We help corporates find proven startup technology, run pilots, and demonstrate ROI - in months, not years. Backed by 17 years of building alongside founders and 6,000+ startups we worked with.
startups we worked with
PoCs executed
corporates innovation projects
building corporate-startup partnerships
Active markets
Instead of building internally or investing in startups, you become their client. You buy a solution that already exists, pilot it against a real business need, and scale it if it works. No equity, no incubator, no multi-year roadmap.
18–36 months to first result
Heavy upfront investment
Equity, governance, board seats
Innovation sits apart from the business
Impact is hard to attribute
First PoC live in 8–12 weeks
Pilot-sized budgets, low risk
Commercial relationship only
Owned by the business unit with the problem
Measured in euros saved or earned
Eight stages, run the same way on every project. Each one has a defined input, a defined output, and ends in a decision, and impact is tracked from day one, not only calculated at the end.
Venture Clienting is not an R&D activity. Every project starts with a pain point that a business function already owns and already budgets for, which is why the model travels across the entire organisation, and across sectors.
Many providers come either from the corporate or consulting side. We come from the startup side - Since 2008, we have worked with founders at the grassroots: in accelerators, on demo days, in their first corporate meetings. So we can tell you which startup will survive your procurement process, your IT security review, and its first meeting with your plant manager.
Fixed prices, not billable hours
You pay for sourcings delivered and PoCs run, not for time booked. Clear prices from the first sprint.
Access to technologies in 21+ markets
We scout across 5 continents and hold no equity in the startups we recommend. The only criterion is fit to your problem.
You own the outcome
We hand over playbooks, templates and know-how, so your team can run Venture Clienting on its own.
Start small or go end to end
Book a single sourcing sprint, one PoC or a full unit. Add stages when you need them.
Impact you can show your board
Every project is tracked in euros, from the first estimate to realized impact, in one dashboard.
Founder DNA, corporate experience
17+ years of building startup programs and 1,000+ PoCs with corporates. We know both sides of the table.
Wherever you are on the curve, every engagement starts the same way: with the right startup.
Lean engagement, roughly 6–12 months
Typically around three PoCs
Ends with a business case: investment vs. impact
Process consulting and operating model optimization
Higher project and startup volume
Expert PoC project management
Initiatives for internal visibility and momentum
Startup scouting
Ecosystem access
Benchmarking & maturity assessment
Events, branding & marketing
Modular project management and process consulting
Start2 Group is your delivery partner. GlassDollar is the intelligent foundation underneath.
Solutions in minutes, not weeks
AI startup sourcing across 20M+ companies.
No project stalls quietly
Every project visible, from start to finish.
Business impact in euros
Proof your board will accept.
With 15+ years at the intersection of corporates and startups, across strategy consulting, entrepreneurship, CVC investing and executive leadership, I bring a practitioner's perspective to corporate innovation.
I help leading corporations build and validate Venture Clienting units that generate real business impact. Having led 50+ proof of concepts and contributed to 10+ successful unit launches, my team and I help clients accelerate results while minimizing risk.
Let's talk.
Guilherme Gonçalves
Senior Innovation Manager
Lessons, panels and news from matching startups with corporates.
Many climate startups face the same dilemma. Corporates want proven solutions before committing to pilots. Investors want commercial traction before investing. For early-stage startups, this creates a classic chicken-and-egg problem.
Straight answers on the Venture Clienting model: how it works, what it costs, how long a PoC takes, and how it differs from corporate venture capital.
