Nils Dall

Innovation is a key driver of competitive advantage, with corporate venturing (CV) serving as an important mechanism for firms to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities, access external innovation, and complement internal development efforts. However, CV initiatives differ widely in structure, objectives, and risk profiles, making systematic evaluation and comparison challenging.

Building on an existing research project, a taxonomy, a set of CV archetypes, and an opportunity-risk-mitigation framework have already been developed based on real-world cases. The main objective of this thesis is to translate these foundations into a digital classification tool that links individual cases to the respective archetypes, opportunities, and risks. The tool should incorporate a clear decision logic and feature a user-friendly interface or dashboard.

Possible Research Questions (can be adapted to personal interests)

How can a digital classification tool be developed to systematically assign corporate venturing cases to archetypes, opportunities, and risks?

How effective is the tool in supporting consistent case classification?

Your Benefits

Exposure to current research topics, including hands-on work with real-world corporate venturing case studies

Intensive supervision with regular feedback sessions and guidance throughout the project

Optional insights into asset and investment management practices

Your Profile

Strong interest in innovation and entrepreneurship, combined with solid programming skills

Highly self-motivated and reliable, with a precise and structured approach to work (especially in citation and data analysis)

Good self-organization and communication skills

Interested? Please send your grade statement, your CV, and a brief description of your motivation to Nils Dall: nils.dall@partner.kit.edu