Hans Maenhout: Is corporate venture capital right for you?

Art of Making podcast · Episode 8

The general reduction in venture capital activity over the last two years, how difficult it is for industrial startups to raise venture investment, and the case for corporate venture capital (CVC) have recently been talk of the town in the manufacturing landscape. To get to the bottom of this, we invited Hans Maenhout, Investment Director at Finindus, a Belgian venture capital (VC) firm focusing on industrial technologies.

In this episode on the Art of Making, Hans and Maxim discuss:

• Why the downturn in VC investment is actually a healthy development
• Why industrial corporates engage in corporate venture capital
• Why Industrial Tech is so capital intensive, and why VCs often stay away
• The advantages and downsides of working with CVCs
• The four questions startups should ask CVCs during their next fundraising round
• … and many other exciting topics.

Hans Maenhout is Investment Director of the Belgium-based venture capital firm Finindus. The firm operates as the corporate venture capital firm of ArcelorMittal, the world’s second largest steel producer, and as the venture capital firm of the Flemish government.