Pre-Conference Day

Monday, June 22

1:00 – 5:00 pm

  • 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.

    This year we have the following options to choose from:

    East End Food Tour (1.30pm - 4.30pm)
    Explore London’s vibrant East End on a guided culinary and cultural adventure. Sample classic British fish and chips, enjoy authentic Brick Lane curries with a drink of your choice, and finish with a sweet treat. Along the way, discover the bold street art and creative energy that define Shoreditch and Spitalfields.

    Tower of London Private Tour (2.00pm - 5.00pm)
    Step inside one of London’s most iconic landmarks on a guided visit to the historic Tower of London. Discover gripping tales of royal drama, intrigue, and imprisonment, marvel at the Crown Jewels, and meet the legendary Beefeaters and ravens who call the fortress home. The tour concludes with views of Tower Bridge and plenty of memorable photo opportunities.

    Speed Boat Sightseeing Tour (1.00pm - 2.10pm)
    Feel like James Bond for the day as you experience an extreme sightseeing RIB ride on-board the fastest London speedboats on the River Thames. See more of London in 45 minutes (approx.) than you’d expect to see in conventional sightseeing tours three times this length.

    These activities are subject to availability and can be selected during registration.

Conference Day 1

Tuesday, June 23

8:00 – 9:50 am

8:00 – 9:50 am

  • An exciting, by-invitation programme to meet women creating waves in the corporate venture ecosystem.

    Facilitator:

    Christina Riboldi, Events Director, US, GCV

8:15 am

  • Welcome reception where badges can be collected from the registration desk 

8:15 - 9:45 am

  • 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. 

9:45 – 9:50 am  

  • James Mawson, Founder and CEO, GCV

9:50 – 10:20 am  

  • Europe has the talent and innovation to lead globally, but realising this potential requires bold investment, smart regulation and cross-border collaboration. Corporate VCs and institutional investors alike will need to think strategically about shaping the environment that enables entrepreneurship, scale-up success and long-term impact across the continent. 

    Speaker: 

    • Marjut Falkstedt, CEO, European Investment Fund 

    Moderator: 

    • Maija Palmer, Editor-in-Chief, GCV 

10:20 – 10:50 am   

  • 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. This keynote examines the strategic implications for CVC investors, highlighting the role of development banks, co-investment platforms and policy-driven funding in de-risking innovation and accelerating access to emerging ecosystems. 

    Speaker: 

    • Stéphane Ouaki, Head of Department, European Innovation Council and SMEs, Executive Agency (EISMEA) 

    Moderator: 

    • Bill Taranto, President, MSD Global Health Innovation Fund 

10:50 – 11:20 am   

11:20 - 11:40 am

  • Fireside chat: Inside eBay's venture playbook - How fashion and technology shape the future of commerce 

     

    Join this candid conversation with two eBay leaders at the intersection of venture, recommerce and fashion as they explain how venture investing and close collaboration with business units are powering growth across the company. 

     

    Speakers: 

    • Henri Jaanimägi, Global Head, eBay Ventures 

    • Kirsty Keoghan, General Manager of Global Fashion & Interim Co-General Manager UK, eBay 

     

    Moderator: 

    • Tanja Emmerling, Partner & Head of Berlin Office, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) 

11:40 am - 12:00 pm

12:00 - 12:30 pm

  • 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. 

    Speakers:

    • Priyanka Chopra, CEO and Managing Partner, IIMA Ventures 

    • Vipul Vachhani, Founder and CEO, Jaivel Aerospace 

    Moderator: 

    • Nicolas Sauvage, President, TDK Ventures 

12:30 - 1:00 pm

  • Learn how to stay relevant in the market through secondary sales – an up-and-coming core discipline for CVC teams today, with fast-changing corporate strategies. 

1:00 – 2:30 pm

Networking lunch

2:30 – 3:00 pm

  • 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. 

    Panellists: 

    • James Lockyer, Director of Portfolio Management, Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund 

    • Sebastiano Silvestri, Head of Corporate Venture Capital, A2A Life Ventures 

    • Ricardo Zapatero, Senior Investment Associate, Repsol Energy Ventures 

    Moderator: 

    • Ulderico Ulissi, Principal - Head, Global Climate Ventures, CATL 

3:00 – 3:30 pm

  • 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. 

3:30 – 4:30 pm

  • 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. 

    Facilitator: 

    • Christina Riboldi, Events Director, US, GCV  

3:30 – 4:30 pm

  • 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. 

3:30 – 4:30 pm

3:30 – 4:30 pm

  • 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.  

     

    Speakers: 

    • Select group of Titans

       

    Facilitator: 

    • Liz Arrington, Co-Founder and Managing Director, GCV Institute 

  • A third of all CVCs and 65% of large, mature units now have dedicated platform teams driving collaboration and operational excellence. This roundtable explores how to structure these teams for maximum impact, building internal champions, maintaining portfolio company trust, and proving platform value when the most meaningful metrics are the hardest to measure.

    Facilitators: 

    • Patty Burke, Principal Designer and Instructor, GCV Institute 

    • Tjerk Joustra, GM Business Development, Shell Ventures (Community Co-Chair) 

4:30 – 5:30 pm

4:30 – 5:30 pm

  • Running a CVC unit efficiently and sustainably means confronting hard questions about team structure, process and risk that don't always have tidy answers. This roundtable brings together CVC finance, operations and portfolio management professionals to address the challenges of scaling CVC: the right financial infrastructure, the right risk controls and portfolio management processes that can grow with you.

    Facilitator: 

    • Patty Burke, Principal Designer and Instructor, GCV Institute

  • 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. 

4:30 – 5:30 pm

  • 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. 

    Speakers: TBC

4:30 – 5:30 pm

  • Chair:

    Nicolas Sauvage, President, TDK Ventures 

5:30 – 10:30 pm

GCV Symposium summer party 

Conference Day 2

Wednesday, June 24

8:30 am

8:30 am

  • 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

9:40 – 9:45 am

  • Speaker: 

    • Charlie Hayward, Deputy Managing Director, GCV 

9:45 – 10:05 am

10:05 – 10:35 am

  • As Web3 and blockchain technologies mature, CVC is playing an increasingly important role in shaping the ecosystem. This panel explores how corporates are investing in Web3 startups to drive innovation, access emerging technologies, and build strategic partnerships across sectors such as gaming, finance and digital entertainment. 

     

    Speakers: 

    • Kaz Hadano, CEO, Sony Ventures 

10:35 – 11:05 am

  • 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. This panel brings together defence leadership to look at the role of space technologies in enabling strategic autonomy, in areas like satellites, data, communications and dual-use applications. 

     

    Speakers: 

    • Rob Desborough, General Partner/Managing Partner, Seraphim Space 

11:05 – 11:35 am

  • 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. 

     

    Speakers:  

    • Mike Smeed, Managing Director, InMotion Ventures 

    • Ronja Stoffregen, Director Corporate Venturing, Rehau New Ventures 

     

    Moderator: 

    • Eli Promisel, Managing Director, Europe, Silicon Foundry 

11:35 – 11:55 am

11:55 am – 12:25 pm

12:25 – 12:45 pm

  • 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. 

      

    Speakers: 

    • Matt Ridley, Director of Sustainability and Innovation, oneworld Alliance 

    • Raza Ali, Managing Partner, IAGi Ventures 

     

    Moderator: 

    • Maija Palmer, Editor, GCV 

  • Artificial intelligence is redefining how critical infrastructure is powered, managed and sustained across energy systems, smart cities, aviation, telecommunications and industrial platforms. This discussion explores how frontier innovation translates into large-scale, real-world impact, from distributed generation and advanced storage to smart automation across transport and digital networks. 

    Speakers: 

    • Minette Navarrete, President & Managing Partner, Kickstart Ventures 

    • JD Englehart, Senior Investment Director, In-Q-Tel 

  • 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. 

     

    Speaker: 

    • Joe Hook, Head of Data and AI, GCV 

12:45– 1:05 pm

1:05 – 2:30 pm

Networking lunch

2:30 – 3:30 pm

  • 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. 

    Facilitator: 

    • Amber Knapp, Relationship Manager, GCV

2:30 – 3:30 pm

  • 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. 

2:30 – 3:30 pm

  • This roundtable convenes CVCs and innovation leaders to explore emerging opportunities and strategic trends in healthcare. Participants will discuss how innovation, partnerships and investment priorities are shaping the future of the sector. 

2:30 – 3:30 pm

  • As media for equity gains momentum as an alternative growth and financing model, media CVCs will have an opportunity to explore how advertising inventory can be deployed as strategic capital for scaling consumer-focused startups.  

2:30 – 3:30 pm

3:30 pm

Closing networking drinks