Macro bites: Corporate venture building amid economic and geopolitical uncertainty 

March 26, 2025

Macroeconomic and geopolitical forces — ranging from expanded tariffs and slowing economic growth to weakening consumer sentiment — are compelling businesses to seek new avenues for expansion. One effective strategy is corporate venture building, which enables companies to leverage their existing strengths — such as brand equity, customer relationships, sales networks, data assets and supply chains — to create entirely new revenue streams or accelerate core business growth. 

In this episode, EY-Parthenon Chief Economist Gregory Daco and EY-Parthenon Americas Corporate Venture Building Leader Praveen Arivazhagan explore how corporate venture building serves as a dynamic growth lever amid evolving consumer trends, technological disruption and macroeconomic uncertainty. They delve into industry-specific triggers that prompt companies to adopt venture-building initiatives and outline practical strategies for leveraging this approach to drive resilience and competitive advantage. 

Key takeaways:

• Companies are adding corporate venture building to their growth toolkit to supplement M&A and organic transformation. 
• Corporate venture building takes a stage-gated approach to investment, letting companies reduce upfront risks while scaling. 
• Businesses in many industries, including industrials, automotive, life sciences, health care and consumer products and retail should consider corporate venture building initiatives.

Host and featured guest