Corporate Startup Stars is the annual celebration of the best global practices
and role models in open innovation
Organized by Mind the Bridge in partnership with the International Chamber of Commerce, the CSS recognizes trailblazing international companies in the area of corporate-startup collaboration
Corporate Startup Stars
2024 Agenda
Mayer Brown, 10 avenue Hoche, 75008, Paris
ICC Headquarters, 33-43 avenue du Président Wilson, Paris
Close door events restricted to invited participants
2023 Corporate Startup Star
2023 Special Category Awards
Awards Categories
Evolve or be Extinct
Open innovation doesn’t sound like 2015 anymore.
Eight years ago, the launch of the ‘Corporate Startup Stars Awards’ aimed to highlight an emerging phenomenon: corporate-startup collaboration.
Since then, corporations have gained substantial experience in working with startups, and best practices have begun to solidify.
Open Innovation is no longer a black box.
However, the landscape continues to evolve. New tools are appearing, with Venture Builders emerging as a significant new player, despite some setbacks, while other models like Corporate Accelerators are on the decline. We’re also seeing a trend of hybridization in these models, adding complexity to the Open Innovation landscape. A prime example is Microsoft’s partnership with the most disruptive startup in the world (OpenAI), which is just the tip of the iceberg.
As Open Innovation matures, the pressure to deliver tangible results increases. CEOs are less swayed by the ‘cool’ aspect of startups and are demanding real impact. This shift to an ‘Age of Results’ brings its own challenges, as the benefits of collaborating with startups – like strategic market insights, cultural influence, and branding – are often intangible and hard to measure in the short to medium term.
The push for results is also driven by the current economic climate, leading to widespread budget cuts. This underscores the importance of properly tracking, quantifying, and communicating the value of Open Innovation initiatives, using metrics aligned with international benchmarks.
The ultimate objective of the ‘Corporate Startup Stars Awards’ – a global Open Innovation award run by Mind the Bridge and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) – is to showcase the actions of leading companies and identify trends and best practices, as evidenced by over 20 use cases included in our report.
Methodology
Mind the Bridge, in partnership with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) developed a framework to recognize the best companies in Open Innovation and Corporate-Startup Collaboration. Forbes 2000 and Fortune Global 500 companies based on publicly available information were analyzed and the best in Open Innovation were presented to a Judging Committee composed of independent experts from different innovation backgrounds.
An application form was also available on the website corporatestartupstars.com to allow every other company to apply. In sum, overall results achieved across seven Open Innovation variables were factored: Innovation Organizational Structure, Intrapreneurship, Accelerator, Venture Builder, Venture Client (Procurement from startups), CVC (Startup Investments), and M&A (Acquisitions).
Judging Committee
In defining the final ranking we will be helped by a panel of judges composed of the following exceptional professionals
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