Knowledge

**Experience for new business:
‍Articles, whitepapers, toolkits and studies**

Dive deeper into various corporate innovation and venturing topics. Explore the knowledge we share about venture building, intrapreneurship and new business models.

Studies, guides & frameworks

Read our resources below to learn more and take your corporate venturing know-how to the next level.

The state of new business building 2026

New business building is shifting: Resources are tighter. Expectations are higher. This study shows how new business builders in DACH are responding and which ones are pulling ahead.

Inside the whataventure fund – building companies through pooled capital and shared assets

The fund model combines pooled capital, corporate assets, and a portfolio mindset to make company creation repeatable, fast, and effective. The whataventure fund applies this logic to help investors build ventures that combine strategic focus, efficient capital use, and solid governance. Join the webinar to see how this model turns ambition into measurable results and sets a new standard for new business building.

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Expert Webinar

Efficient company creation in times of reduced budgets

Budget cuts, fewer resources, higher expectations. Sounds familiar? In this webinar, we unpack how corporates can still build successful ventures under pressure. You will hear from experienced industry experts about what’s working right now in new business building and funding, and take away proven approaches for doing more with less.

The Venture Operating Model: Systemizing new business creation

Gain strategic clarity across structure, governance, and execution with the Venture Operating Model. This framework ensures that venturing is rooted in strategic reasoning and systematically executed.

From B2B to D2C: Why, when and how manufacturers should sell underperforming products direct-to-consumer

B2B manufacturers can unlock new revenue streams by building direct-to-consumer channels for underperforming product lines. Discover when and why D2C is an effective approach, and how to efficiently build this new channel.

Building new business: how much investment is required to achieve your growth goals.

Most new business budgets are set at the level of internal political tolerance, not at the level the ambition requires. The Calculator gives you the number that changes that conversation. No business case needed.

Your venture building self-assessment canvas

Use our self-assessment canvas to evaluate your organization's current capabilities and identify areas for improvement to achieve successful outcomes with venture building.

Why venture building is key to successful intrapreneurship

Discover why venture building is vital to the success of your intrapreneurship program, plus how to be future-ready by combining the two approaches to bring radical ideas to life.

Your 6-step guide to corporate venture building

Use the Business Idea Journey framework to guide yourself through the venture building process and make decisions with confidence.

How to choose the right approach to venture building

The only guide you need to learn more about your corporate venture building options and how to identify which approach works best for building your next venture.

Your complete guide for successful corporate startup collaboration

We are sharing our structured approach and key learnings from over a decade of guiding corporate startup collaborations to success.

The bumpy road from a prototype to a profitable company

This paper provides you with an overview of the road from a prototype to a profitable company, the minimum viable company phase, and the key success factors.

Cheat sheet for scouting startups like a pro

Optimize your startup screening process and find the best startups to collaborate with our scouting cheat sheet.

The ultimate guide to intrapreneurship

Gain insights into Europe's most successful intrapreneurship programs with our comprehensive guide. Discover the framework, unique features, and success factors that empower intrapreneurs to drive innovation within organizations.

5 steps to successfully collaborate with startups

An easy-to-use guide for finding the right format for your next startup collaboration.

29 business model strategies to inspire you

Uncertain situations require more strategic thinking and choosing the right business model can be a game-changer. To get you inspired, we put together a list of 29 business models, with examples of successful companies from all industries using them.

3 methods for building sustainable corporate ventures

Read this guide and learn how you can unlock the power of your organization to drive meaningful action against climate change. You’ll explore three methods for building sustainable ventures with real-world examples.

The state of corporate venture building 2024

76% of corporates we interviewed are using venture building to generate new revenue streams: it’s no longer just about culture, fun, or simply spinning ideas but about staying relevant on the market. Download our report ‘The state of corporate venture building 2024’ and gain practical insights on how to build successful corporate ventures.

The state of corporate venture building 2025

Join our exclusive webinar on May 21st to get an early look at the main results from our upcoming study ‘The state of corporate venture building 2025’. Hear directly from the experts who led the study on how to build new business confidently.

Two thirds of new business builders are confident about the next five years

Resources are tighter. Organisations become leaner. And yet two thirds of the new business builders we surveyed or our 2026 study across DACH believe new business building will contribute to their organisation's growth and stability over the next five years. That confidence isn't blind optimism. It comes from a specific set of choices these organisations have already made.

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Stefan Peintner

How to choose the right new business instruments

Most organisations active in new business building use more than one venturing instrument. The question is whether those instruments are being used deliberately — each with a clear purpose and strategic logic — or whether the portfolio has grown opportunistically over time. Our 2026 study shows that 50% of new business builders choose instruments based on strategic purpose. That leaves a significant share making those choices on less systematic grounds.

Leaner, sharper, and more strategically relevant - The state of new business building in DACH

Every year we ask senior new business leaders across DACH the same core question: how is the work going, and what's changing? This year's answers were sharper than usual. Resources are tighter, expectations are higher, and the gap between organisations that are succeeding and those that aren't is more visible than ever. Here's what the data shows.

The six decisions that turn a new business opportunity into a real company

Making the right decisions at the right time is crucial. The Business Idea Journey maps six stages from discovery to scale — and at each one, there is a specific decision that either moves a project forward or intentionally kills it. This article walks through what those decisions are and why getting the sequence right matters more than most teams realise.

Boost Revenue Through a Direct –to-Consumer Channel: Three Examples of How Manufacturers Build New Business with D2C

Potential to build new revenue streams is often closer than you might think. Spotting the opportunity within the existing portfolio is crucial. With the right approach a new D2C revenue stream can be built up in months. 3 examples of how manufacturing companies have created new business through a direct sales channel.

From Founder to Partner: Georg becomes Partner at whataventure

At whataventure, strong performance and cultural fit can take you far — fast: in just 2.5 years, Georg grew into a Partner role, shaping the direction of our venture portfolio and driving some of our most impactful company initiatives. Georg's journey shows what is possible at whataventure when entrepreneurial drive, impact, and cultural fit align.

Why don't we all succeed at venturing?

Corporate venturing sounds simple in theory. In practice, many efforts fail despite genuine commitment and investment. The missing piece? A systematic operating model. This article shows why clarity on structure, governance, and execution transforms venturing from costly experiment into reliable growth capability.