Stakeholder Sponsorship
Winning and keeping internal sponsors: tailored pitches, intermediate milestones and owning the narrative when ventures fail.
How do you win an internal sponsor, and keep them once the venture stops looking like a quick win?
Members explored how to secure and sustain internal stakeholder sponsorship for venturing: identifying who really matters, tailoring the pitch to their interests, surviving transformation phases where everyone competes for support, and communicating the ventures that did not work.
Five key insights
- 01Compete for support with a clear roadmap
An innovation roadmap plus the ROI impact on each specific stakeholder wins the resource battle.
- 02Build the team's internal brand
Clear communication of impact and strategic alignment elevates how the wider organisation sees venturing.
- 03Buy grace periods with milestones
Consistent communication of progress, risks and intermediate milestones keeps stakeholders on board before ROI lands.
- 04Stay high on the priority list
Engage stakeholders in decision-making where the ROI touches their strategic goals.
- 05Reinvest venture revenue visibly
Funding new projects from portfolio gains demonstrates a self-sustaining innovation vehicle.
Where to start on Monday
Map your stakeholders and write one line on what each of them actually cares about.
Set intermediate milestones for your longest-horizon venture that show progress before financial ROI exists.
Publish the wins, the losses and the learnings internally, and own the narrative on the ventures that failed.
In members’ own words
“Communication is key in maintaining stakeholder support. Regularly share progress reports, milestones achieved, and challenges faced to keep stakeholders informed.”
Be in the room for the next one.
400+ senior innovation and growth leaders, a roundtable every month, and a recap like this one after each.
Invite-only and complimentary for senior leaders in corporate innovation and growth.