Posted on June 17, 2009 at 1:09 PM
Filed under: Corporate Strategy | Corporate Venture Capital | Deal International | Divesting and Restructuring
Tagged: general motors , penske automotive group , renault nissan , riversimple , zipcar

"Our customers don't want drills," the tool company CEO told his sales force. He waited a beat. "They want holes!"In that spirit it pays to at least be aware of all the new or semi-new ideas being pursued in the hard-hit auto industry, which we may someday come to think...  Continue reading

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Posted on June 8, 2009 at 3:30 PM
Filed under: Corporate Venture Capital | Deal International | Middle market | Trends
Tagged: Aileron , Eli Lilly , GlaxoSmithKline , Michael Diem , Novartis , Roche , SR One Ltd.

In an interesting play, four rival drug giants are using their venture capital arms to back a company they think has come up with a major new class of therapeutics. Biotech company Aileron Therapeutics received financing from GlaxoSmithKline plc (NYSE:GSK), Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS), Roche Holding AG (SWX:ROG) and Eli Lilly...  Continue reading

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Posted on April 29, 2009 at 9:27 AM
Filed under: Corporate Strategy | Corporate Venture Capital | Detroit Breakdown | Divesting and Restructuring | Information Technology
Tagged: honda motor co. , pioneer corp.

When the going gets tough, how do corporate dealmakers spend their time? One common task -- especially in hard-hit industries like autos -- is working on supplier bailout deals. That's the case at Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE:HMC), which Tuesday announced a $26 million investment in restructuring Pioneer Corp.,  for...  Continue reading

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Posted on March 25, 2009 at 2:55 PM
Filed under: Corporate Venture Capital
Tagged: Anne-Marie Roussel , Merck Serono , Microsoft Startup Zone

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...  Continue reading

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Posted on March 23, 2009 at 3:54 PM
Filed under: Corporate Venture Capital
Tagged: Merck , Merck Serono

It's been a long time since we've seen a corporate venture capital fund launched, what with companies laser focused on their core businesses and balance sheets. So we took notice when Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, launched a $54.7 million fund to invest in biotechnology startups. Merck Serono...  Continue reading

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Posted on December 2, 2008 at 4:47 PM
Filed under: Corporate Venture Capital | Movers & Shakers | People | Slides
Tagged: Jeff Schrock , Monster Venture Partners , movers , PIPE deals , RealNetworks , Rob Monster

Former RealNetworks Inc. executive Jeff Schrock joined Intel Capital as a Seattle-based investment director focused on the digital home sector, peHub reported. Most recently, Schrock was a venture partner with Monster Venture Partners, which he joined in March. In October, executives at MVP's portfolio companies were told to "batten down...  Continue reading

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Posted on October 28, 2008 at 3:20 PM
Filed under: Corporate Strategy | Corporate Venture Capital | Deal International | Growth Strategy
Tagged: China , Corporate Venture Capital , Intel , Intel Capital , Paul Otellini

Intel Capital on Tuesday announced three new investments in Chinese startups. The corporate venture giant will invest $20 million in solar solutions manufacturer Trony Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. and undisclosed amounts in electricity storage system maker NP Holdings Ltd. and healthcare...  Continue reading

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Posted on August 27, 2008 at 3:35 PM
Filed under: Corporate Venture Capital | Joint Ventures and Alliances | Trends
Tagged: biofuels , Braemer Energy Ventures , Chevron , Enterprise-Rent-A-Car , Lightspeed Venture Partners , Richard Sayre , Solazyme

Reducing our dependence on foreign oil is a hot topic, especially with prices being where they are. Some alternative energies, including cellulolistic ethanol, algae and even chicken fat. Algae is our topic of the day: Solazyme, a Chevron partner, raised about $45 million in its latest round, while Enterprise-Rent-A-Car created a division and hired experts to look into getting its fleet juiced up on the organism. Is there a possible deal between the two ...  Continue reading

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Posted on August 19, 2008 at 1:56 PM
Filed under: Corporate Strategy | Corporate Venture Capital
Tagged: altarock energy , corporate venture , Google , google.org , Potter drilling

We're still waiting to hear whether Google Inc. is going to launch a formalized corporate venture program, as the Wall Street Journal reported in July. In the meantime, though, the company's philanthropic arm has been busy doling out dollars to alternative energy startups. As our colleague David Shabelman reported on...  Continue reading

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Posted on August 5, 2008 at 5:47 PM
Filed under: Acquisitions | Corporate Strategy | Corporate Venture Capital
Tagged: Almaz Capital , cisco systems , DiviTech , Nuova Systems , Pure Networks

Cisco Systems announced results for the fourth quarter in its fiscal 2008 today. Net income for the period was $2 billion, up 4.4% from a year earlier. And the Cisco deal machine kept humming. From the company release: Cisco completed the acquisitions of Denmark-based DiviTech A/S, a  leader in the...  Continue reading

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