Antonio Avitabile: The Strategic Angle of Investing in Complementary Companies | Main Episode 9

Nothing Ventured

In this transcript of a podcast episode, host Aarish Shah interviews Antonio Avitabile, the Managing Director for Sony Ventures Corporation in Europe. They discuss the shift in Sony's investment approach, moving from off-balance sheet investments to a more formalized fund structure. Avitabile explains that the shift was driven by the need for speed and the challenge of convincing engineers within the company to buy into external technologies. The goal of Sony Ventures is not just to find technologies that Sony can potentially acquire or use, but also to generate returns for their LPs. 🕒 Time stamps - 00:02:28 Shift from off-balance sheet to traditional fund structure. 00:07:24 Investing in deep tech requires upfront capital and a longer time horizon. 00:12:52 Cultural barriers hinder Italian startups. 00:18:24 Deep tech investment has high risk and high potential. 00:24:29 Investing in African creativity and building partnerships. 00:30:15 Invest in African innovation now.