Tune in to the latest episode of our "Open Innovation Talks" series!  This time, our Chairman, Alberto Onetti, interviews Kyle Basler-Reeder, Global Open Innovation Lead at ExxonMobil.  Kyle shares his unique approach to fostering external innovation within a large organization. He explains his go-to questions for anyone looking to embrace open innovation: How much time and budget do you have? What about IP and TRL? Do you have an implementation plan? What is the projected value at scale?...

Procurement is often perceived as highly boring and bureaucratic. But it is a massive opportunity. Public sector spending, in the UK only, is about 400 billion pounds a year. In Europe we are talking about trillions of euros. Nowadays the public sector is facing more challenges than ever before (after Covid, climate emergence, child and social care, security, …) and it has to do it with tight finances. Public organizations have to deliver better, cheaper, and quicker outcomes. How does the...

Dive into the world of corporate venture capital (CVC) in our latest podcast episode! Join us as we explore the differences between CVCs and traditional VCs with Johann Boukhors, Managing Director at ENGIE New Ventures, the CVC arm of the French multinational utility company. Hosted by our Chairman Alberto Onetti, this insightful interview delves into the unique perspective of CVCs. Johann shares invaluable insights, highlighting that while both CVCs and traditional VCs aim to support...

CampX was launched back in 2020. Labelled as Accelerator, it is actually a Venture Client platform, or, as Helene Niklasson, VP Innovation Ecosystems & Partnership and Head of Camp X - Volvo Group, calls it, a “testing tool” or “validation machine” for onboarding solutions from startups. In this podcast, she delves deeper into the CampX model alongside our Chairman, Alberto Onetti. And here are the main highlights: - Selected startups in very focused areas enter into a POV (Proof of...

Championing Entrepreneurship for Positive Impact! 📈 Celebrating his recent award as the Corporate Startup Star 2023, the interview with Anthony Virapin, Worldwide Leader, Entrepreneurship for Positive Impact at Microsoft, summarizes the main pillars of what the company is uniquely doing in the promotion of #entrepreneurship and #startup collaboration. In this #MindtheChat with our CEO Marco Marinucci, we cover first some of the highlights of Microsoft - OpenAI partnership. We then delve...

Innovation is a cosmetic word for making change happen. "Are you in or out? That's the ultimate question. You can't be half pregnant". Sometimes, we use the term "innovation" too loosely, labeling things as the "innovation pipeline" when it's just a development pipeline. Benji Coetzee, Chief Strategy & Development Officer at KPN, knows this all too well. She oversees KPN's innovation activities, including CVC (KPN Ventures) and Venture Client (Liaison Management), and understands that...

Join us as we explore the future of technology in our latest episode. Here, MTB Chairman Alberto Onetti sits down with Nikhil Malhotra, Global Head of Makers Lab at Tech Mahindra, to discuss what we can expect in 2025, bypassing the late predictions for 2024. Nikhil shares his insights on several key trends: The decline of the GenAI hype.The necessity for AI sustainability, recognizing its current unsustainability.Emerging quantum production use cases, particularly in cybersecurity,...

Alberto Onetti, Chairman of Mind the Bridge, sits down with Agustin Moro, Director of Innovation Services at Telefónica, for a deep dive into the dynamic world of open innovation. In this insightful conversation, they discuss Telefónica's journey in open innovation, tracing back to the launch of Telefónica Open Innovation in 2006 and the subsequent development of initiatives like Wayra and Telefónica Ventures. “We are obsessed with showing the results of our Innovation activities both...

Why (corporate) accelerators failIt is not a secret that most corporate (and not only corporate) accelerators do fail. Among the reasons (based on a recent study) being very transactional and taking equity. Intel Ignite, whose goal is to work with the best disruptors of the world (with a focus on early-stage deep tech startups), works differently. The acceleration program is built on a co-founder-as-a-service model. They act as co-founders without taking equity. “Startups are time-bound...

It doesn’t happen everyday to have a fireside chat with a (former) European Commissioner and a (future) Prime Minister. She is Mariya Gabriel, currently Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria. She has been awarded as the” Startup Ecosystem Star for 2023” for her visionary work as European Commissioner that has sown the seeds of innovation across Europe. Specifically the commitment of Mariya Gabriel was instrumental in adopting the New European...

Tamara Steffens, managing partner of Thompson Reuters Ventures, brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to the world of investing. With over two decades of expertise, she has been instrumental in driving growth and facilitating successful exits for early-stage consumer and enterprise startups.In this Mind the Chat,together with our CEO Marco Marinucci, she delves deep into the realm of CVC, discussing how the landscape of innovation - in particular in the changing news and...

Telstra Ventures, started in 2011 as an initial extension of Telstra Communications investment arm, has now developed into a multinational CVC fund with multiple third party LPs, and ~$570M invested (and notable wins such as Snap, Docusign, CrowdStrike, …). Most interestingly, Telstra Ventures developed an internal process for constantly measuring the incremental revenues their activity as an active shareholder is able to bring to their portfolio companies. Spoiler, it’s in the hundreds of...

What is the Techstars startup accelerator model and terms? How does it compare with other Tier1 accelerators? Why in Sydney today? What’s the role of local government (NSW) in order to promote the local ecosystem of innovators as the main driver for economical growth? These and other topics in the interview of Kirstin Hunter (Techstars Sydney) with Marco Marinucci (Mind the Bridge) as part of the Mind the Bridge Scaleup Summit Australia 2023.

Join us as Alberto Onetti and Marco Marinucci go through the major milestones of the evolution of the French tech ecosystem with Nicolas Brien, Chairman at EuraTechnologies and Former CEO of France Digitale. Explore how today Paris leads innovation in tech investment.

In this episode we’ll explore how a company like the 80+ year-old group Pelliconi approaches the innovation challenges to adapt to today's demands. Pelliconi CEO, Marco Checchi shares his plans and best practices in this chat with Marco Marinucci.

Google is known for its tendency to support entrepreneurship. For years, through its funds; Google Ventures, and Google Capital, they have been investing in startups and have realized that it is necessary to refine open innovation practices and build a holistic engagement with startups. In today's episode Uttam Tripachi, Head of Startup Accelerators and DevRel at Google.

Sapphire, previously known as the financial arm of the German Multinational SAP, today operates as a fully independent and separate VC fund. In this discussion between our CEO Marco Marinucci and Sapphire Ventures’s Managing Director Rajeev Dham, we get a good pulse of where we stand in today’s VC investment trends. Specifically we address 3 hot topics: Do portfolio companies need to stay private longer? What’s the impact of AI in today’s processes of growth VCs? What would be a killer...

Join us in this episode as we explore Ash Fontana's journey from AngelList to Zetta Venture Partners, his pioneering work in democratizing startup investments, and his vision for the AI-driven future. Discover how he is shaping the landscape of intelligent software investment with a steady commitment to technological innovation.

Did you know that 45% of startups collaborating with DB Schenker take their journey forward? Learn about the power of pilot projects driving savings and growth, enabling rapid global scalability for startups. Hosting Ronja Stoffregen, Head of Global Startup Management at DB Schenker. If you are an Open Innovation enthusiast and you want to know more visit our website https://mindthebridge.com/

This week we bring you a very interesting episode conducted by our host Marco Marinucci where Amra Al Redha, Aviation X Lab Manager at Aviation X Lab describes how they work to make the impossible possible. Defining moonshots is a challenge that seems impossible to achieve, but when trying to reach the moon, you might hit a star, they say. Born from the vision and support of the Dubai Future foundation, among the futuristic projects hosted at Area 2071, Aviation X Lab has the mission to...

Siemens excels at automating the known, but what about automating the unknown? Join us as we go through the dynamic world of innovation and digital transformation with the cutting-edge technology of D.I. (Digital Industries) with Franz Menzl, VP Technology & Innovation and CTO at Factory Automation, Siemens. Over nine months, ideas undergo rigorous validation, in two phases: engaging 100 customers and securing 2-3 pilot customers. The journey doesn't end there! Successful teams proceed to...

In 2021 when AE Industrial Partners partnered with The Boeing Company to manage and invest in HorizonX Ventures Boeing's venture fund. AEI Horizon X focuses on investing in mobility, space and connectivity, industrial tech, and enterprise digital solutions all with a strong emphasis on sustainability. During the episode, we explore the exciting world of corporate venture capital and its transformation over time. Brian Schettler explains why it's crucial to start by fostering internal support...

In today’s episode, our CEO Marco Marinucci has the pleasure of hosting Gen Isayama from @WIL - World Innovation Lab. Gen dives deep into how to bridge the gap between Japan and the entire innovation ecosystem around the globe, mainly focusing on Silicon Valley. The World Innovation Lab was founded with the vision of creating an innovation hub for corporations. Unlike traditional Corporate Venture Capitals (CVCs) or company outposts, Gen aims to establish a vibrant lab where individuals from...

Open Innovation models are evolving, we often say. Describing the Zurich Innovation Championship, Joel Agard, Group Head of Innovation, Zurich Insurance Group, says that it is not an accelerator but it is more than a venture client. Through its 40 group's companies Zurich Insurance Group scouts over 3000 startups per year. About 150 are invited to the local “Super Days” organised by in the different markets. Of them about 50 are admitted to the Global Round in front of the Excom. 15 enter the...