Welcome to the Capital Gains podcast. I'm your host, Jonathan Twombly.
Today's guest is Christie Pitts, a venture development manager at Verizon Ventures.
Today we're taking a bit of a departure from the usual content and exploring something new: the role of corporations in the venture capital landscape.
During out interview, Christie talks about corporate venture capital and how it differs from traditional venture capital.
In particular she explains corporations seek to invest in early stage companies where the deal not only makes financial sense, but the target company is a strategic fit with the corporations overall business interests
Christie works with Verizon Ventures' portfolio businesses to create value propositions for Verizon, identify emerging technology trends, and source new technology. In her more than 10 years with Verizon, Christie has held various leadership roles in sales, marketing, and operations.
Most recently, Christie was developing relationships in the startup world, focusing on the "Internet of Things" and the sharing economy.
Christie started her career in retail sales before moving up to lead marketing and sales operations for Verizon's Northern California/Nevada/Hawaii market area. She earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from San Jose State University and her master's in business administration from University of Phoenix. She is based in the Bay Area of San Francisco.
I hope you enjoy my interview with Christie Pitts. If you want to learn more about corporate venture capital, go to the Verizon Ventures website VerizonVentures.com. Be sure to check out the new Verizon Ventures podcast which Christie hosts.
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