V_labs

✨ 𝐀𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐩 𝐮𝐩 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒, 𝐥𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫’𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: 🌍 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: We opened two new offices – one in Zurich and one in Munich, strengthening our presence in the DACH region. 👥 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬: Dimitri Nabatov and Manuel Hörl joined our growing team as partners in Switzerland. 📄 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫: We launched our whitepaper on #CorporateVentureStudios and presented it during our roundtable event series in Vienna, Munich and Zurich. Download the whitepaper here: https://lnkd.in/edqB8keq 🎉 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: From a memorable team event in Budapest to a fun time at the Business Run in Vienna, we brought the team together across all locations. 📆 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: We attended some of the most exciting industry events this year, including Web Summit, Innovation Roundtable® Open-i, Austrian Innovation Forum, Bits & Pretzels, Global Corporate Venturing Summit, and many more. 🛠️ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐬: We hosted insightful workshops this year – in Vienna as part of ViennaUP, several across Germany and Switzerland, and our first-ever workshop outside Europe in Austin, Texas! 🌟 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: Our client base got more international and diverse. A warm welcome to our new international clients – we look forward to driving impactful projects together! 🚀 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦, 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓! ✨

💡 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned digital learning company with a mission to inspire what’s possible for every learner. Like many sectors, they are adapting to a rapidly shifting landscape and are committed to fostering a culture of continuous growth and improvement. Their focus is on equipping their team with new skills, innovative approaches, and current methodologies to address today’s most pressing teaching and learning challenges. 🚀 To support this transformation, we partnered with rready AG from Zurich, leveraging their intrapreneurship framework to design a program tailored to Macmillan Learning’s unique needs. Together, we focused on validating challenges, exploring solutions, and strategic alignment. The diverse group of participants - from product managers to business strategy teams - brought immense passion and curiosity to the process. The result? Hands-on workshops, inspiring pitches, and a wealth of creative energy directed toward meaningful challenges. The sessions were facilitated by Teresa Götze and Marcel Grosskopff from V_labs, alongside Benjamin Seifert from rready. We’re proud to have partnered with Macmillan Learning on this journey and can’t wait to see the impact of their work. ✨ 👉 Want to learn more about how intrapreneurship empowers teams to drive innovation from within? Check out the blog post by Teresa Götze, where she explores this transformative approach:  https://lnkd.in/dsgh_TQ3 #CorporateInnovation #Intrapreneurship #MacmillanLearning #rready

𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 Manuel Hörl: 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗩_𝗹𝗮𝗯𝘀! 🌟 Manuel joined V_labs as a Partner in May, bringing over 20 years of experience across venture building, sustainable investing, and corporate innovation. His expertise and global network will be instrumental in driving our growth and expanding internationally. 🌍 Swipe to learn more about Manuel’s background, his role at V_labs, and his exciting vision for the future of venturing! 🚀

🔍 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐊𝐏𝐈𝐬: 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 🚀 Last week, we participated in an insightful session on 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬. The event was organized by Jan C. Küster from the FoundersFight.Club and hosted at Wayra Germany in Munich, Telefónica’s venture clienting unit. A special thanks to Nora Alfen and Franziska Kraft for hosting, and to Bernd Scharrer (ex-Allianz X) for sharing his expertise! Georg Frick and Maximilian Breil represented V_labs and shared our perspective on how to approach innovation KPIs effectively, focusing on these key questions: ➡️ 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐊𝐏𝐈𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧? ➡️ 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠?(Create new KPIs or leverage existing ones to demonstrate innovation’s impact?) 💡 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲: Measuring innovation is tricky but absolutely essential. We agreed that demonstrating direct impact on costs and revenue is critical—while ensuring realistic expectations about timelines and outcomes. Without measurement, the justification for innovation initiatives can become challenging. Thanks to everyone involved. Let’s keep innovating with measurable success! 🙌

𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬: 𝐀 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐕_𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐬 🚀 We know that selecting the 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 is a complex process influenced by factors like venture maturity, portfolio strategy, internal governance limitations, and potential synergies across markets and technologies. Our new 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐞 simplifies this process, guiding you through key setup options, such as: ➡️ An 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭** for streamlined integration ➡️ A 𝐃𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐛𝐨𝐱 for flexibility in a controlled environment ➡️ A 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐛𝐨𝐱 to leverage synergies among multiple ventures ➡️ A 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 to realize a portfolio approach to venturing 🔗 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://lnkd.in/dtvRqdzG For further insights, explore our blog post on the benefits of legal sandboxes, written by our Managing Partner Georg, here: https://lnkd.in/dM7DiUsV Curious to discuss the best setup for your ventures? Connect with Georg Frick to dive deeper into your specific needs and explore how we can support your corporate venturing goals. 🤝

🇨🇭 Our partners Manuel Hörl and Dimitri Nabatov attended the Open-i conference in Zurich, connecting innovators from both the economy and science sectors to drive collaboration and strengthen Switzerland’s position as a leader in innovation. One key takeaway was the importance of the commercial approach that V_labs brings to the table. This approach can help engineers and researchers better align their work with market needs—something that’s crucial in today’s innovation landscape. We also had the opportunity to introduce ourselves as part of the ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA booth. A big thank you to Paulina Kania and Patrick Sagmeister for the excellent organization and support! ✨

💡 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 are a popular tool for 𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠. But what if you need to develop a 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭? 🚀 Our 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬, inspired by Jake Knapp's methodology, offer a solution. Take a motivated team, top expert input, and our co-creation and AI toolbox, and in only two intensive days, you will be able to: ✅ 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟎 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 ✅ 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ✨ That's exactly what we achieved last week with Salzburg AG! In a short sprint, we accompanied an interdisciplinary team from a predefined topic to two clear product paths. 🙌 A big thanks to Georg Baumgartner, Jörg Hinterberger and the entire sprint team at Salzburg AG for their commitment and creative spirit which enabled these great results. We're excited to see how these concepts will evolve in the coming months!

🚀 𝐕_𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐖𝐞𝐛 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭 🚀 Last week, our partners Manuel Hörl and Dimitri Nabatov joined global innovators and changemakers at Web Summit in Lisbon, one of the largest and most impactful tech events in the world. For us, the 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭 at the beginning of the week was especially relevant, offering focused discussions and valuable insights into corporate transformation. 🎤 𝐕_𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 As part of the summit, we hosted a Masterclass titled “𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞: 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐬”, engaging 60+ attendees in actionable discussions about building and scaling corporate venture studios. A huge thank to our amazing panelists Daniel Martín Gómez (Stellantis Ventures), Matthias Leibetseder (WaVe-X), and Ulf Heyden (BurdaForward). Together, we delved into the keys to success for venture studios, such as balancing autonomy from corporate structures with top-level support to maintain agility and speed in venturing efforts. 💡 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐖𝐞𝐛 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭  1️⃣ 𝐀𝐈 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 – AI continues to accelerate, with experts like Don McGuire emphasizing how critical it has become for processing today’s rapid news cycles. Sustainability also remains central, with many calling 2025 the year of robotics. The next few years will be transformative for both fields. 2️⃣ 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – Carlos Silva reminded us that, even in an AI-driven world, the success of ventures ultimately depends on having the right people. Pharell Williams’ advice also resonated deeply: align your work with what you love, no matter the role. 3️⃣ 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 – Tom Hale underscored a critical truth: “The risk of not innovating is now greater than the risk of failure.” In a world moving at the “speed of TikTok,” the urgency to innovate has never been more pressing. 4️⃣ 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 – While corporations are investing in innovation, aligning these efforts with strategic goals remains a challenge for many. Web Summit proved yet again to be an unmatched platform for innovation and collaboration. We’re already looking forward to returning in 2025—see you next year, Web Summit! 👋 #WebSummit #CorporateInnovation #AI #Sustainability #CorporateVenturing

🔍 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐔𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭! Are you a homeowner in Germany? We’re looking to conduct short interviews (20–30 minutes) with homeowners, and we’re offering a €20 voucher as a thank you. Know someone who might be interested? Please reach out or tag colleagues, friends, or family who fit the description. Thank you!

🇩🇰 Last week, our partner Manuel Hörl attended the Innovation Roundtable® Summit in 𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧 — the premier platform for corporate innovators to exchange insights and experiences peer-to-peer. ⁣ ⁣ 💡 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭:⁣ ⁣ ▪️ 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 persist: gaining senior management support, securing resources (especially budget), and maintaining a consistent long-term focus. Shifting expectations, decision speed, and risk appetite all impact the journey toward large-scale new business streams.⁣ ▪️ 𝐀𝐈 remains top-of-mind, but there's growing awareness of the gap between flashy announcements and the real work required. Successfully scaling AI involves much more than quick fixes—it demands extensive data transformation and long-term readiness for broader AI integration.⁣ ▪️ 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 was a high-priority topic, especially in the chemicals sector, which had a strong presence at the summit. Companies are actively searching for solutions that align growth with sustainable practices.⁣ ⁣ Thank you to rready AG for the opportunity to participate in this insightful event!⁣ 💫 ⁣ #InnovationRoundtableSummit #CorporateInnovation