Corporate innovation teams often launch open calls to find startups — but after collecting dozens of ideas, there’s no follow-up. No deals. No outcomes.
At 2080 Ventures, we tested two models:
The results weren’t even close.
In this issue, I’ll show you what worked, why most programs fail quietly, and how a small shift in approach can make open innovation a real business driver.
You launch an open innovation challenge.
You get 40+ startup applications.
You host a few meetings.
Then… nothing.
No NDA.
No pilot.
No internal follow-up.
Sound familiar?
The challenge isn’t the startups. It’s the process.
Most corporate–startup programs are built for activity, not for business alignment.
The open call model is the most popular way companies engage with startups.
It works like this:
✅ It’s easy to launch
✅ It looks good externally
❌ But most of the time, the startups don’t match the company’s actual needs
Why?
Because the real innovation gaps usually aren’t written down. They live in team meetings, supply chain bottlenecks, and failed internal projects.
So startups end up pitching… the wrong thing.
At 2080 Ventures , we worked with multiple Japanese corporates across manufacturing, energy, and consumer sectors. Together, we tested:
We publicly posted each company’s challenge and invited startups to apply.
We interviewed each business unit, defined actual problems, and sourced startups manually that directly solved those issues.
Here’s the difference in outcome:
With open calls, startups got meetings but no one moved forward.
With targeted sourcing, every third meeting led to real business action.
That’s not a small difference. That’s a complete change in ROI.
Here’s what usually goes wrong:
Even programs with high visibility fall into this trap. Without business unit buy-in and startup filtering, innovation becomes a slide deck — not a strategy.
In every project we’ve run, corporate teams want the same three things:
Yet, most programs aren’t built for this. They’re optimized for visibility, not conversion.
That’s why targeted sourcing works better. It’s built around what the business needs, not just what startups are excited to pitch.
Here’s how we run a successful open innovation program — whether it’s in mobility, sustainability, AI, or anything else:
We talk directly with the people inside the company who own the problem — not just the innovation team.
We scan the global startup landscape to find what’s already working elsewhere.
We don’t wait for startups to apply. We reach out to the ones that fit.
Every meeting is matched by relevance, not randomness. Startups come prepared.
We help with NDA templates, PoC scoping, and internal alignment so nothing gets lost after the first meeting.
Innovation only works when someone owns the follow-through.
If your open innovation program looks active but feels stuck — we can help.
2080 Ventures designs and runs startup matching programs that actually lead to outcomes. We don’t just run events. We build pipelines that convert.
Q1. What industries does this work in?
Everything from manufacturing and telecom to finance, climate, and govtech.
Q2. Can you help with startup selection if we already have applications?
Yes. We can help filter and guide next steps—even if your open call is already live.
Q3. Can we combine open call with targeted sourcing?
Absolutely. That hybrid model works great—start wide, then go deep.
Q4. How long does it take to run a program like this?
Anywhere from 3 weeks (sprint) to 10 weeks (structured full-cycle).
Q5. Do you provide templates for NDAs, PoCs, and internal review?
Yes, we provide plug-and-play templates to move fast and reduce legal/admin delays.
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