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

2023 Corporate Startup Star

2023 Special Category Awards

Corporate Startup Stars
2023 Agenda

December 6th, 18:30-22:00 CET
88 Avenue Henri Martin, F-75016 Paris

VIP Cocktail Reception 

Informal cocktails and appetizers at the Princess Nuha of Jordan Residence. By invitation only.

December 7th, 10:30-12:30 CET
ICC Headquarters, 33-43 avenue du Président Wilson

Corporate Startup Stars 2023 Close Door Session

The Workshop is an intimate gathering of about 50+ execs from global corporations, in the spirit of sharing best practices on Open Innovation. Discussions are held under the Chatham House Rule.

  • Opening: Process, Goals, Expectations
    Alberto Onetti, Chairman, Mind the Bridge
    Marco Marinucci,
    CEO, Mind the Bridge
    Candace Johnson,
    Member of the Executive Board, ICC

  • Presentation of the Mind the Bridge 2023 CSS Report “Evolve or Be Extinct”

  • Moderated Group Table Discussion among Corporate Innovation Leaders

  • Wrap-up of the table discussion and Closing

December 7th, 13.00 – 14.30 CET
ICC Headquarters, 33-43 avenue du Président Wilson

Corporate Startup Stars 2023 Award Ceremony

We are celebrating Open Innovation with the Corporate Startup Stars awards during lunch on December 7th in the presence of Iliana Ivanova, EU Commissioner for Innovation, and Mariya Gabriel, Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria and former EU Commissioner for Innovation.

  • Welcome and Opening Remarks
    Candace Johnson, Executive Board Member, International Chamber of Commerce
    Alberto Onetti, Chairman, Mind the Bridge
    Marco Marinucci, CEO, Mind the Bridge

  • Key Note Addresses
    Mariya Gabriel, Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria
    Iliana Ivanova, EU Commissioner for Innovation and Research, Culture, Education and Youth

  • CSS History and Background
    Isidro Laso, Cabinet Member at Commissioner Valean in charge of innovation, startups and digitalisation for the transport sector

  • Awards for Corporate Startup Stars 2023

2023 Corporate Startup Star Pictures

Awards Categories

Corporate
Startup
Stars

World’s top 100 companies running best-in-class Open Innovation practices and promoting corporate-startup collaborations globally

Special
Category
Awards

Trend setters and best performers for Venture Client, CVC, Intrapreneurship, Startup Acceleration, Venture Building, Innovation Organization, Diversity and Sustainability

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.

Learn from the best in class

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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