These days, there are plenty of corporate venturing models to choose from (e.g., acceleration, incubation, CVC, the list goes on), each with its own unique set of pros and cons. In the midst of it all, venture studios are making waves, outperforming traditional VCs and generally stepping up where more traditional models falter.
So, what exactly is a venture studio?
In short, Corporate Venture Studios are powerful innovation engines that enable companies to fuel growth by ideating, testing, launching and scaling cutting-edge ventures from the ground up. They take a hands-on approach to venture building, with blended, multidisciplinary teams of entrepreneurs, designers, marketers, and growth hackers working together to turn new concepts into profitable spin-ins, spin-offs or spin-outs with startup speed and flexibility.
The proof is in the pudding, with venture studio startups achieving 44% better success rates than traditional startups. With stats like that, it’s not surprising that top companies across industries are leveraging the model in different ways to:
- Drive strategic growth
- Tap into new markets
- Cultivate a culture of entrepreneurship
To give you a better idea of how corporate venture studios work in practice, we’ve highlighted eight real-world examples from top corporations in various industries, including tech, mobility, consumer goods, banking, and more.
1. X, The Moonshot Factory
Parent company: Alphabet
Founded: 2010
Headquarters: USA
X, The Moonshot Factory (formerly Google X) is known for its ambitious "moonshot" projects, which target large-scale global issues through technological innovation. Projects are selected based on their potential to improve lives at scale, the application of breakthrough technologies, and the ability to create a viable business model. Examples include self-driving cars, smart contact lenses, and delivery drones.
At X, the approach to innovation is grounded in a combination of scientific research and entrepreneurship, encouraging a culture of experimentation and risk-taking. The environment is designed to foster creativity and rapid prototyping, ensuring that ideas can be tested and evolved quickly. X’s ultimate goal is to launch independent businesses that will operate under the Alphabet umbrella or become standalone entities.
Notable venture examples:
- Waymo: Advancing autonomous transportation to enhance safety and accessibility.
- 280 Earth: Direct Air Capture systems to pull CO2 permanently out of the atmosphere.
- Wing: Transforming delivery with fast, eco-friendly autonomous drones.
2. InMotion Ventures
Parent company: Jaguar Land Rover (JLR)
Founded: 2016
Headquarters: United Kingdom
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InMotion Ventures is Jaguar Land Rover's venture studio and venture capital arm. The venture studio side focuses on incubating and accelerating startups in mobility, sustainability, and connectivity, working closely with entrepreneurs to create modern luxury experiences. Meanwhile, its venture capital side invests in cutting-edge startups that are reimagining mobility, transportation, and travel. Key focus areas for both branches include autonomous driving, connected experiences, and sustainable travel innovations, all aimed at transforming the future mobility landscape.
InMotion Ventures blends strategic investment with deep industry insights to nurture an entrepreneurial spirit, all grounded in a solid framework of thorough market evaluation. They're particularly keen on supporting startups that complement Jaguar Land Rover's growth strategy (e.g., advance its Reimagine strategy) and have the potential to develop into profitable, independent businesses within the broader mobility ecosystem.
Notable venture examples:
- The Out: A luxury, on-demand car rental service accessible from your smartphone.
- Pivotal: A premium car subscription offering a hassle-free way to drive JLR vehicles.
- BeyondMath: An AI-first approach to simulating the physical world.
3. P&G Ventures
Parent company: Procter & Gamble
Founded: 2015
Headquarters: USA
P&G Ventures is an internal startup studio within Procter & Gamble designed to build partnerships and nurture new brands in categories where P&G does not currently have a strong presence. This venture studio focuses on addressing consumer needs in areas like pest control, pet parenting, and automotive, aiming to develop billion-dollar brands by leveraging P&G’s extensive resources and industry expertise.
By collaborating with entrepreneurs, inventors, and startups, P&G Ventures aims to turn groundbreaking ideas into scalable businesses, driving growth and exploring new markets. This approach allows them to introduce disruptive products that meet evolving consumer needs and open up new opportunities for the company.
Notable venture examples:
- Zevo: Bio-inspired formulas for insect control without harsh chemicals.
- AeroFlexx: Flexible liquid containers with less plastic than traditional bottles.
- Nanospun: Biological cell-based products and solutions.
4. Neosfer
Parent company: Commerzbank Gruppe
Founded: 2013
Headquarters: Germany
Neosfer is Commerzbank's venture studio, focused on shaping the future of financial services through digital and sustainable solutions. It operates strategically across three key domains—Invest, Build, and Connect—focusing on digital, sustainable, and financial services solutions. Its approach to "Build" revolves around creating Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), validating them with customer feedback, and scaling successful initiatives.
As Commerzbank's innovation engine, Neosfer strongly believes that the shift toward digital and sustainable business models is crucial for the future viability of financial services and customer satisfaction. To date, Neosfer has developed 417 prototypes and sponsored six projects, turning disruptive ideas into practical solutions for financial services clients.
Notable venture examples:
- LISSI App: Software that identifies and authenticates European digital identity wallets.
- 21strategies: AI that executes planning tasks at machine speed.
- Circula: A leading expense management platform for businesses.
5. Kamet Ventures
Parent company: AXA
Founded: 2016
Headquarters: France
Kamet Ventures is a venture builder and investor that incubates and scales ventures in Insurtech and HealthTech. Its approach includes identifying gaps in the market, validating new concepts, carrying out extensive market research, and partnering with world-class entrepreneurs to create disruptive companies from the ground up—providing initial capital, strategic support, and industry expertise. Since its inception in 2016, Kamet has explored over 1000 original ideas across areas like telemedicine, life insurance, pathology, health care, and more.
Through its unique model of venture building rather than traditional venture capital investing, Kamet combines entrepreneurial talent with corporate resources to create companies that can transform their respective industries.
Notable venture examples:
- Air Doctor: Connects travellers to private doctors worldwide.
- Akur8: A next-gen pricing and reserving platform.
- Birdie: A smart homecare technology partner.
6. Forward 31
Parent company: Porsche
Founded: 2020
Headquarters: Germany
Forward 31 is a corporate venture builder established by Porsche Digital, designed to build and grow digital business models beyond the automotive industry. It co-founds and develops startups from idea to launch with a team of experts in design, product, software, and business development. Areas of focus include mobility, lifestyle and digital platforms.
Part of this venture builder’s approach is to collaborate closely with founders and entrepreneurs, providing a platform to develop, test, and scale new services and products. Forward 31’s approach involves nurturing new ventures and integrating them within broader ecosystems to maximise their impact and sustainability in the digital economy.
Notable venture examples:
- Navit: A car navigation system and routing engine.
- THE EMBASSIES: An intergenerational hospitality concept for the elderly.
- House of Beautiful Business: Inspires organisational and personal reinvention.
7. X15 Ventures
Parent company: CommBank
Founded: 2020
Headquarters: Australia
X15 Ventures develops, accelerates and invests in digital solutions designed to improve the lives of Australian consumers and businesses. The venture builder collaborates with forward-thinking entrepreneurs, leveraging Commonwealth Bank's substantial resources and industry expertise to transform promising fintech ideas into scalable businesses.
Their model combines strategic investment, business insights, and access to an extensive partnership network, providing founders with both the guidance and customer base needed to rapidly scale their digital ventures. The approach focuses particularly on fintech and adjacent sectors, with a clear mission to turn disruptive concepts into market-ready solutions.
Notable venture examples:
- Home-in: Provides conveyancing services across Australia.
- Kit: A pocket money app and card for kids.
- Truyu: Australia's first digital identity protection tool.
8. Lab 126
Parent company: Amazon
Founded: 2004
Headquarters: USA
Lab126 combines hardware and software expertise to design, develop, and refine Amazon's cutting-edge consumer technology products, driving the company's expansion into smart home and AI-powered devices. It's responsible for creating innovative devices like Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Echo, and Alexa. With a strong commitment to innovation, Amazon Lab126 plays a pivotal role in pioneering new technologies that influence how consumers interact with digital content and smart home devices.
Notable venture examples:
- Fire Max 11: A high-performance tablet designed for optimal multimedia enjoyment.
- Echo Pop: A compact and stylish smart speaker that offers all the functionality of Alexa.
- Kindle: An e-reader that provides a paper-like reading experience.
Final thoughts
Each of the examples featured in our list showcases how different companies are using the venture studio model to fit their own unique needs, goals and culture—with stellar results. Use them as guidance and inspiration for your own innovation journey.
For more great examples, be sure to check out our report, 16 Corporate Venture Studio Examples, highlighting how top corporates worldwide are leveraging their assets to build cutting-edge ventures from scratch.
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Want to leverage your corporate assets to build game-changing ventures from scratch? We can help you build a unit that delivers on core strategic objectives established with governance, funding, and the legal frameworks you need to create a pipeline of profitable ventures.
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