In an increasingly competitive market, we highlight why corporate venturing is the way forward for large corporations and startups/ scale-ups to thrive and fast-track innovation.

At Workero, we believe that the most successful companies and professionals of the future will be those that are connected and that are willing to innovate with others.

By opening up physical workspaces within other companies’ walls, we facilitate co-creation through co-location. As part of our ecosystem, startups, scale-ups and other professionals can book their workspace within these locations, including Decathlon and Procter and Gamble, and come in contact with relevant business contacts within these spheres to fast-track innovation through corporate venturing.

We created an Ebook setting out why corporate venturing is pivotal for both corporates and startups/ scale-ups, and how becoming part of Workero’s ecosystem helps both parties do so in an organised and practical way.

We spoke with several experts in relevant fields, who highlight the importance of corporate venturing through ecosystems, and why now more than ever, they are the key for startups, scale-ups and corporates to not only survive, but thrive.

DOWNLOAD OUR EBOOK HERE

What to expect from this Ebook

Startups/ scale-ups and corporates: the perfect match?

Through the comparison of two innovation time-lines (ordinary circumstances vs in an ecosystem), innovation expert John van der Linden highlights how startups and scale-ups as well as corporates can speed up every step of this process through corporate venturing.

However, sometimes finding the right corporate for your business can be a struggle, and because of the cultural differences, collaborations can be even more difficult. This is where Startups.be/Scale-ups.eu comes in. General manager, Charlotte Gréant, explains how both parties can solve the other’s problems, and how her company works to bridge the gap between both.

Location is key to corporate venturing

Sometimes, co-creation can go further than temporary collaborations. Increasingly, companies are opting to share their workspace with external professionals, sometimes facilitated by providers like Workero. We spoke with Erik Grietens, Policy Officer at Bond Beter Leefmilieu, who advocates for businesses to share workspace to benefit the environment.

However, he highlights that co-location can benefit companies from a business aspect: “Many examples have shown that, simply by working alongside other companies, new and innovative models can be thought of or created.”

Aside from facilitating contact with industry experts and other relevant professionals, many Workero locations offer a lot of extra benefits.

Watch the video below to discover why you should book your workspace inside Procter & Gamble now!

Focus on innovation

Taking this support for your business a step beyond the mere physical aspect, we have developed a Growth and Development program, in collaboration with Startups.be / Scale-Ups.eu, pioneered at our Workero by P&G location.

This program further boosts corporate venturing opportunities and the network of business leaders, SPOCs and other startups/ scale-ups, and creates further opportunity for growth.

Going beyond what is offered by any other accelerator or an incubator, our program creates an environment where startups/ scale-ups and corporations innovate together and alongside each other. As well as helping you grow your business with the possibility of joining for a longer period of time, this program actually actively fosters partnerships with the hosting corporate.

Click here to discover more about this program now and how you can partner with P&G now!

This Ebook further highlights the innovation focus points for P&G and Decathlon, and why they decided to open up their location to externals. Stuart Askew, Senior director of P&G R&D and B.I.C. external innovation leader, explains that in order to remain the leader in most of the categories it competes in P&G has to continually innovate in all areas, and that external collaboration will help them do so.

Benoit Delvaux, Decathlon Belgium’s project leader, and Erik Aerts, its operations leader, emphasise that by opening themselves up to others will allow them to liven their senses, whilst helping Decathlon in its goal to make practising sports accessible to as many people as possible.

Case Studies

Still not convinced that corporate venturing is THE ideal way for your startup/ scale-up to grow and to fast-track its innovation? Then don’t take it from us – read some of the testimonials from the startups who have signed up to the Growth and Development program and are part of Workero at P&G!

As Julie Scherpenseel from ML6, a leading consultancy company in artificial intelligence, says: “By establishing ecosystems, a company can stay on top of developments in each different technology domain and quickly leverage these to thrive in a rapidly changing world. This way they can make the difference with regards to competition.”

Read the full Ebook by downloading it here

EDITORIAL Lauren Walker, Thierry Vermeiren, Nina De Thaey, Arbesa Ukshinaj DESIGN Lauren Walker, Matthias Schelfhout

A big thank you to all the CONTRIBUTORS John Van der Linden, Charlotte Greant, Celine De Cock, Marieke Sopers, Erik Grietens, Bond Beter Leefmilieu, Stuart Askew, Veronica Sanchez, Sian Morris, Benoit Delvaux, Erik Aerts, Julie Scherpenseel, Melis Atalay, Ekaterina (Katya) Vladislavleva

© 2020 Workero. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by copyright law. To request permission, email lauren@workero.com.