SCALE - High-volume, high-impact, highly efficient
Goal: Deliver 20-100 PoCs per year, focusing on efficiency, selectivity, and strategic alignment.
Mindset: Operate like a well-oiled business unit.
Timeline: infinite
Budget: 500k +
Key actions & success factors:
- Run at volume: target 20-100 PoCs/year depending on team size, budget, and maturity.
- Be highly selective early in the funnel: only take on PoC leads with strong business impact potential and strategic relevance.
- Leverage reputation & word of mouth: by now, 100-200+ people in your organisation likely know about Venture Clienting. Positive experiences will generate a steady inbound lead flow from:
- Repeat pain point owners (often returning with bigger challenges)
- Internal ambassadors actively spotting opportunities
- Informal conversations (“lunch marketing”)
- Double down on proven lead generation channels: focus on the campaigns, formats, and outreach activities that have consistently delivered quality leads.
- Diversify your portfolio: don’t cluster PoCs in one area. Spread across:
- Support functions
- Production & operations
- Customer-facing units
- Strategic innovation areas
Operational excellence:
- Run your unit like a business: measure ROI, track KPIs, and demonstrate consistent positive business impact.
- Align with strategic priorities: position Venture Clienting as a key tool for delivering on corporate objectives (e.g., digital transformation, sustainability, operational excellence).
- Work closely with core functions:
- Procurement: to streamline contracting and budget approvals
- IT: for smoother integrations as more PoCs move toward implementation
- Transformation teams: to embed solutions deeper into the organization
- Decentralize execution: explore shifting more responsibility to business units, procurement, or IT so they run parts of the process while you oversee quality and outcomes.
Watch out for:
- Spreading too thin: high volume must not come at the cost of quality or success rates.
- Losing sight of business impact: every PoC should clearly support strategic or operational goals.
- Budget battles: continuous proof of ROI is essential to secure (and grow) budgets.
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.
The Startup Advantage: How Systematic Corporate-Startup Collaboration Drives Market Outperformance.
Collaborating With Corporations—A Startup‘s Point of View
The potential of Venture Clienting, on the one hand, is full of opportunity; it allows startups to receive direct feedback, resources, and support for their projects. On the other hand, it also contains risks, with potential for a startup to lose its way in bureaucracy or, worse, fail to meet expectations. This article shares perspectives as an startup’s experience in this way of operating and optimising for better outcomes.
Collaborating With Corporations—A Startup‘s Point of View
The potential of Venture Clienting, on the one hand, is full of opportunity; it allows startups to receive direct feedback, resources, and support for their projects. On the other hand, it also contains risks, with potential for a startup to lose its way in bureaucracy or, worse, fail to meet expectations. This article shares perspectives as an startup’s experience in this way of operating and optimising for better outcomes.
Collaborating With Corporations—A Startup‘s Point of View
The potential of Venture Clienting, on the one hand, is full of opportunity; it allows startups to receive direct feedback, resources, and support for their projects. On the other hand, it also contains risks, with potential for a startup to lose its way in bureaucracy or, worse, fail to meet expectations. This article shares perspectives as an startup’s experience in this way of operating and optimising for better outcomes.
Collaborating With Corporations—A Startup‘s Point of View
The potential of Venture Clienting, on the one hand, is full of opportunity; it allows startups to receive direct feedback, resources, and support for their projects. On the other hand, it also contains risks, with potential for a startup to lose its way in bureaucracy or, worse, fail to meet expectations. This article shares perspectives as an startup’s experience in this way of operating and optimising for better outcomes.