We recently co-hosted the inaugural Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) Fintech Summit with our friends at Altai Ventures in NYC. The event attracted 50+ CVCs across asset management, banking and insurance who were looking to discuss the evolving world of corporate VC. The program included fireside chats with different CVC leaders, outlining the differing approaches to CVC across corporates, and featured specific investments led by CVCs, including those we incubated at BCV.

As Altai Ventures founder and managing partner Oleg Ilichev explains, “Altai Ventures was born out of CVC, and we have long believed in the transformative potential of this asset class when harnessed in the right way. This inaugural event marks the beginning of building a meaningful community dedicated to advancing CVCs within the financial services ecosystem."

We agree; whether founders are looking to sell into corporates and gain entry via their CVCs, or add to their cap table with strategic investors who deeply understand their industry and its problems, CVCs can be a valuable catalyst for commercial success.

While the summit we hosted was geared primarily toward CVCs, a few select portfolio companies attended to network and learn from the conference goers. Dor Golan, CEO and founder of Grain, called it “a masterclass” in how to speak CVC. “I walked away knowing exactly what gets a champion inside a strategic customer to move fast—and what roadblocks to avoid.”

CVCs Are Investing Earlier and Driving More Strategic Adoption

CVCs offer a potential unlock to startups looking to pressure-test sales strategies and scale from GTM success stories to real enterprise customers. For CVCs, the benefits of startup partnerships can go beyond typical product benefits to include financial returns – in some cases reaching VC-level MOIC (10x+).

When planning go-to-market strategies, founders should consider launching pilots with or selling to CVC partners. CVCs can provide valuable feedback from their parent enterprises and, if the engagement is successful, offer case studies and brand logos that help accelerate broader enterprise adoption. And while CVCs may seem out of reach to some founders, 70% of our CVC attendees invest at the Series A stage – directly and through fund-of-fund investments.

Vertical SaaS, AI, security and especially fintech founders can look to CVCs as a wedge into customer acquisition of medium- to large-sized enterprises, institutions and Fortune 100 companies. Founders should be prepared for a typical enterprise sales cycle, complete with high InfoSec and legal hurdles. CVCs we surveyed cited internal buy-in as one of the biggest challenges impacting investment potential.

Partnering with a CVC can also de-risk early enterprise sales— in many cases, the business unit leaders that liaise with their CVC arms are actively seeking new tech via RFPs anyway. When a startup aligns with those priorities, it’s more than just a pilot—it’s a signal of scalable product-market fit. CVCs, meanwhile, can showcase success to parent companies through regular communication, close relationships with business leads and case studies centered around ROI.

And investment from CVCs need not stem from an existing commercial relationship between the startup and the corporation. In fact, oftentimes the opposite occurs, in which a CVC investment spurs a BU to truly evaluate and adopt a new technology. Among the CVCs we hosted in NYC, nearly half (45%) converted investments to strategic partnerships.

When Properly Aligned, CVCs Are Enterprise Superchargers

While a CVC can be a good catalyst to a capital infusion and enterprise commercial traction, not all CVCs are created equal in their ability to improve a startup’s chances of success.

Based on learnings from the Summit, and our relationship with dozens of CVCs, we offer the below guidance to startups as they consider whether to pursue interactions with CVCs.

• Align with the Corporate’s Strategic Objectives: Clearly demonstrate how your solution supports the corporate's long-term innovation or market expansion goals — not just financial returns. Many of the CVCs we interact with maintain that a relationship with a startup will only occur if the problem the startup is solving is clearly aligned with the overall mission of the corporate in question. If you have to ‘squint’ to see the connection to the corporate’s broader mission, it’s not worth pursuing.
• Research the CVC’s Mandate: Understand whether the CVC prioritizes strategic synergies, financial ROI, or both, and tailor your pitch accordingly. For instance, some CVCs are carved out as separate funds and have return profiles to aim for; most simply pursue ‘off balance’ sheet investments and thus have very different incentives and goals as traditional VCs.
• Be Clear on Expectations: Ask about the CVC's involvement level (e.g., board seat, observer rights, commercial pilots) and clarify timelines and decision-making processes. Since CVCs work in tandem with, and at the behest of, their corporate partners, they can be slower and more bureaucratic than traditional VCs. That said, their relationship with said corporate provides additional leverage (via distribution, or additional commercial opportunities) which can make these hurdles worth jumping over.
• Consider Signaling Risks: Some VCs may view a CVC as a potential conflict for future M&A or partnerships with the corporate’s competitors. Weigh the trade-offs carefully.
• Negotiate for Optionality: Structure agreements to preserve your ability to operate independently and avoid restrictive ROFRs (right of first refusal) or exclusivity clauses.

As the lines between innovation, strategic investment and enterprise adoption continue to blur, the role of CVCs is only growing in relevance. With the right alignment and approach, these partners can offer far more than capital—they can serve as accelerants for product validation, distribution and long-term market credibility. We’re excited to continue building this community of strategic investors and forward-thinking founders, and we look forward to expanding the dialogue—and the impact—at future summits.