Posted on August 7, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Filed under: Corporate Strategy | Corporate Venture Capital | Detroit Breakdown
Tagged: a123 systems , department of energy , general motors co. , Johnson Controls-Saft

When the Obama administration announced $2.4 billion in matching grants Wednesday to charge up the nascent U.S. electric vehicle industry, Johnson Controls Inc. (NYSE:JCI), the big auto parts company, got the single largest grant, worth $299 million. The Deal Pipeline has the story (subscription required). All told the government made...  Continue reading

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Posted on July 6, 2009 at 5:02 PM
Filed under: Acquisitions | CD Community | Corporate Strategy | Corporate Venture Capital | Movers & Shakers
Tagged: Dell Inc. , IBM Corp.

An appeals court on Thursday ruled that former IBM Corp. (NYSE:IBM) corporate development chief David Johnson doesn't have to limit his duties at his new employer Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) while IBM's suit against Johnson is litigated. Johnson left IBM in May to head up strategy for Dell, a move that...  Continue reading

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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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