WORKING WITH INDUSTRY / INDUSTRIAL DIALOGUE
Finding the right fit with industry
For entrepreneurs, a conversation with a large company can reveal where a technology fits—and open a path to collaboration.
For entrepreneurs, a conversation with a large company can reveal where a technology fits—and open a path to collaboration.
A direct conversation about technology fit
For a founder, one of the most valuable opportunities is to sit down with the people who understand an industrial application: what matters to customers, how a product is used and what it would take for a new technology to find a place in it.
CM Venture Capital brought portfolio entrepreneurs together with Henkel’s business and technical teams for an innovation exchange. The opportunity was to move beyond a general company introduction and discuss where emerging technologies could fit within a large company’s applications and business.
Understanding the opportunity from both sides
A founder brings deep knowledge of the technology. An industrial team brings a different perspective: the application, the operating environment and the requirements a solution must meet. Putting those perspectives in the same room helps both sides ask more useful questions.
Where could this capability make a difference? Which application deserves a closer look? What would the next technical discussion need to establish? For entrepreneurs, these conversations can help distinguish an interesting idea from a relevant opportunity—and sharpen how they explain the value of their work.
From an introduction to a working relationship
Access matters, but so does relevance. Meeting business and technical counterparts gives an entrepreneur a chance to understand who should be involved, what questions need answering and whether there is a shared reason to continue.
Some of these discussions have already progressed into deeper collaboration. For entrepreneurs, this illustrates the value of connecting a promising technology with people who can help explore its industrial fit.
Helping founders reach the right conversation
CMVC’s role is to connect the two sides: bringing emerging technologies to an industrial audience and giving entrepreneurs an opportunity to discuss their capabilities with relevant teams. Our scientific understanding and industrial relationships help make those introductions meaningful.
For a technology company, that can be an important step in building the business. A more informed view of an application, a relevant counterpart and a clear reason for the next conversation can help a founder decide where to focus effort.
This is the purpose of our work with entrepreneurs and industry: creating opportunities for entrepreneurs to explore technology fit with industry—and for industrial partners to discover the teams developing new solutions.
Xiwen Qing’s advice for startups: working with large enterprises ↗