Transform Your Corporate Venture Game: Insider Tips with Christian Lüdtke

Struggling to bridge the gap between corporate innovation and startup agility? Discover the secrets of successful corporate venture building from Christian Lüdtke, a pioneer who transformed the landscape of corporate Germany with the Lean Startup Principle. Learn firsthand about the challenges and triumphs of creating ventures within a corporate structure, the importance of selecting the right team, and how to effectively engage with venture builders.

Welcome to the Digital Transformers Podcast with Kilian Karrasch. On this podcast, you'll hear about the latest next-generation business opportunities, how to build products and business models around them, and how to create more revenue for your business. Plus, you'll learn about the many lessons Kilian and his guests have learned on their path to building and running multi-million euro businesses.

About the host: 

Kilian Karrasch is the founding partner at Boldheart, the leading next-generation product & venture builder. Together with his team, he helps ambitious corporates such as Valora, GEMA, and the International Chamber of Commerce identify, build, and scale successful next-generation digital products and business models.

Follow Kilian's socials: LinkedIn

About the guest:

Christian Lüdtke is co-founder & CEO of the innovation hub BRYCK which empowers startups to build a livable future. Before he co-founded etventure, one of the largest corporate venture builders in Germany that was eventually acquired by EY. He went from building up corporate innovation departments and ventures at Bertelsmann and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - the largest education publisher at the time - to importing the lean startup principle to Germany and helping hundreds of organizations build innovation units and ventures. These days, he helps entrepreneurs develop the skills they need to successfully build their ventures.

Follow Christian's socials: LinkedIn

Timeline:

(10:35) - From corporate to startup mentality: how to make the mindset shift happen

(16:32) - The importance of CEO support and the right mindset in corporate venture success

(20:23) - When is the right time to pursue corporate venture building?

(23:47) - How to overcome C-level objections on new business investments

(29:39) - Internal development vs. partnering up

(32:09) - The critical role of internal IT departments - and how to engage them in your innovation projects

(33:09) - How to build the right founding team

(36:26) - Sales strategy and customer engagement: Picking up the phone and the importance of direct communication

(39:04) - The significance of investor readiness and how to prepare for fundraising rounds