Why Corporate Venturing Doesn’t Have to Be a Budget Problem

Many companies want to leverage external innovation but face a straightforward question: How can the entry be sensibly financed and justified internally? Corporate Venturing is often thought of in large terms from the outset — with a dedicated team, new tools, and broad-based search. This is precisely where the first hurdle arises. Costs are difficult to plan, outcomes are unclear, and internal legitimacy is lacking. Yet the challenge rarely lies in the relevance of the topics, but in a pragmatic entry that remains manageable and delivers first results. 

Our counter-position is clear: Corporate Venturing does not have to be a budget problem, if the entry is thought small and deliberately combined with public funding. 

1) Market Trend: From Investment Logic to Validation and Procurement Logic 

When less is invested in equity stakes and decisions become more cautious, many companies shift their focus: away from investments, toward the targeted testing of external solutions in their own operations — for example via Venture Clienting (i.e., the structured testing and validation of external solutions as an early adopter). Solutions are to be tested faster in operational practice without long-term capital commitment. 

At the same time: in economically uncertain phases, internal legitimacy plays a stronger role in determining innovation budgets. Corporate Venturing initiatives must clearly and credibly demonstrate their value contribution. 

The consequence: External innovation requires a clearly structured, budgetable approach with small, sequential steps (PoC and pilot), measurable results such as cost savings, efficiency gains, or faster implementation, and fixed decision points. Particularly for entry, it is crucial that these first steps remain financially manageable and can be well justified internally. 

2) Public Funding as a Lever 

Funding programs are not a ‘nice-to-have’, but a central mechanism for reducing the economic burden of external innovation. They enable companies to start initial innovation projects with reduced risk while simultaneously facilitating internal decision processes. 

Example 1: Central Innovation Program for SMEs (ZIM) 

ZIM is technology- and sector-open and supports R&D projects with grants. In cooperative projects, funding rates — depending on company size and location — are typically between approximately 30% and 55% of eligible costs. This is relevant because many external innovation projects (e.g., prototyping, technical validation, integration work) can be translated into a fundable project logic if the project architecture and goal definition are set up cleanly. 

Example 2: go-inno (Innovation Vouchers) 

For many mid-sized companies, the bottleneck is not the pure development costs, but a proper preparation: scoping, technical feasibility, specification, and implementation plan. go-inno supports external consulting services with cost coverage of up to 50% within the program framework. This allows the entry into external innovation to start considerably lower, without immediately burdening the specialist department with large budgets. 

Example 3: EU Funding Logic (Horizon Europe / European Innovation Council – EIC) 

At EU level, funding rates and instruments for validation and demonstration are clearly defined. Programs are explicitly designed for market-oriented validation steps — exactly the phases between concept, PoC, and pilot. 

Example 4: ekipa Programs 

In a public-enabled setup, what is decisive is not the individual program, but the ability to set up innovation projects so that they fit into these funding logic frameworks. An example of implementing this approach is publicly co-financed venturing programs, as we implement them at ekipa. These programs combine a structured venturing process with targeted use of public funding logic. Companies do not enter via the build-up of their own structures, but via concrete projects and pilot ventures. 

In concrete terms, this means: clear definition of innovation ventures, access to suitable solution providers, structured implementation through to PoC and pilot, and reduction of budget expenditure through co-financing. The effect: companies can start external innovation with manageable risk, generate first results, and decide on this basis whether and how the topic is scaled further. 

How Do I Get Into Implementation? 

Get in touch with our CEO and book a non-binding initial meeting: 

👤 Justin Gemeri – Co-Founder & Business Development Manager 

📧 justin.gemeri@ekipa.de 

📞 +49 151 525 924 17