Welcome back to the EUCVC Summit Talks, where we bring you conversations with Europe’s leading founders, corporate leaders, and investors shaping the future of venture collaboration.
In this session, Jeppe Høier sits down with Mike Smeed, Managing Director of InMotion Ventures (the venture arm of Jaguar Land Rover), and Ida Christine Brun, Partner at Maersk Growth. Together, they dive into how two global giants—one in mobility and one in logistics—approach corporate venturing, what they’ve learned about balancing financial returns with strategic purpose, and how they decide where to play in a fast-changing landscape.
From decarbonization and electrification to supply chain innovation and customer-centric business models, Mike and Ida share firsthand lessons on what works, what doesn’t, and how corporates can create real value in venture.
🎧 Here’s what’s covered
01:00 Balancing financial return with strategic alignment — why both guests insist on “financial first.”
03:00 The big themes: decarbonization, electrification, and digital supply chains.
05:00 What corporates can offer startups that VCs can’t — customer access, distribution, and industrial know-how .
06:00 Avoiding “tourist investing” — the discipline corporates need to compete with top-tier VCs .
07:00 Building trust with founders — transparency, aligned incentives, and patient capital .
08:00 Lessons learned: when corporate bureaucracy kills speed, and how to prevent it .
09:00 Looking forward: why corporate venturing will be central to Europe’s green and digital transitions.