Interviewed October 18, 2025

In this episode of Corporate Venturing Insider, Nicolas Sauvage sits down with Jody Thelander, founder and CEO of J. Thelander Consulting, to unpack how compensation shapes autonomy, retention, and performance in corporate venture capital. Together they explore the delicate balance between VC-style incentives and corporate governance. Listeners will learn how to design compensation models that align mission, motivate teams, and earn the mothership’s trust.

Interviewed October 6, 2025

In this episode of Corporate Venturing Insider, Nicolas Sauvage sits down with Annie Goman, Managing Director of Btomorrow Ventures, to explore how BAT’s venture arm is redefining corporate innovation. Goman shares how she led a strategic reset of Fund II, emphasizing “high alignment and high autonomy” to guide BAT’s transformation beyond nicotine. She also shares her scout bee analogy—describing how Btomorrow Ventures is charting the path to the company’s next hive of growth.

Interviewed September 25, 2025

In Episode #113 of Corporate Venturing Insider, Nicolas Sauvage speaks with Alexandra Renner, Program Manager at BMW Startup Garage, the world’s first venture client unit. Alexandra shares her journey from co-founding an augmented reality startup to shaping how BMW collaborates with hundreds of business units and pilots startup technologies at scale. She discusses the evolution of venture clienting, from early challenges to today’s best practices in scouting, piloting, and building lasting partnerships. Alexandra also explains how BMW balances startup speed with corporate rigor, the importance of internal communications, and why starting “big enough” is essential for success. This episode offers practical lessons for corporates, entrepreneurs, and anyone curious about how startups and industry giants can innovate together.