Applications are open now through October 31st — Earlier in 2023, we launched Touchdown Ventures College, an internship program for undergraduate students interested in venture capital. An initial cohort of 15 undergraduate students with diverse background from around the United States participated in the program from January through March of this year.

An interview with Christina Riboldi of Global Corporate Venturing — I recently sat down with Christina Riboldi, the Event Director for the Global Corporate Venturing Summit, to discuss corporate venture capital and the state of corporate innovation. Christina previously interviewed me after the 2018 Corporate Venturing Summit in Monterey, the largest gathering of corporate venture capital and innovation professionals.

Investment performance does not require a trade-off against strategic benefits — When contemplating a new corporate venture (CVC) program, executives often ask how to “balance” the financial returns from startup investments against the strategic value that the program can create. I believe this question illustrates a common misconception that achieving one goal requires compromising the other. In my experience, the best…

A new internship program for undergraduate students — We are excited to announce a new initiative at Touchdown Ventures: Touchdown Ventures College. Touchdown Ventures College is a new internship program for undergraduate students who are interested in exploring a career in venture capital. The program will start in January 2023 and last approximately 12 weeks. Touchdown will accept…

Corporate venture capital requires vision & patience — Corporate venture capital (“CVC”) can be an excellent tool for corporations to access external innovation. CVC allows the development of relationships with entrepreneurs and the financial upside of investing in start-ups. However, this process takes time and corporations should recognize these programs are long term efforts. …

Healthcare focused venture capitalist with 20 years of investing experience joins as a venture partner — We are excited to announce that Eric Steager has joined Touchdown as our newest venture partner. In this role, Eric will join Touchdown’s healthcare practice and help support the management of Touchdown’s existing corporate VC funds. Eric will also assist in identifying and launching new corporate venture funds.

Venture capitalist with 25+ years of experience will be based in Philadelphia as a venture advisor — We are excited to announce that Bill Carson has joined Touchdown as our newest Venture Advisor. In his new role, Bill will support management of existing corporate VC funds as well as assist Touchdown’s business development activities for identifying and launching new funds. …

You might be surprised with the title of this article. The G.O.A.T. (“greatest of all time”) Tom Brady and the word adversity usually do not go together in the same sentence. But as Benjamin Franklin once said “out of adversity comes opportunity.” …

Corporate Venture Capital is growing rapidly. It is one of the fastest growing segments in venture capital. According to Pitchbook, corporate venture capital grew from $12 billion in 2011 to $194 billion in 2021. Corporate venture investments represent almost 30% of the $675+ billion in venture capital dollars deployed in…