Partnering for Global Success: Corporate VC Advice for Startups
Corporate Venture Capital arms are more active than ever. From 2011 to 2016, the number of global active corporate investors has tripled to 965. They represent a growing source of capital and participate in nearly a third of all U.S. venture deals. For startups, working with a corporate can not only be a source of financing, but can provide domain expertise, access to new markets and customers, as well as an inherent exit option.
We are bringing together experienced and globally operating corporate venture capitalists (CVC), experts and startups that have received CVC to answer questions, such as: What are the benefits of working with a global CVC? How do you connect with them? What do you need to know before approaching them? What types of CVCs are there?
We'll also hear about StartupAutobahn, a program, that connects startups with industry leading corporate partners, such as Daimler and Porsche, to pilot and scale technology solutions across the globe.
The event is sponsored by one of the strongest economic regions in Europe: Baden-Wuerttemberg.
The German state is known for its many engineering, manufacturing and automotive companies such as SAP, ZF, Bosch, Mercedes and Porsche that all partner with startups in Silicon Valley. Mingle with Silicon Valley CVC experts and with Europe’s “Hidden Champions” while enjoying some food and German beer!
Please register here.
Agenda
6:00 pm Registration & Networking
6:20 pm Welcome Remarks
Kai Schmidt-Eisenlohr, CEO at Baden-Wuerttemberg International
6:30 Panel Discussion with Corporate VCs & Startups
Shuchi Rana, Head of SAP.iO Foundry
Malgorzata Wiklinska, Head of Ecosystem & Global Innovation Hubs of ZF
Timothy Chou, Chairman of the Alchemist Accelerator
7:30 pm Food & Networking
About the Panelists
Shuchi Rana, Head of SAP.iO Foundry
Shuchi brings 17 years of Silicon Valley and Cross-border experience in various sectors, with a focus on Technology and Impact. She currently serves as the Head of SAP.iO Foundry SF that invests in and accelerates early-stage Enterprise Software Startups. Over the course of her career she has worked with great entrepreneurs and mentored Startups out of Startup Weekend, Women 2.0, Founder Labs, Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center and others. She is a big advocate of anti-recidivism, inclusion and has worked with the likes UCLA, Anti Recidivism Coalition and the Tech/Startup ecosystem to create opportunities for at risk and underserved communities. She was named a Digital Leader by the United Nations Foundation and is also a Certified Yoga Instructor.
Malgorzata Wiklinska, Head of Ecosystem & Global Innovation Hubs of ZF
Malgorzata is responsible for globally scouting and assessing technology partners for the German mobility company ZF. She works with the company's venture capital subsidiary Zukunft Ventures GmbH and led multiple partnerships and corporate VC engagement in Silicon Valley. She received a Corporate Innovation Award by Plug & Play recognizing her as a supporter and mentor for startups in the mobility sector. Malgorzata studied economics and engineering has over ten years of experience in the automotive sector working with BMW and ZF. ZF is a global technology company, that supplies systems for cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology. ZF works with startups to continually enhance its systems in the areas of digital connectivity and automation in order to allow vehicles to see, think and act.
Timothy Chou, Chairman of the Alchemist Accelerator
Timothy has served as the Chairman of the Alchemist Accelerator focused on the industrial/IoT market. Alchemist is a leading enterprise software accelerator, which is backed by global corporations and investors. Alchemist companies have raised a total of over $500M. Dr. Chou has also lectured at Stanford University for over twenty-five years and started the first class on cloud computing, CS309A. Not only does he have academic credentials, but also he's served as President of Oracle's cloud business and today is a board member at both Blackbaud and Teradata. He began his career at one of the first Kleiner Perkins startups, Tandem Computers, and today is working with several Silicon Valley startups in roles from investor to executive chairman. Timothy has published a few landmark books including, The End of Software, and Precision: Principals, Practices and Solutions for the Internet of Things, which was recently named one of the top ten books for CIOs. He's lectured at over twenty universities and delivered keynotes on all six continents.
More panelists to be announced.