# Innovation thought leaders

The importance of the human journey in innovation
Interview
July 26, 2022
The importance of the human journey in innovation
Emma Allen of Accenture’s ?What If! shares her insights on what corporate innovators should keep in mind about the human side of innovation.
Alejandro Tauber
How to bridge the startup-corporate divide: 3 lessons from Sifted Sessions Vienna
How to
June 7, 2022
How to bridge the startup-corporate divide: 3 lessons from Sifted Sessions Vienna
Here's what we learnt from founders and corporate executives sharing their candid viewpoints on improving mutually beneficial cooperation
Alejandro Tauber
Slow innovation is better than fast with big companies like BT
Opinion
April 5, 2022
Slow innovation is better than fast with big companies like BT
BT started and then closed down had innovation units in the 2000s. Now it has opened a new innovation unit. Schizophrenic — or smart?
Julian Birkinshaw
Why corporates still want an innovation outpost in Silicon Valley
Opinion
March 29, 2022
Why corporates still want an innovation outpost in Silicon Valley
Despite talk of Silicon Valley being past its peak most Fortune 500 companies have an innovation outpost there to keep an eye on trends.
Alberto Onetti
The 8 types of 'sustainability theatre' — and how to avoid them
Opinion
February 22, 2022
The 8 types of 'sustainability theatre' — and how to avoid them
Corporations, under pressure from consumers and investors, are launching sustainability initiatives, but too often these are ineffective.
Lennaert Jonkers
Why Klarna's new credit card leaves Santander's Zinia in the shadows
Opinion
February 8, 2022
Why Klarna's new credit card leaves Santander's Zinia in the shadows
Could 2022 be the year legacy banks fight back better against those pesky upstart fintechs? Fintechs still seem to have the upper hand.
Leon Gauhman
The CVC dilemma: invest close to the core or far ahead?
Opinion
January 25, 2022
The CVC dilemma: invest close to the core or far ahead?
Hint: CVC innovation shouldn't be a close-to-core safe bet. They are about ensuring the company will still be alive in 2030 or 2040.
Alberto Onetti
Seven steps to sustain change
Interview
January 18, 2022
Seven steps to sustain change
In part nine of #FutureProofonCulture, two innovation experts explain how companies can keep innovation going beyond the initial enthusiasm
Thomas Brown
Stop obsessing about 10x — 10% innovation is important too
Analysis
January 11, 2022
Stop obsessing about 10x — 10% innovation is important too
Capgemini’s Pascal Brier shares four strategies to build a culture of innovation in a volatile world in part eight of #FutureProofonCulture
Thomas Brown
Startups, do these 5 things before working with a corporate
Opinion
January 4, 2022
Startups, do these 5 things before working with a corporate
You don't want to waste your time — or money
Nish Kotecha
Six lessons Aviva learned about working with startups
Interview
December 21, 2021
Six lessons Aviva learned about working with startups
The 325-year old insurer started with a digital transformation and ended up with a venture builder and an investment arm, Ben Luckett tells Sifted. In part six of #FutureProofonCulture, we explore what the company has learnt in the process
Thomas Brown
Dear banks: this is why you're still losing out to fintechs
Opinion
November 23, 2021
Dear banks: this is why you're still losing out to fintechs
Covid changed everything about banking, but the big banks still haven't noticed
Leon Gauhman and Alessandro Hatami
The venture builder as a bridge: the BP Launchpad model
Opinion
November 16, 2021
The venture builder as a bridge: the BP Launchpad model
The startups that CVC funds back are often too small to make a meaningful difference to the mother company. They need beefing up
Alberto Onetti
5 habits all great corporate venture builders need
Opinion
November 9, 2021
5 habits all great corporate venture builders need
When assembling the team to build a new venture inside a company, go for "heartcount" rather than headcount
Illai Gescheit
Six things I wish I had known when I worked in corporate innovation
Opinion
November 2, 2021
Six things I wish I had known when I worked in corporate innovation
"I was too preoccupied with competitors and didn't think enough across industries." Julia de Pedro Minguela reflects on lessons learnt
Julia de Pedro Minguela
Why it's wrong to think VCs get better returns than corporates
Opinion
October 26, 2021
Why it's wrong to think VCs get better returns than corporates
Yes, you read that right. Corporate investors can get higher returns on their innovation investment, even while taking lower risks
William Owen
10 types of corporate innovator to avoid
Opinion
October 19, 2021
10 types of corporate innovator to avoid
The Tinder, the Parrot, the Shell Shocked — you'll recognise these corporate types getting in the way of collaboration with startups.
Ana Kollcaku
How AI will transform the energy sector
Opinion
October 5, 2021
How AI will transform the energy sector
To get to net zero, the energy industry doesn't just need alternative fuels. It will need AI to manage smart energy grids.
Aaron Israel
Forget genius leaders — middle managers are the secret to innovation
Interview
September 28, 2021
Forget genius leaders — middle managers are the secret to innovation
Successful innovation comes from noticing small and important changes in unexpected places. To do this you need a structure and properly incentivised middle management.
Maija Palmer
How to get the rest of your company to buy into open innovation
How to
September 24, 2021
How to get the rest of your company to buy into open innovation
What do you do when you hit the ‘no’ wall?
Sponsored by: SOSA
Syndicated corporate venturing: what all companies can learn from life sciences
Opinion
September 14, 2021
Syndicated corporate venturing: what all companies can learn from life sciences
Collaborating with VCs and other companies can be a way of taking the risk out of early-stage investments in breakthrough tech.
Ezra Carlson
How to get through an innovation setback
Opinion
August 31, 2021
How to get through an innovation setback
This is the moment that will show whether you have truly learned an agile mindset
Yossi Feinberg and Sven Jungmann
Four questions to ask when setting up a venture builder
Opinion
August 24, 2021
Four questions to ask when setting up a venture builder
Exploiting existing assets or exploring new ones? Will the venture be spun-out not? Different goals require different venture builder styles.
Alberto Onetti
The three reasons corporates fail at building startups
Opinion
August 17, 2021
The three reasons corporates fail at building startups
The Goldilocks problem, misaligned incentives and brain drain are the most common reasons for failure. This is how you avoid them.
Sahil Sachdev

# Innovation thought leaders

The importance of the human journey in innovation

How to bridge the startup-corporate divide: 3 lessons from Sifted Sessions Vienna

Slow innovation is better than fast with big companies like BT

Why corporates still want an innovation outpost in Silicon Valley

The 8 types of 'sustainability theatre' — and how to avoid them

Why Klarna's new credit card leaves Santander's Zinia in the shadows

The CVC dilemma: invest close to the core or far ahead?

Seven steps to sustain change

Stop obsessing about 10x — 10% innovation is important too

Startups, do these 5 things before working with a corporate

Six lessons Aviva learned about working with startups

Dear banks: this is why you're still losing out to fintechs

The venture builder as a bridge: the BP Launchpad model

5 habits all great corporate venture builders need

Six things I wish I had known when I worked in corporate innovation

Why it's wrong to think VCs get better returns than corporates

10 types of corporate innovator to avoid

How AI will transform the energy sector

Forget genius leaders — middle managers are the secret to innovation

How to get the rest of your company to buy into open innovation

Syndicated corporate venturing: what all companies can learn from life sciences

How to get through an innovation setback

Four questions to ask when setting up a venture builder

The three reasons corporates fail at building startups