Corporate Venturing Insider

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.

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

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

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 design compensation models that align mission, motivate teams, and earn the mothership’s trust.

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 her scout bee analogy—describing how Btomorrow Ventures is charting the path to the company’s next hive of growth.

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 the evolution of venture clienting, from early challenges to today’s best practices in scouting, piloting, and building lasting partnerships. Alexandra also explains how BMW balances startup speed with corporate rigor, the importance of internal communications, and why starting “big enough” is essential for success. This episode offers practical lessons for corporates, entrepreneurs, and anyone curious about how startups and industry giants can innovate together.

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 corporate objectives—from risk management to ecosystem building—and explores emerging practices like venture clienting, venture building, and even AI-enabled startups.

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 Intel Capital’s leaders summed up by Les Vadasz’s mantra: “steady as she goes.” Smorynski compares past downturns to today’s uncertainty, offers guarded optimism for deep-tech hardware, and urges aspiring CVCs to find mentors, treat failures as tuition, and prepare rigorously.

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 explores the central question guiding his journey: what kind of investor do you want to be?

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