Finding Success with Startup-Corporate Experiments

Join Yaniv for a conversation with Jenny Wu and Roland Osborne from 500 Startups about how to run successful experiments with startups. 500 Startups believes that following a crisis like that of 2020, doubling down on innovation through startup collaboration is more important than ever. However, these initiatives must be structured and executed with expert care and diligence to minimize waste and for corporates to maintain their reputation in the startup ecosystem.

500 Startups has recently published a report titled "Startup-Corporate Experiments: Finding Success with Proof-of-Concepts." In this report, 500 set out to interview a selection of twelve prominent innovation practitioners from a range of industries to see how internal stewards of innovation are trying to make it happen and what best practices they might share with their peers.

In this episode, Yaniv, Jenny and Roland discuss the report. Jenny and Roland give us a primer on running POCs (or Proof-of-Concept), reveal surprising insights gleaned from their corporate clients, and share a few challenges and ways to overcome them.

It's an episode full of practical and tactical information for any company thinking about or already running POCs with startups.

Download the full report here.

About

Jenny Wu, Director, Global Corporate Growth

Jenny leads program design and delivery for 500’s corporate partners looking to engage with startups around the world. Previously, Jenny led engagements at innovation consultancy Fahrenheit 212, where she created products, services, and experiences from concept to pilot. She has also worked with a number of Fortune 500 companies to establish new innovation functions such as labs and outposts. Jenny began her career in PwC’s strategy practice and holds a B.S. in finance and management from NYU Stern.

Roland Osborne, Practice Director and Entrepreneur in Residence

Roland has served as expert Program Manager for lead pilot, PoC and mobility, including an sponsored accelerator track for General Motors and the Visa Accelerator. Roland is experienced in sourcing seed-stage startups in topics ranging from autonomous fleets and battery tech to sensors. Roland is a 3 time entrepreneur, previously having co-founded Olark Live Chat serving over 10,,000 businesses worldwide where he was VP of product.

500 Startups

500 Startups is one of the most active global early stage venture capital firms. Since our inception in 2010, we have invested in over 2,500 companies across 78 countries, but we aim to extend our global footprint beyond investing. Through our partnerships with corporates, investors, governments and foundations, we are committed to building interconnected startup ecosystems across the world. We have engaged with more than 100 corporates to help them transform their business or identify new sources of growth. We support companies looking to accelerate their growth through external startup partnerships or internal venture acceleration.

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