We posted Monday on a
new $54.7 million corporate venture capital fund started by Merck Serona, a division of drugmaker Merck KGa. In it we noted that it had been a long time since we'd seen a new corporate fund launched. So it was interesting to see Anne-Marie Roussel, who manages Microsoft Corp.'s (NASDAQ:MSFT) entertainment portfolio -- which includes its Zune, Xbox and video businesses -- address the topic in
this post on Microsoft's Startup Zone blog.
Like us, Roussel notes that corporate investments in startups through dedicated venture funds have for the most part been put on hold as corporations look to keep cash close. But she goes on to note that as a result, more companies are turning to corporate partnerships as a way to tap external innovation. Sure, strategic partnerships are not new, but Roussel says they seem to be on the rise, saying that alliances between "a David (small startup) and a Goliath (big corporation) are the current buzz."
Roussel writes that these alliances can help a struggling startup advance its technology. But it's true too that they can be as vital to budget-conscious corporations with a technological hole to fill. -
Suzanne Stevens
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