Each VentureFuel program is unique, so results vary, but 80%+ of our clients renew every year.

Here are a few reasons why:

1. A Fortune 500 Food & Beverage client ran a $100k startup pilot with VentureFuel. It went on to scale globally across its portfolio and is projected to deliver $148M in value over the next 10 years.
2. A top 5 Government Agricultural Group ran a multi-year accelerator with VentureFuel and realized a 20x ROI on the program with a 5x potential multiplier on predicted category growth. 
3. A top 2 Global Apparel Company sought to conquest the FIFA World Cup with a $100k startup pilot via VentureFuel.  +70% of fans surveyed believed this client was the official sponsor and press described them as the “clear winner” despite a top competitor's $100M+ official partnership. 

• 85% reduction in staff time: VF runs all meetings, creates and distributes forms and docs and manages entire sourcing and vetting process
• Project completed in 50% of the time (6 months v. 3 months)
• Achieved 3x the results!

• Unbiased Strategic Partners: With our additional resources at your disposal, you can work faster and focus your time on stakeholder engagement and internal sell-in - rather than sorting through databases. Plus, we work for you never limited to a portfolio or any walled gardens so you get the best options.
• Global Access: You can leverage our global innovation network to gain a diverse perspective from around the world.  We don't just focus on Silicon Valley or any one market for that matter. Our focus is on the right startups to solve your problems.  
• Creative Adjacency: Our network can deliver solutions to meet your core challenges & open up opportunities in adjacent white spaces. Because we look across verticals, we find creative solutions form unlikely places to give you competitive advantages.

Nowadays it is easy to find software, platforms and databases to give you access to information about startups.  Many of our clients have external subscriptions to these services.  That is great!  However, the data available is only as good as the analysis, insight and engagement applied to it.  

• Vetting: we don't just email you a list of 2000 startups.  We leverage a proprietary approach to vet these startups and ensure that only the best, most applicable and commercially viable solutions reach your desk.

• Unbiased: At VentureFuel we don't invest in the startups that we evaluate for you.  We believe that the greatest demonstration of a startup's value is its commercial application to your challenge.  The recommendations that we make are independent. 

External corporate innovation is THE ONLY thing VentureFuel does. We work for you. No portfolio, no bias. We have eyes on every startup. If another organization's got it, we'll find it and if it's a good fit - we'll recommend it to you. 

1. AirBnB: Leading hotel brands thought AirBnB was too small and too weird to pay attention to. Now, AirBnB's market cap is worth more than many of these leading hotel brands COMBINED. 
   
   
2. Netflix: Blockbuster famously decided the opportunity Netflix represented was too small to pay attention to when Netflix approached THEM seeking to partner.  Since then? Blockbuster ceased operations in September of 2010.  Netflix has the most scale of any streaming service. 
   
   

Avoid these mistakes. Don't get caught unprepared by the disruptors reshaping your industry.

That's where we come in. 

• We introduced our clients to Alphonso in 2014 --> in 2021, LG Invested $80M. 
• We introduced our clients to IRIS.TV in 2017 --> in 2021, Intel invested $18M. 
• We introduced the NY Milk Industry to Slate --> now they are in 3000+ stores within 6 months and raised their Series A. 
• We introduced California to Sach Foods --> now in Whole Foods nationwide with features in Fast Company and the NY Times.

VentureFuel minimizes this risk by deeply understanding your needs and operating in stealth mode. This ensures you're only engaging with vetted startups that are the right fit, rather than broadly executing NDAs with multiple or misaligned partners.

We typically implement NDAs for all employees involved, mirroring the protocols used with suppliers. This ensures confidentiality and prevents unauthorized sharing of information. Just as you wouldn't share one supplier's information with another, we apply the same principle here.

We design structured work streams to minimize exposure to internal IP. For example, startups can develop custom ingredients or technologies based on your specifications, while you retain full control over product formulation and development. This mirrors how a leading food company partnered with a startup to create a new formulation without disclosing their proprietary blend—using placeholders to demonstrate the technology’s impact without sharing sensitive details. 

Another common method is black boxing, where a proprietary blend is used without revealing its composition, similar to how food companies protect their formulations with suppliers. You can also prohibit startups from reverse-engineering or testing your proprietary blend by securing confidentiality through a Material Transfer Agreement.

We can help set up separate work streams for each startup, ensuring they don't interact with each other. Each startup signs an NDA, similar to those used with suppliers, to protect their IP. For instance, we've worked with multiple companies in the manufacturing sector where each startup's technology remains protected throughout the entire program. We can keep the startups separate during pitch events and presentations; they would typically just know there are other startups involved in the program.

Background IP remains with each party, while foreground IP developed during co-development can be structured to align with your strategic priorities. In some cases, the startup retains ownership, with the option for you to negotiate exclusivity or outright ownership based on project outcomes. For example, a major consumer goods company allowed startups to initially retain foreground IP but secured exclusive rights through a subsequent agreement.

If preferred, we can negotiate upfront for exclusivity or ownership, ensuring your team has control over how the IP is used. We also recommend including an exclusivity clause from the start, giving your organization 90 days after project completion to exercise rights over the IP. In most cases, we do not recommend joint IP agreements, as they can complicate future commercialization.