Is Venture Clienting for you? (Simple checklist)
Is Venture Clienting for you? (Simple checklist)
Do you have real problems that are worth solving? Startups are solution machines but you need a clear problem first.
- Is your company open to trying new things? Venture Clienting requires a test-and-learn mindset. You don’t need to be Silicon Valley, but a rigid “we’ve always done it this way” culture makes things tough.
- Do people in your organization make quick decisions? You’ll need stakeholders who can say “yes” or at least “let’s try it.”
- Does your leadership support innovation? A C-level sponsor isn’t required at the beginning, but having leadership backing (even quietly) makes a huge difference.
- Can you find (or create) a budget? Startup PoCs and annual licenses can cost anywhere from €5k to €200k+. It doesn’t need to be a big pot, but you need some funding to test and buy.
- Do you have a network inside the company? You’ll need internal allies who can help you find problems and say yes to pilots. Trust and relationships go a long way.
- Is your company big enough to benefit? Technically, Venture Clienting works for any size company. But let’s be honest: the bigger your organization, the bigger the potential impact (and the easier it is to justify the cost of startup solutions).
- Can you match startup cost to your scale? If your company makes €2M in revenue, and the startup solution costs €80k/year, will it realistically pay off? It might but do the math before you commit.
- Do you have a team (or at least one person) with time to run it? Venture Clienting isn’t passive. Someone needs to lead the process, manage stakeholders, and drive PoCs forward.
In Short
Most organizations already work with startups - usually with individual business units doing it independently. That’s the perfect foundation to professionalize your approach through Venture Clienting. With over 250k documented corporate–startup partnerships in our database, we can show you exactly where your organization already collaborates and where the biggest opportunities lie. Reach out and we’re happy to share the data for your org.
Hi, I'm Madlen, and I lead the Venture Clienting solutions at GlassDollar. At GlassDollar, we empower corporations to quickly identify and test cutting-edge startup technology. Our outstanding team of Venture Clienting experts is committed to helping corporations harness startup innovations and drive growth at any stage. Whether you need strategic consulting, support in establishing a Venture Clienting unit, or assistance in operating and scaling it, we are your ideal partner.
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Everything you need to know about Venture Clienting
Welcome to Venture Clienting
Learn what Venture Clienting is (and what it isn’t), where the model came from, and why it’s become a fast path to measurable business impact. It also clarifies the differences to CVC and Venture Building, shows how the three can work together, and closes with practical “golden rules” to start with the right problems, win early PoCs, and build the trust you’ll need to scale.
Getting Started
A quick on-ramp into Venture Clienting: a checklist to see if your organization is actually ready, the minimum setup you need (one owner, a starter budget, and light leadership backing), plus a plain-English glossary so everyone—from business units to procurement—uses the same terms and avoids confusion from day one.
The 3 Phases of Venture Clienting Units
A practical maturity map for how Venture Clienting Units evolve over time — from START (prove the model with a few high-impact PoCs), to GROW (make it repeatable and expand reach), to SCALE (run high volume with strong selectivity, efficiency, and strategic alignment). It clarifies what to prioritize in each phase: budgets, timelines, lead volume, stakeholder setup (procurement/IT/legal), and the specific habits that drive momentum without burning quality.
The Venture Clienting Process
A practical, end-to-end guide to running Venture Clienting in real life — from uncovering internal pain points and qualifying PoC leads to sourcing startups, running focused demos, executing lean PoCs, and turning successful pilots into real implementations with measurable business impact.
Advanced Topics
This chapter covers advanced Venture Clienting topics you’ll face once the basics work: managing PoCs as a portfolio, working effectively with IT, accelerating projects through alternative contracting models, and securing lasting C-level support. It shows how to reduce bottlenecks, allocate resources smarter, and turn Venture Clienting into a strategic, scalable capability.