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EY CGI article series

Corporate venture building: unlocking organic growth in manufacturing

Corporate venture building helps manufacturers drive organic growth by using existing assets, data and ecosystems to create new revenue.


In brief
  • Industrial companies can accelerate growth through corporate venture building by monetizing assets, testing scalable ideas and creating new P&Ls.
  • By starting small, using data and strengthening ecosystem ties, manufacturers can turn disruption into opportunity and drive commercial, growth and innovation (CGI)-aligned growth.

This article is part of a seven‑piece series exploring commercial, growth and innovation (CGI) and the strategies reshaping performance.

Industrial products companies face a number of challenges, including disrupted supply chains, shortages of skilled labor, increased tariffs and an uncertain M&A market. Facing such disruptive forces, they need an alternative strategy for growth on top of the typical new product innovations or mergers and acquisitions. This alternative is corporate venture building. It leverages the unique assets and advantages that companies already possess to unlock new entirely new revenue streams. Unlike digital transformation or corporate venture capital, corporate venture building focuses on designing and launching ventures that can either turbocharge the core profit and loss (P&L) statement or create a new one altogether.
 

Seizing the moment 

Over the past decade, venture-backed startups have successfully infiltrated industrial value chains, introducing innovative business models and technologies that address unmet demand. Their achievements highlight that customer needs often remain unarticulated until someone innovates to fulfill them.
 

Rather than seeing their value chains disrupted, though, industrial companies are uniquely positioned to capitalize on this opportunity. They already possess what startups spend years trying to develop: intellectual property (IP), supply chain networks and distribution channels. By harnessing these endowments or strategic assets through a corporate venture-building model, industrial companies can enter growth markets more swiftly, at a lower cost and with a robust foundation for scaling.

According to EY-Parthenon research, corporate leaders are increasingly investing in venture building, with many allocating a growing portion of their operating budgets to these initiatives. Some have already launched ventures that are generating significant revenue. However, to consistently create new businesses that can become “corporate unicorns” with a market value of $1 billion or more, companies must adopt the right mindset and operational model.

Igniting success 

From our work with industrial clients, we have identified a few principles that consistently enhance the likelihood of success:

1. Starting small and testing for scalability

For instance, in an automotive factory, instead of implementing a large-scale upgrade to the assembly line, the company could use artificial intelligence (AI) to conduct multiple small-scale tests on various manufacturing techniques and technologies. This approach can reveal the most effective practices, ultimately leading to a more efficient production process that boosts output and drives substantial growth for the organization. Eventually, these advanced practices can be transformed into a marketable solution for other manufacturers — and entirely new businesses.

2. Utilizing data to discover new opportunities

For example, a major logistics company involved in warehouse construction can tap into the extensive pricing and procurement data associated with the bill of materials used in these projects. By forming a group purchasing organization, the company can leverage this data to enhance its collective buying power, thereby creating a new revenue stream.

3. Leveraging existing ecosystem relationships

Consider a scenario where a water heater malfunctions at an inconvenient time; in such cases, a customer may prioritize the availability of a plumber and the necessary parts rather than brand loyalty. If there is a strong relationship between the brand and the plumber — where the brand recommends the plumber and vice versa — it fosters synergistic financial advantages.

These practices mitigate risk and facilitate faster scaling of ventures while fully utilizing the unique strengths that industrial companies bring to the table.

Aligning with CGI 

It’s clear that this approach can be an integral part of commercial, growth and innovation (CGI), which assists industrial manufacturers in transitioning from product-centric to customer-focused strategies. CGI emphasizes commercial excellence, profitable growth and innovation at scale, all of which are essential for successful venture building.

By initiating small-scale pilot projects, gathering insights from data and strengthening relationships with key players in the ecosystem, industrial manufacturers can uncover new opportunities to scale ventures using their existing advantages, transforming disruption into a platform for growth.

In a market where new entrants are reshaping expectations, the choice is clear: either wait for others to seize the opportunity or leverage the assets you already possess to lead the next wave of growth.

Light the path ahead to transformative growth

With commercial, growth and innovation (CGI), industrial manufacturing companies shift from product-centric to customer-obsessed strategies — unlocking commercial excellence, AI-powered innovation and immersive experiences that drive sustainable, transformative growth.

Summary 

Corporate venture building offers a powerful alternative by using existing assets such as IP, customer relationships and supply chain networks to create new revenue streams and even new P&Ls. By starting small, testing for scalability, using data to uncover opportunities and strengthening ecosystem partnerships, manufacturers can innovate faster and more efficiently. Integrated with Commercial, Growth and Innovation (CGI) strategies, venture building helps companies shift from product centric to customer obsessed models, turning disruption into a platform for long term growth.

About this article

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