Large enterprises love talking about innovation. They launch innovation labs. They invest millions in R&D. They form ‘digital transformation’ teams.
Yet, when you look at the bottom line, what’s changed? Nothing.
This is the brutal reality that big companies refuse to face. Innovation may drive excitement, but true success comes from tangible growth. Yet, many corporations confuse the two, investing heavily in innovation programs without clear results.
To unpack this critical distinction, we spoke with Greg Brody, a venture expert with over 25 years of experience in corporate venture capital and growth advisory. Greg specializes in helping large companies embrace venture capital approaches to fuel sustainable growth.
If your company is spending millions on innovation theater but still struggling to drive real growth , this is what you need to know.
THE PROBLEM: WHY MOST CORPORATE INNOVATION EFFORTS FAIL
Big companies are great at scaling what already works—but terrible at building something new from scratch. They know how to take a $2 billion brand and push it to $2.2 billion. But ask them to create a new $200 million business from zero?
Here’s why:
1️⃣ Short-Term Thinking Kills Growth: Most leaders focus on hitting next quarter’s targets, not investing in multi-year growth initiatives.
2️⃣ Innovation Teams Are Underfunded and Ignored: They’re seen as a side project, not a core business priority—so they never get the resources to scale.
3️⃣ Cool Ideas Don’t Equal Revenue: Companies get excited about new technology, but without a clear business model, nothing sticks.
4️⃣ Failure Is Treated as a Career Risk: Instead of embracing strategic failure as a learning tool, employees avoid risk altogether.
So, what’s the solution? A structured, disciplined growth program.
HOW ENTERPRISES CAN BUILD GROWTH PROGRAMS THAT ACTUALLY WORK
Greg advocates for a disciplined, venture-capital-inspired approach to corporate growth:
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Identify Growth Areas: Clearly define potential business opportunities aligned with your organization's strengths.
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Validate Customer Problems: Confirm genuine market needs before further investment.
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Rapidly Test and Iterate Solutions: Quickly develop prototypes, gather customer feedback, and refine your approach.
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Scale Proven Ideas: Commit substantial resources only to initiatives that have demonstrated clear market traction.
This structured approach significantly reduces risk, ensuring resources go to projects with real potential.
“A GROWTH PROGRAM IS NOT A ONE-TIME PROJECT. IT’S A BUSINESS FUNCTION THAT CONTINUOUSLY IDENTIFIES AND SCALES NEW REVENUE OPPORTUNITIES,”
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USING GROWTH BOARDS TO MANAGE INVESTMENTS
Greg describes "Growth Boards," internal committees similar to venture capital investment boards. These boards objectively review, fund, or stop internal ventures based on evidence rather than assumptions. This method ensures companies focus only on ventures with strong potential for market success, avoiding the costly mistake of funding unproven ideas.
SELECTING THE RIGHT GROWTH STRATEGY
Greg identifies three primary strategies companies can pursue to achieve growth:
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Internal Venture Studios: Establishing new ventures within the company, leveraging existing internal capabilities and resources.
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Acquisitions: Quickly increasing revenue by purchasing established businesses, despite facing the complexity of integration afterward.
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Corporate Venture Capital (CVC): Investing externally in startups to gain strategic insights without directly managing these ventures.
Greg clarifies, "If your goal is immediate revenue, acquisition might be best. But if you want to build long-term capability and internal innovation, venture studios are highly effective."
THE ROLE OF SENIOR LEADERSHIP IN GROWTH PROGRAMS
Growth isn’t something you can delegate. If leadership isn’t fully committed, aligned, and actively involved, the program is dead before it starts.
“If your CEO and board aren’t fully backing this, don’t waste your time,” Greg emphasized. “This isn’t a one-year pilot—it’s a long-term business strategy.”
Many companies launch growth initiatives without executive buy-in. They hire consultants, set up an innovation lab, or assign a team to “explore new ideas.” But when it’s time to make real decisions—funding, risk-taking, long-term commitment—leadership isn’t fully invested.
That’s when programs collapse.
CHANGING THE CORPORATE MINDSET
“GROWTH PROGRAMS don’t fail because of bad ideas, They fail because leadership doesn’t protect them from corporate inertia.”
Risk avoidance often limits corporate growth. Greg encourages leaders to adopt a growth-oriented mindset—embracing experimentation, tolerating uncertainty, and seeing failures as valuable learning opportunities. This shift helps businesses innovate more confidently and sustainably, ultimately improving their competitive position.
THE TALENT FACTOR: WHY GROWTH HINGES ON THE RIGHT PEOPLE
A company’s growth strategy is only as strong as the people executing it.
Too often, businesses build innovation labs, invest in venture programs, or acquire startups - only to watch them stall. Not because the ideas were bad, but because they didn’t have the right people to execute.
Real growth requires:
✔ Entrepreneurs who thrive in uncertainty.
✔ Strategic leaders who can turn ideas into scalable businesses.
✔ Execution specialists who drive commercial success.
That’s why working with experts like Bamboo Crowd is critical.
We help companies find and place the right talent, from innovation leaders to venture builders, so they can turn bold ideas into real, scalable growth.
THE TALENT FACTOR: WHY GROWTH HINGES ON THE RIGHT PEOPLE
If you’re serious about installing a real growth engine inside your company, get in touch with Bamboo Crowd today.
Don’t wait until your competitors are already ahead. The future of growth belongs to those who act now.
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