Why 70% of Corporate Venturing initiatives fail and how to avoid It

Corporate venturing holds enormous promise. Despite the potential, roughly 70% of initiatives underdeliver or fail outright. Understanding why corporate venturing initiatives fail and succeed helps you design partnerships that actually move the needle.

1. Wrong partner selection
   75% of startup partnerships fail because corporates select based on reactive campaigns instead of proactive scouting.
2. Poor embedding
   Too many programs operate in isolation, innovation theatre rather than business impact.
3. Corporate legacy barriers
   Bureaucracy, rigid processes, and risk-averse cultures clash with startup agility.
4. Do-it-yourself mentality
   The “not-invented-here syndrome” still dominates, undermining external collaboration.
5. Competition for startups
   The best scaleups have options; corporates must prove they add unique value.

• Build a structured venturing process aligned with strategy.
• Develop advanced scouting capabilities to access the right partners early.
• Ensure executive ownership and embed ventures into the business model.
• Professionalize alliance management with clear governance and trust.

Through our research and playbooks, we have identified four key success levers:

1. Proactive search funnel management.
2. Fast and agile venturing workflows.
3. Strong alliance management based on trust.
4. Continuous business alignment with strategy.

Don’t become part of the 70%. Book your Venturing Discovery Workshop with RevelX and build corporate venturing capabilities that truly deliver.