A shift is happening in the market. Over the past three years, we've seen a significant movement away from traditional accelerators toward venture building as a model.
The numbers speak for themselves: According to recent reports, 58%+ of corporate leaders prioritize venture building as their growth strategy. New ventures are in the top 3 focus areas for business development across industries.
Three factors driving the shift
- The accelerator model has a fundamental weakness. It assumes founders mainly lack network and mentoring. But most ideas don't fail due to lack of network - they fail due to lack of execution. 12 weeks of advice rarely changes that
- Time to value has dropped dramatically. What used to take 18 months can now be built in weeks. AI, no-code, and cloud have changed the rules. But it requires a team that can execute - not a founder learning to code along the way
- Corporate venture needs more than pitch decks. Large companies have demanded new growth paths, but traditional CVC investments rarely deliver strategic value. Venture building provides control over roadmap and integration
What we see going forward
Venture building will continue to gain market share. But only studios with real operating DNA will survive. Those who can ship, sell, and operate - not just ideate and present.
For founders, this means more opportunities - but also higher expectations for execution. For established companies, it means a new path to growth - if they find the right partners.