GCV Symposium 2026
Agenda
*Agenda content and timings subject to change
Pre-Conference Day (June 22)
1:30 – 6:00 pm
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Reg desk
June 22 | Pre-Conference Activities
TBC
Networking Activities (Pre-Registration)
Connect with Symposium delegates ahead of the main event by participating in one of three unique networking opportunities taking place on the afternoon of 22 June. These activities are subject to availability and can be selected during registration.
TBC
TBC
June 23 | Day One
8:00 – 9:50 am
8:00 - 9:50 am
8:15 – 9:45 am
8:15 – 9:45 am
9:45 – 9:50 am
9:50 – 10:10 am
10:10 – 10:30 am
10:30 – 10:50 am
10:50 – 11:10 am
11:10 – 11:30 am
11:30 – 11:50 pm
11:50 am – 12:20 pm
12:20 – 12:40 pm
12:40 – 1:00 pm
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An exciting, by-invitation programme to meet women creating waves in the corporate venture ecosystem.
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Welcome reception where badges can be collected from the registration desk
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Grab a welcome hot drink and kick off your GCV Symposium by connecting with fellow peers as you network and explore the opening portfolio exhibition area – where selected, corporate-backed startups are ready to show you their latest innovations.
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James Mawson, Founder and CEO, GCV
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Europe's investment landscape is evolving into a more integrated system in which public and institutional capital plays an active role in shaping innovation, scale and cross-border growth.
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Discover how venture investing fits into corporate VCs’ broader financial and strategic agenda in this candid conversation.
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Learn how a global industrial technology leader and a frontier AI company can form long-term strategic partnerships to accelerate innovation.
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Stay relevant in the market through secondary sales – an up-and-coming core discipline for CVC teams today, with fast-changing corporate strategies.
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This fireside chat explores why patient capital, domain expertise and close industry collaboration are critical to scaling startups in areas such as autonomy, advanced materials, manufacturing and secure systems, and what it takes to build a credible pipeline in one of the world's most strategic and regulated technology sectors.
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How does a global industrial leader build a focused, high-impact CVC platform?
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As space becomes a critical domain for security, infrastructure and economic resilience, governments and investors across Europe are rethinking sovereignty, collaboration and dependence on foreign technologies.
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In this rare, visionary talk, you'll hear how AI is enabling a new golden age of scientific discovery, and the responsibility that comes with transformative technologies.
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University venture funds are rapidly becoming a bridge between academic research and commercial impact, filling pre-seed gaps and accelerating spinout creation worldwide. Hear how academic institutions are structuring their funds, partnering with VCs and corporates, and reshaping early-stage innovation.
1:00 – 2:30 pm Networking Lunch
2:30 – 4:00 pm
2:30 – 4:00 pm
Thematic workshop: Tips to build a successful corporate venture building programme
This hands-on workshop is designed for corporate innovation leaders who are actively building ventures, or those who would like to consider starting a CVB programme of their own. Participants will work through real venture-building scenarios to identify and fix the most common failure points through guided dialogues and peer discussions.
2:30 – 4:00 pm
Roundtable: Secondaries 101
This interactive roundtable explores how CVCs can unlock value and remain agile through secondary transactions. Participants will hear from leading corporate investors and fund managers about best practices for selling stakes, managing portfolio rotations and aligning capital deployment with shifting corporate priorities.
2:30 – 4:00 pm
NDA Roundtable: Redefining strategic GP/LP relationships (by invitation)
This candid, closed-door roundtable brings together a select group of leading GPs and corporate VC to examine what 'active' LP engagement really looks like in practice. The discussion explores how corporates can move beyond passive capital to become true strategic partners in sourcing, diligence, portfolio support and industry transformation.
2:30 – 4:00 pm
NDA Roundtable: Powerlist Titans - Lessons from leaders running a CVC unit for 10+ years (by invitation)
This Chatham House roundtable brings together a group of veteran CVC leaders who have run their units for over a decade to share insights and lessons learned along the way. Discussion will focus on navigating capital-intensive sectors, the hybridisation of corporate venturing with external LPs, and integrating corporate venture building alongside traditional CVC models, offering a unique opportunity to explore long-term strategy, risk management and innovation impact in a confidential, peer-to-peer setting.
4:00 – 5:30 pm
Council-led roundtable:
Defence & dual-use innovation
As geopolitical tensions rise and defence sectors across Europe and beyond accelerate innovation, this roundtable brings together CVCs, VCs and government-affiliated investors to discuss emerging opportunities in the dual-use space.
4:00 – 5:30 pm
Council-led roundtable:
Energy & Mobility / Transport
Energy: Explore the next frontier in energy innovation with deeptech applications, from micro-electronics and edge AI to photonics.
Mobility/Transport: Discover software-defined transport, decarbonisation strategies, AI-driven innovations and operational efficiency, among others.
4:00 – 5:30 pm
Council-led roundtable: AI
As AI continues to reshape industries and corporate investing, this roundtable convenes corporate investment and innovation leaders to examine the global AI landscape, especially those emerging in the Eastern Hemisphere. Participants will discuss how corporate strategy, cross-border competition and sector-spanning applications are influencing investment priorities.
4:00 – 5:30 pm
GCV Leadership Society Advisory Board Meeting
(by invitation)
Chairman: Nicolas Sauvage, President, TDK Ventures
5:30 pm GCV Symposium Summer Party
June 24 | Day Two
8:30 – 9:40 am
8:30 – 9:40 am
9:40 – 9:45 am
9:45 – 10:05 am
10:05 – 10:25 am
10:25 – 10:55 am
10:55 – 11:15 am
11:15 am – 12:40 pm
12:40 – 1:00 pm
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Grab a welcome hot drink and kick off the second day of the GCV Symposium by connecting with fellow peers as you network and explore the opening portfolio exhibition area.
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A forward-looking keynote exploring how foundation large language models are evolving from technical breakthroughs into transformative tools shaping products, companies and society.
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In this case study, you’ll learn how VCs work with strategic partners to accelerate early-stage innovation across Europe and beyond.
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Corporate venturers are playing a larger role in shaping the energy transition across the globe. Global CVCs share how policy, industrial strategy, capital deployment and corporate-startup collaboration differ across markets, and what peers can learn from these different models.
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What do GCV's proprietary data and advanced analytics tell us about the state of corporate venturing? Through evidence-based insights, find out how your team can maximise stakeholder value by optimising investment patterns, syndication and performance metrics.
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This panel explores venture clienting as a global CVC trend, where corporates move beyond minority equity stakes to become early customers, revenue partners and validation engines for startups.
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Sustainability has become a corporate venturing imperative. This fireside chat explores how corporations are embedding sustainable innovation into their investment and innovation strategies, turning environmental responsibility into a driver of growth and competitive advantage.
1:00 – 2:30 pm Networking Lunch
Council-led roundtable: Healthcare
House of Commons
(by invitation)
2:30 – 4:00 pm
4:00 pm End of GCV Symposium
4:00 – 5:00 pm Networking Drinks
