The role of venture capital in corporate development

SUMMARY Many corporations have now discovered the value of a venture capital programme as an aid to the corporate development function. The article describes the venture capital business, reviews its history, and indicates the reasons for the resurgence of interest in corporate venturing. The problems of direct venture capital investment by corporations are enumerated and the trend towards investment in outside venture capital partnerships is explained. The conclusion drawn is that, whereas venture capital is a useful tool for corporate development, it is difficult to do internally and an outside partnership investment can serve as an alternative first step or as a supplement.