How to Build a Venture Clienting Unit: the 100-Day Roadmap

Your first 100 Days Roadmap

A clear path to get your Venture Clienting Unit off the ground fast, deliver early wins, and secure stakeholder trust.

Days 1 - 30: Set the Foundation

Objective: Understand your environment, build trust, and prepare your first leads.

• Align with C-level sponsors: Clarify strategic priorities and success metrics.
• Map key stakeholders: Identify your network of influential innovation managers, pain point owners, and allies.
• Run a light outside-in analysis: Understand industry trends, competitor moves, and proven startup solutions.
• Communicate your mission: Present Venture Clienting to core business units as a pragmatic problem-solving tool, not “innovation theatre.”
• Set up your tools: GlassDollar platform, lead tracking system, basic reporting templates.

Days 31 - 60: Generate & Qualify POC Leads

Objective: Build a healthy early pipeline.

• Leverage internal networks: Tap into your innovation managers’ existing trust relationships.
• Launch first lead generation activities: Presentations, small workshops, or quick 1:1 coffee chats with business units.
• Apply strict lead qualification: Is there a clear problem, urgency, authority, and budget? If not, cut it.
• Target 5–7 qualified leads: Enough to filter down to 3 strong PoCs for the START phase.

Days 61 - 90: Execute Early POCs

Objective: Deliver first tangible business impact.

• Scope POCs lean: Avoid IT integration, anonymize data, and focus on validating core functionality.
• Prepare startups for success: Startup briefings, dry-run demos, clear expectations.
• Run startup demos in batches: One morning/afternoon + decision meeting the same day.
• Kick off and monitor POCs: Stay close to the pain point owner and startup to resolve blockers fast.
• Update business case calculations: Track cost savings/revenue potential even before results are final.

Days 91 - 100: Show & Sell Impact

Objective: Secure momentum and future budget.

• Hold implementation decision meetings: Get formal “go” or “no-go” for scaling tested solutions.
• Celebrate early wins: Share success stories internally via corporate comms.
• Present ROI to C-level: “We invested X, we’re on track to deliver Y” - backed by hard numbers.
• Plan the GROW phase: Expand lead generation beyond networks, refine process, and raise efficiency.

Golden Nugget: In your first 100 days, speed matters more than perfection. The faster you get your first implementation success case, the faster you can unlock budget, trust, and visibility.