The biggest threat to corporate innovation isn’t competition. It’s internal resistance. In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VanderLinden speaks with Elisa Vlerick, Partner at Ninepointfive Ventures, about why corporate venturing works best when it is structurally separated from the corporate itself. Corporate venturing differs fundamentally from traditional VC. With corporate backing, startups can gain what Elisa calls an “unfair competitive advantage” — access to distribution, data, expertise, and capital that independent startups rarely enjoy. But there’s a catch. Inside billion-dollar companies, new ventures often struggle for oxygen. They are too small to matter financially. They may cannibalize existing revenue streams. They require different skill sets and faster decision cycles. And sometimes, there simply isn’t the appetite to nurture something that challenges the status quo. Ninepointfive’s model addresses this tension directly: build the venture outside the corporate, but with its strategic fuel. Alignment is critical. If financial returns and strategic objectives diverge, the partnership fractures. Corporate venturing cannot be a vanity exercise. It must deliver both measurable returns and strategic advantage. Execution, however, remains the hardest part. You can build the perfect business case. But without the right team, nothing happens. Elisa emphasizes that talent determines trajectory. Diverse teams, cross-functional thinking, and people willing to challenge consensus create stronger decisions. Her philosophy is simple: surround yourself with people who are better than you — and who dare to disagree. The conversation also touches on gender dynamics in tech and venture. While female representation remains uneven, Elisa believes normalization and time will shift the balance. As entrepreneurship becomes less mythologized as heroic risk-taking and more understood as structured execution, barriers will continue to fall. This episode is essential listening for: Corporate executives designing venture strategies Innovation leaders navigating internal resistance Investors evaluating hybrid strategic-financial models Founders partnering with corporates Because corporate venturing is not about funding ideas. It is about removing friction, aligning incentives, and executing relentlessly. Clarity first. Action second. And as Elisa puts it: happiness lives in action.