23 Table 2. Corporate Venturing Activities (Continued) ACTIVITY DEFINITION WHEN TO USE IT REAL WORLD EXAMPLES Shared Workspaces Corporations create physical or virtual spaces for startups to work alongside corporate employees and external partners, encouraging idea exchange and collaboration. Often used as a component under the umbrella of “open innovation.” It is helpful for fostering collaboration between startups and corporate teams, especially in R&D or ecosystem development contexts and saves costs of rent and equipment. Vinci coworking hub in Paris provides space for employees, entrepreneurs, local authorities, and civil society representatives to meet and collaborate. Walt Disney’s Accelerator pairs a coworking space with mentorship from top executives and opportunities for collaboration across the company’s divisions. Brazilian Banco Bradesco, through its InovaBra innovation lab, offers physical and digital spaces for participating startups. Events Corporations host or participate in startup- targeting events such as hackathons, pitch competitions, demo days, or networking sessions. Initial low-risk contact with entrepreneurial talent and fresh ideas. Opportunity to learn and explore partnerships with no strings attached. Exposure to entrepreneurial ecosystems. Opportunity to identify and explore technological trends and establish relationships with entrepreneurial talent. Volkswagen’s Startup Challenge invites startups to develop digital factory solutions for manufacturing, tapping into specialized insights to tackle innovative, practical applications. BASF Plug and Play events connect the company with startups focusing on sustainable chemistry. Unilever Innovation Days allow the company to connect with startups from various regions, enabling them to gain firsthand knowledge of local consumer behavior. Schneider Electric participates in startup pitch events to identify energy management and automation ventures.