Article at a glance:

Rebuilding business building

Corporate venturing has changed its stripes: where once new-venture units developed a number of unconnected entrepreneurial initiatives, they now operate closer to their parent companies. Helped by a combination of disciplines adopted from private equity firms and by tough-minded business-development skills, the new-venture units that large companies have launched during the past three years are producing results—and driving corporate growth initiatives.

The take-away