🎙️ Welcome to a new episode of The Corporate Venturing Podcast!
What does it take to lead Corporate Venturing in a global organisation, when the rules are shifting, and the real challenge is not building ventures… but making them stick?
In this episode, I sit down with Patricia Kroondijk, Head of Corporate Venture Capital and Venture Building at Canon, to explore what it means to drive innovation inside a company known for excellence and legacy, but hungry for transformation.
Patricia shares her personal framework of the three roles every corporate venturer must master:
🎩 The Diplomat — navigating power structures and getting buy-in
🧠 The Therapist — helping the organisation unlearn old habits
🪄 The Magician — creating value where no one thought it was possible
+ Of course, The Entrepreneur (quite obvious)
We also discuss:
🧭 Why venturing is ultimately a cultural transformation tool
⚖️ The power dynamics between core business and new ventures
🚫 Why pushing too fast can trigger antibodies — and how to pace the journey
🌐 How her team thinks globally but executes in alignment with local units
🧱 The invisible work behind aligning stakeholders before a venture even launches
Whether you’re building a venture unit, managing a CVC fund, or trying to bring real innovation into a complex organisation, this episode is a masterclass in the nuance, realism, and persistence it takes to make it work.
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