Corporate venturing was a fad as early as the 1960s and again in the early 1980s but petered out both times after early disappointments and market downturns.

FORBES: Big brothers

My entrepreneurial and corporate venturing background includes having responsibility for one of the first smartphone development programs, founding one of the first mobile marketing companies, co-founding the Mobile Marketing Association, and starting Africa's first mobile commerce firm.

FORBES: How the Vespa Became Vietnamese