Oliver Schmäschke, T.Capital: 3 Principles to Prevent CVC Failure

Oliver Schmäschke, T.Capital: 3 Principles to Prevent CVC Failure

From EUVC by EUVC

April 15, 2026 · 34 min

About this episode

Oliver Schmäschke discusses the principles that can prevent corporate venture capital failures.

Why do most corporate venture arms fail within four years, and what are the three principles that make them last? In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm and Jeppe Høier speak with Oliver Schmäschke , Managing Partner at T.Capital , the €2.3 billion investment arm of Deutsche Telekom. Oliver shares practical insights on what actually works in corporate venture capital, built around three core principles that shape how corporates invest, operate and create long-term impact. Key highlights Strategic vs financial investing Access and value creation as competitive edge Governance and decision-making speed Why most CVCs fail Hiring and retaining top talent Timestamps (00:00) Introduction and guest background (02:00) Oliver’s journey and T.Capital overview (04:00) Strategic vs financial investing (07:00) Core principles of CVC (12:00) Talent and hiring in CVC (16:00) Corporate edge vs traditional VCs (23:00) Structuring a CVC and value creation (29:00) State of CVC in Europe and closing For more European VC thought leadership, visit our website . Learn more about T.Capital here .

People in this episode

Hosts: Andreas Munk Holm, Jeppe Høier

Guest: Oliver Schmäschke

Topics covered

  • corporate venture capital
  • investment strategies
  • CVC principles
  • talent acquisition
  • governance
  • value creation

Keywords

  • CVC failure
  • investment
  • corporate venture
  • strategic investing
  • talent retention
  • governance
  • value creation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: T.Capital, Deutsche Telekom

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