An invaluable playbook for startup founders looking to partner with big business. Corporations are desperate to overhaul their culture and the perception that they are giant, bureaucratic dinosaurs too slow to react in a rapidly changing business landscape. Many are trying to be more innovative and agile, like a startup. One easy way to achieve this goal is through partnering with or acquiring a startup. Corporate venture capital (CVC) now makes up 25 percent ($18 billion) of all venture capital dollars in North America. The Startup Gold Mine reveals how the world's largest and most prestigious brands make innovation decisions, including new product launches, vendor-startup partnerships, and even billion-dollar acquisitions. The book also details the ways startups can leverage corporate strengths and weaknesses for mutual benefit. You will learn: Why the "innovator's dilemma" is leading large companies to seek out partnerships with startups How to close a deal with a large company, from first connection to getting paid Strategies to troubleshoot common land mines that startups encounter when working with large companies Ways to navigate the convoluted corporate landscape without spending a fortune on conferences and consultants. Author Neil Soni draws on his experience as an entrepreneur and as an external innovator with premier brands like Estee Lauder, MAC, and Smashbox to reveal large companies' inner workings, as well as how startup founders and employees can use this knowledge to close the biggest deals of their lives.