In the eight years since its inception, the SXSW Startup Accelerator competition has helped to propel many startups. The accelerator is essentially a global showcase for startups, and provides a platform for entrepreneurs to present the latest ideas in sectors as diverse as fintech, wearables, and entertainment. Of the 305 companies who participated in SXSW Accelerator between 2009 and 2015, …

The inimitable Henrik Werdelin tends to say that corporations need to lower the risk of trying new things. As I’ve understood his thinking —and I’m sure he’ll correct me if I’m misunderstanding — the logic is basically as follows. Big company boards tend to assume that trying new things will be risky. They therefore optimize for making sure an opportunity is big …

I am a big believer that CEOs, and other relevant people in a company, should keep an open dialogue with potential investors — all part of investing in lines and not dots. Many of these informal conversations will be one-on-one. However, in a recent Board Meeting, we discussed a company’s plan to accelerate a funding round and go on a ‘roadshow’ in …