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SVA holds events in three categories:
- Invite top professionals in Venture Capital or Corporate Management
to discuss issues that concern Corporate Venture.
- Organize talks and panel discussions in targeted segments
relevant to Corporate Venture.
- Share views and best practices on Corporate Venture Capital
issues.
Upcoming SVA Events
Past SVA Events
How to make Corporate Venture Capital Work in Large Organizations with Professor James Henderson
July 16, 2008 at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Palo Alto, CA
Come and hear the answers to questions such as:
- Where does Corporate Venture Capital fit into the org chart?
- How does it drive profitable growth for the enterprise?
- What are the different flavors of Corporate Venturing?
- Results and benefits to portfolio companies
- Challenges and obstacles faced in corporate venturing
- Some keys to running a successful venture program
View the invitation for this Event (.doc)
View PowerPoint, "Making Corporate Venture Capital Work" (.pdf)
Strategic Corporate Partnerships: Navigating the Rough Seas
March 27, 2008 at TiE Conference Center
The Strategic Venture Association and the TiE Consumer Technologies SIG are pleased to announce an action packed event on March 27th 2008 that will bring together venture backed startups and corporate venturing organizations to discuss corporate partnering issues and strategies, showcase deals, and enable networking. In addition to providing unparalleled access to the leaders in corporate partnering and strategic investing, this event will showcase promising consumer startups actively seeking strategic partnerships and/or funding.
Many of Silicon Valley's most successful startups have capitalized on their relationships with strategic partners and investors, taking advantage of key customer relationships and sharing development costs for new products. This event provides an overview of corporate partnerships and venture investment strategies and how to make them more effective in driving growth for both the startup and the established corporation.
View the invitation for this Event (.doc)
Cleantech: Strategic Opportunities
September 26, 2007 at 6:30 PM
A noted shift in corporate strategy reflects a desire to maximize efficiencies, reduce costs, reduce environmental footprint and celebrate the resulting perception of “Green Corporate Citizenship”. Integrating cleantech promises to increase revenue streams while directly benefiting the environment.
Michael J. Kleeman, Managing Director of Cleantech Advisors, will discuss the implications of innovative clean technologies that assist multinationals to achieve their environmental goals while adding to their bottom line.
View the invitation for this Event (.doc)
"Critical Issues in Corporate Venture Capital"
A Round Table Discussion
March 20, 2007 at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati
Thanks to the responses from the membership to our recent survey,
we have finalized the topics for the March 20th evening round table
discussions, which will be:
- Managing Intellectual Property issues between Corporate Investor and Portfolio Companies
- Addressing the nuances of syndicates with multiple strategic investors and syndication methods
- Best practices for building & nurturing corporate venture organizations.
View the invitation for this Event (.doc)
Commercializing University Innovation
A Moderated Q&A
Session with UC Berkeley, Cornell University, Hewlett-Packard
and Cisco Corporation
November 1, 2006
Our panel of experts from top universities and corporations will discuss
the intricacies of successful university innovation commercialization and the
absorption of technologies by large corporations.
Panelists:
- Dana Bostrom
Associate Director, Industry Alliances
University of California, Berkeley
Dana Bostrom has been with the University of California, Berkeley since 2005.
Previously, she has served as Lead Instructor for and taught in the University of
Washington Educational Outreach’s Certificate Program in Intellectual Property
Management.
- W. Kent Fuchs
Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering,
Cornell University
Fuchs, who was appointed the Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering at Cornell in 2002, was formerly the head of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Michael J. and Catherine R. Birck Distinguished Professor at Purdue University
- Graham Holmes
Director, Academic Research Programs
Cisco Systems, Inc.
As Director of the Academic Research Programs, Holmes is responsible for managing the Cisco University Research Program, the Cisco Applied Research and Development Program, and for developing corporate research strategies and collaborative research programs with higher education institutions.
- Lou Witkin
University Relations Manager
Hewlett-Packard Company
Witkin has worked in HP University Relations for 10 years developing programs worldwide that have resulted in successful long-term collaborations between HP's businesses and universities. As Technology Program Manager, he is focused on factors that contribute to building long-term strategic partnerships with universities.
- Moderator,William R. Shreve,
President, Innosav, Incorporated
Shreve is the Founder and President of Innosav, Incorporated, a management consulting company focused on maximizing the return on clients’ R&D investments by optimizing innovation commercialization.
View the invitation for this Event (.doc)
Elephants Giving Birth - “Making Corporate Spin Outs Happen”
A Moderated Q&A Session with a panel of Experts
Sept 14, 2006
SVA has assembled top industry experts with practical experience in managing corporate spin-outs and building a successful enterprise.
Panelists:
- Dr. Richard Bruce
Director, Scripps-PARC Institute for Advanced Biomedical Sciences Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). Served as president of two PARC spin-offs based on his work: LiveWorks, and PlaceWare (which was later acquired by Microsoft to become LiveMeeting).
- Ron Croen
Mr. Croen led Nuance from the creation of its original business plan and the organization of its spin out from the Menlo Park, California research institute SRI International to annual revenues of more than $50 million, with more than 500 employees serving more than 1,000 customers worldwide.
- Kostas Katsohirakis
Managing Director Intel, Software and Solutions Group.
Kostas spent five years as Intel Capital Assistant Treasurer, Acquisitions and has extensive experience leading many acquisitions and divestitures in ICAP/Treasury for various Intel business groups.
View the invitation for this Event (.doc)
"The Story Behind the Success of IBM's Corporate Venturing Model"
May 31, 2006
An interactive discussion with Ms. Claudia Fan Munce, Vice President IBM Corporate Strategy and Managing Director IBM Venture Capital Group.
IBM Venture Capital Group’s unique perspective on collaborating with VCs and Start-Up Companies to create mutual value will be the discussion at the SVA event on May 31, 2006. In 2004, IBM Software Group acquired six companies and five of them were from this unique partnership program with the VC community. In January 2005, IBM pledged open access to individuals and groups working on open source software to key innovations covered by 500 IBM software patents.. All this innovation and creativity in the venture program is managed by Venture Capital Group headed by Claudia Fan Munce, Managing Director and Vice President of IBM Venture Capital Group.
View the invitation for this Event (.doc)
What’s New in Corporate Venturing Strategies?
March 28, 2006 at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati
950 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304
The Strategic Venture Association in collaboration with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati will be hosting a panel of select corporate venture capital organizations, which have recently refocused their venture strategies or established new venture groups. This will be a great opportunity to learn why these companies have re-engineered, re-dedicated or formed new venture partnering units to meet their corporate objectives. Panel participants will include:
- Stephen Weyl, Sr. VP Strategic Initiatives, Ricoh Innovations, Inc.
- Annette Finsterbusch, Investment Manager Applied Material Ventures
- James C. Lu, General Partner iD Ventures, the Acer venture Group
- Eric Chan, Head of Consumer, Cisco Corporate Business Dev.
View the invitation for this Event (.doc)
"Life Sciences Corporate Venture Investing--
Where's The Heartbeat And How's The Patient?"
A panel discussion led by Bruce W. Jenett of Heller Ehrman LLP on November 2, 2005 at Heller Ehrman premises starting at 6:15 PM. Panelists include:
- Dr. Brad Vale, Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation
- Eran Raber, Investment Manager, Agilent Capital
- Richard Fuentes, Corporate Venture Capital, Dow Chemical Company
- Jim Adair, Vice President, Business development, Genentech.
View the invitation for this Event (.doc)
SVA has arranged unique events with participation ranging from
50 to over 125 corporate venturing and service provider professionals.
“Practice of Corporate Spin Outs”
Professor Henry Chesbrough, author of “Open Innovation” and Executive Director of the Center for Technology Strategy & Management at UC Berkeley, chaired a panel of experts on corporate spin outs at Strategic Venture Association organized event on July 21, 2005.
The clear message from the panel of experts was that corporate R&D and IP Spin Outs have become an important phenomenon and more corporations are paying attention to unlock the full potential of corporate R&D. Joined on the panel was:
- Brooks McChesney - CEO and President, Vidient a successful spin-out by Japanese electronics giant NEC (Nippon Electric Company)
- NEC executive Mas Sakamoto, General Manager NEC, who managed the Vidient spin out.
Also, on the panel were two venture capitalists:
- Jim Huston from Blueprint Ventures
- David Helfrich - Founder and Managing Director, Garnett & Helfrich Capital.
Over 70 Corporate Venture professionals representing 32 corporations
participated at reception and panel discussion hosted by Wilson Sonsinni
Goodrich and Rosati.
Download the Event details (.doc)
Eric Benhamou defines the critical requirements of Corporate
Venture Capital in the future of Corporate Growth.
On April 14, 2005 before the tax filing day, SVA membership
enjoyed a pleasant evening at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich &Rosati
premises. Chief Guest was Eric Benhamou, former CEO of 3Com and
current chairman of Palm One and Palm Source Board of Directors
and managing his venture fund called Benhamou Capital. In a very
insightful presentation to Corporate Venturing Professionals,
Eric shared his experience in starting a corporate venture organization
at 3Com. He extorted CV professionals to become more active and
predicted an increasingly important role for Corporate Venture
Capital. His contention focused on the operational short comings
of traditional venture capital organization who although excel
in financial engineering, but lack in operational expertise. Over
40 Corporate venture Professionals attended the 2 hour session.
January 20, 2005
Dr. Shlomo Markel, VP for Strategic Investing at Broadcom described
growth strategies at his company based on strategic investing
and acquisitions.
A Discussion with Vinod Khosla
Mr. Vinod Khosla presented a lively discussion for CVCs. The topic
of his talk was the role of Corporate Venture Capital in the venture
capital industry. He brought genuine issues related to corporate
venture capital, the most prominent being that capital is not
consistent and professionals are not there for a long period of
time. His contention was that CVCs play an important strategic
role, but for a serious consideration they should exhibit a long-term
commitment with capital and people involved. SVA members found
there are misconceptions about Corporate Venturing in the thinking
of traditional venture capital industry. 100+ corporate venturing
and service providerp rofessionals were in attendance.
Strategies and Best Practices Panel Discussion
SVA organized a panel discussion that focused on the
strategies and best practices of Corporate Venture Capital. Over
80 CVC professionals attended and panelists included representatives
from Intel, Panasonic, Sony, Applied Material and Siemens Venture
Capital. The participants elaborated their respective strategies
and goals and the audience asked questions to sharpen their understanding
of corporate venturing.
Les Vadasz: Venture Capital in the Development of a TechCorp
Les Vadasz, head of Intel Capital until 2003 addressed
an audience of over 100 corporate venture professionals and elaborated
the role of venture capital in the development of a technology
corporation. As one of the most successful CVCs, Mr. Vadasz' description
of Intel Capital and the follow-on questions session was most
enlightening to the audience.
Industry Segment Seminar with Jim Ready
In October 2003, Panasonic organized an Industry Segment
Seminar. The topic was the role of Open Source Software, Embedded
Linux in the Embedded Software market. Jim Ready, CEO of MontaVista
was the guest speaker. Over 40 CVC professionals were in attendance.
Considering the emergence of Linux in desktop and consumer electronics
markets, the seminar was very timely and generated much interest.
How to Register for Events
To register for the event send an email to: naveed@strategicventureassociation.com
All relevant information pertaining to registration is contained
in the event invitation. Registration for events is by invitation
only or unless you are a Member or Sponsor of the Association.
A Member or a Sponsor is entitled to attend all events.
Strategic Venture Association backed Conferences
Venture Capital Institute---33rd Annual Conference
"The Educational Foundation for Venture and Private Equity Professionals"
Atlanta, Georgia September 30 - October 3, 2007
Click Here to Register for this event
For $1500 Discount to SVA Members please send an email to events@strategicventureassociation.com.
The University Startups Conference '07
Bethesda, Maryland October 3-5, 2007
Click Here to Register for this event
Click Here to see the Brochure for this event
Strategic Venture Association News
Top Venture Professional at Eastman Kodak Company joins SVA Board of Directors.
See Press Release
SVA Executive President Naveed Khan addresses Cleantech Venture Forum in San Francisco March 21-23.
Corporate Investors Panel, March 21 - 23
Moderator:
Global Environment Fund
Panelists:
- Jeffery Foote – The Coca-Cola Company
- Dion Madsen – Unilever Technology Ventures
- Andre Moreira – BASF
- Naveed Khan – Silicon Valley Trade Association of Corporate Venturing
Leonard opened the panel with two general observations about cleantech and corporations.
First, he noted that the cleantech sector is distinctly different than the telecommunications sector which led much of the venture investing in ’99 and 2000. In telecom the technology required for advancement was undeveloped, requiring significant R&D investment. By contrast, Leonard asserted that many cleantech technologies exist and require only commercialization in order to provide the solutions required. He noted that energy-related technologies developed in response to the 1970’s oil crisis remained in labs as energy prices fell and are waiting to be commercialized. He observed that the way we use energy is as important as the way we generate energy in the future. The immediate reaction of corporations to increasing energy prices is to “cut energy spending immediately” – not “invest in a wind farm.” The result is that corporate investors have an incentive to invest in technologies that will help them address their energy and resource usage issues.
This sentiment was supported by Jeffrey Foote of Coca-Cola. Foote acknowledged that his organization was new to the cleantech sector but that the company’s motivation in entering the sector was to seek assistance addressing its environmental performance challenges. Coca-Cola does not possess the capacity to conduct large scale R&D, however, they see tremendous opportunity in improving resource utilization. Two specific initiatives were improving the efficiency of vending machines and improving water utilization.
Dion Madsen of Unilever offered a significantly different perspective. While acknowledging their internal R&D efforts, Madsen explained that Unilever’s venture arm operates very much like a pure VC firm with a focus on consumer products. The ability of Unilever’s portfolio companies to stand on their own as a viable venture is a critical investment criterion. Unilever looks for companies where they can leverage their expertise in supply chain management and other strengths. Madsen pointed out that Unilever’s goal is to have fewer than 10% of the portfolio investments be acquired by Unilever itself.
Leonard and Khan both observed that this is significantly different than ten years ago and represents a healthy trend. Khan emphasized the importance of General Partners focusing on guiding companies towards acquisition without making them too “company-centric” and the importance of preventing investor companies from exerting too strong an influence on the direction, and viability of the portfolio company.
Andre Moreira of BASF brought another perspective. Moreria noted that BASF evaluates investment opportunities based on both financial and technical merits. He emphasized the importance of raw material experimentation and the need to explore chemical feed stocks other than petroleum. BASF views its venture investments as an opportunity to leverage its fundamental research capabilities to support investment companies.
The panelists represented three distinct approaches to corporate venture investing, however, the clarity of the mission of each company served to support Leonard’s fundamental observation that corporate investing is becoming more sophisticated in a distinctly positive way.
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