- The number of corporate venture capital units has doubled to 1,100 over the past 5 years;
- $6.4 billion has been invested by these units so far this year;
- Corporate venture capital has been involved in 18% of the venture capital deals in the US this year;
- The average age of corporate venture capital arms is five years and 120 have lasted over a decade.
The article identifies the reasons for the rise of corporate venture capital:
- The need for faster and cheaper sources of innovation than in-house R&D efforts;
- Corporate venture capital efforts are a way for companies to identify, and participate in disruptive technology, rather then be a victim of it.
The company also notes that skeptics see a bubble, and that after each bust, many of these corporate venture capital units are shut down.
Here's the link:
http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21633883-fear-being-displaced-startups-turning-firms-venture-capitalists-if