nam.R, a data-driven start-up based in Paris, embarked on an ambitious plan to contribute to address global warming using open data. From its launch in 2017, using open-data sources augmented by sophisticated data analytics, nam.R has constructed a “digital twin” of every single building in France by early 2020.

At the BMW Group, Gregor Gimmy, a serial entrepreneur and former consultant, introduces the Venture Client (VCL) model to engage with start-ups and boost corporate innovation. The case discusses its initial success at BMW and the rationale that drove Gimmy to establish a new model of external corporate venturing (ECV).

PopChef is a start-up foodtech business in the lunchtime food delivery market in Paris. The case centres on the period from launch in 2015 to 2017. PopChef is the first to enter the market with a new business model in France. As other well-funded domestic and international entrants arrive, the market becomes highly competitive market.

The case describes how 30-year old Freddy Macnamara (CEO) launched Cuvva, a start-up in the UK car insurance industry in 2014, which pioneered mobile-only car insurance via a pay-as-you-ride application.

The Swiss company TAG Heuer, maker of luxury watches, is part of the LVMH group (Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton). In 2015, CEO Jean-Claude Biver is deciding whether to launch its first-ever fully connected Swiss watch, manufactured in partnership with Google and Intel.