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Can Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) be leveraged more broadly by mid-sized enterprises?

Author: Jitin Dhanani Time to read: 1 min

Wayne Gretzky said, “Skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.”

In today’s AI landscape, that mindset isn’t just strategic — it feels existential.

✍️ It’s been a while since I posted — but this has been on my mind.

Startups are moving fast.

Big Tech is spending billions.

Entire industries are being reimagined in real time.

Mid-sized companies?

They risk being stuck in the middle — eager to adapt, but without billion-dollar budgets or moonshot labs.

💡 Could CVC be a lean, smart way to stay close to what’s coming — without pulling focus from the core?

Consider the Micro-CVC model:

  • $5–10M over 2–3 years with a lean (1–3 person) team
  • $250K–$1M checks, co-invested with top-tier VCs
  • A front-row seat to innovation — without building it all yourself

When done right, CVC becomes your AI radar — offering early visibility, founder access, and strategic optionality.

And it’s a win for startups too — they want real-world design partners, not just capital.

CVC isn’t a replacement for internal AI capability — but it might just be how you keep your ear to the ground while staying in the game.

🧭 Just sharing a POV — would love to hear how others are thinking about this.

If AI is where the puck is going…

Are mid-sized companies skating fast enough to meet it?

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