignty: Philipp Mueller on Europe’s Strategy for a Disrupted World

    In this episode, Philipp Mueller, Vice President, Public Sector at DriveLock and Co-Founder of the European Resilience Summit Series, joins Inside CVC to explore why resilience — not sovereignty — is becoming Europe’s defining strategy in an age of constant disruption. He shares how leaders can rethink governance, investment, and collaboration around adaptation and trust rather than borders and control. Philipp, Steve, and Philipp Willigmann discuss: How resilience shifts from a defensive posture to an enabling mindsetWhy “flows, not borders” defines the new logic of global managementThe four pillars of European resilience and what they mean for businessThe role of corporate leaders as ethical guardrails amid rising divisionIn a world defined by disruption, what if resilience — not sovereignty — were the true measure of strength? Support the show Catch up on all episodes of Inside CVC at www.u-path.com/podcast.

    30 мин.
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Welcome to Inside CVC —Inside CVC by U-Path is the podcast where corporate venture capital meets strategy, leadership, and systemic change. Hosted by Philipp Willigmann and Steve Schmith, the show brings senior voices from across corporate venture, startups, investment, academia, and policy to the table. Each episode goes beyond buzzwords to explore how capital, technology, and leadership shape the future of business and society. From AI and robotics to geopolitics, board governance, and inclusive innovation, Inside CVC is designed for executives and policymakers who want to understand not just what’s happening — but what to do about it.

Информация

  • Автор
    u-path
  • Годы выхода
    2025 - 2026
  • Выпуски
    29
  • Ограничения
    Без ненормативной лексики
  • Авторские права
    © 2026 Inside CVC by u-path
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    Inside CVC by u-path