Corporate innovation projects stuck in pilots but never generating revenue? 

Here’s why 👇

I help corporate innovation and business development teams turn new products and services into real, scalable revenue, before momentum is lost.

At BW Ventures, we work with enterprise organisations (1,000+ FTE) to validate demand, design go-to-market strategies, and accelerate growth.

Most corporate innovation teams struggle with:

- Building solutions before validating real customer demand
- Strong pilots that never scale commercially
- Slow, unclear go-to-market execution
- Innovation teams disconnected from revenue ownership
- Missed growth opportunities due to internal complexity

Our work is structured around three growth levers:

1️⃣ Pre-Acceleration
Validate demand and secure early customers before heavy investment.

2️⃣ Go-To-Market Execution
Design and launch enterprise-ready GTM strategies for new products and services.

3️⃣ Strategic M&A (Growth Acceleration)
Acquire or partner to scale new business lines faster.

(Most clients start with Pre-Acceleration & GTM.)

Over the last few years, we’ve:

- Supported multiple corporate teams in launching new revenue streams
- Reduced time-to-market for enterprise innovations
- Helped innovation teams move from experimentation to commercial traction


👉 DM me “INNOVATION” if you’re responsible for turning new ideas into revenue and want to validate your next move before scaling.

Maarten Kroonenburg

Most companies don't know which ideas to pursue.

This Custom GPT does.

Most innovation decks don't survive a CFO with no emotions:

- Vague ROI projections.
- Weak differentiation claims.
- Strategic buzzwords that mean nothing.

So I built something brutally honest:

The AI Capital Allocator.

It's not a creative assistant or slide improver.

It's a capital gatekeeper that evaluates your innovation project like a skeptical CFO.

Here's what happens when you use it:

→ Paste your project summary
→ The AI interrogates your assumptions
→ It flags weak economics and vague ROI
→ It tests your differentiation logic
→ It ranks capital efficiency, risk exposure, and strategic leverage
→ It gives you a verdict: Fund, Test, Pause, or Kill

No politics. No sunk cost sympathy.

Just cold capital logic.

Want the Custom GPT?

1. Connect with me 
2. Comment "GPT"

And I'll send it over.

Maarten van Kroonenburg

I help corporate innovation leaders turn new products into revenue | Pre-Acceleration & Go-To-Market for enterprises

Innovation dies the moment it needs permission to fail.

Not because the tech is bad.

Because the room got crowded.

Early stage? 

It's just math:

- Can we prove this works?
- What's the downside?
- What's the return?

But once politics shows up, different questions take over:

- Whose name is on this?
- How do we look if we kill it?
- What happens to the budget if we admit we were wrong?

Suddenly you're not protecting capital.

You're protecting reputations.

Projects live because someone important said yes six months ago.

Funding extends because stopping creates awkward conversations.

"Progress updates" replace actual risk reduction.

The cost isn't just time.

It's every dollar locked into a project no one can honestly evaluate anymore.

The best innovation systems don't protect feelings.

They protect economics.

That's why smart companies bring in outside eyes before scale.

Not for more ideas.

For honest evaluation.

If you're funding a project that's harder to question than to cancel, DM me "ECONOMICS" and I'll show you how we remove politics from the equation.

NorthMore

Helping businesses to deliver their True North

Owner

Qredits Microfinanciering Nederland

Business Coach

StartLife

Business Mentor

SchuGo

Enjoying A Break

Mars

Leading a programme of business re-invention and value creation initiatives

Regional Programme Director

Key result areas: Accountability for delivery of the “post acquisition” integration of Mars Chocolate and Wrigley Gum and Confections to one regional organization in Europe, CIS and Turkey
•	Delivery of full integration from Legal Entity merger, OD design and implementation and Target Operating Model design and implementation across all functions and markets, building a 7+Bio USD business, across 12 timezones, 15 factories and >10.000 associates
•	Delivery of M&A benefit case to time, budget and quality, through leading a cross regional and cultural programme team

Program and Business Integration Director

Key accountability: Management and delivery of the portfolio activity set to time, to budget, in a quality way and according to business processes. Leading the Regional IBM (Integrated Business Management) process
•	Day to day leadership of Activity management team across 4 sites in Continental Europe
•	Member of Mars Confectionary Continental Europe Management Team with responsibility for Activity management, Portfolio Simplification strategy and IBM
•	Successful creation and implementation of a groundbreaking portfolio simplification strategy reducing the total portfolio with 40%, increasing portfolio choice for individual markets and simplifying portfolio governance in our network in support of our Customer Centricity strategy
•	Development and implementation of a Regional IBM structure in support of our regional strategy deployment

IBM and Activity Management Director

Key accountability: Development and Roll-out of the Mars Operating System (MOS) across the Key Markets in Europe (all segments) and Global (Mars Petcare units). The MOS aimed to standardise ways of working in key business areas through the use of standardised Metrics, Review templates and Business Improvement Tools
•	Proposed, agreed and implemented a generic approach for MOS implementation and embedding in a unit, based on local strategic priorities and “burning platforms” identification and resource allocation
•	Successfully implemented the foundations of the MOS Tools and Business Review process in over 20 market across Mars Inc with a clear approach for further embedding
•	Proposed and agreed the use of the MOS in the Global Segment organization. Agreed and implemented a structure to “cement” the MOS in the Mars Inc organization

Global Project and Programme Director Mars

Key accountability: Management and delivery of the product and packaging innovation plan of 75-100 Mio Euro turnover / yr.
•	Full time member of the European management team in charge of the 2.5 Billion Euro Snackfood business in Europe
•	Manage and develop a team of professional project and programme managers.
•	Manage and drive continuous improvements in strategy deployment, optimisation of our product portfolio and "Innovate our Innovation Process". 
•	Leading the Initiation, Development and Implementation of QuEST, the Mars Signature tool for Stage and Gate management
•	Own and improve the Sales and Operating Planning programme and ways of working
•	Key deliveries: improvement of Innovation delivery from 25 mio Euro/year to 75-100 mio Euro/year

European Activity Management Director

Key accountability: Management of the business plan (linking Strategy, Demand and Supply) of the Middle East/North African and Indian business. Drive the implementation of Strategic planning principles and processes
•	Manage and develop a team of business planners across the geography
•	As project team member participate in the start-up of the Egyptian business and own the logistics and business planning function in the North African region
•	Develop and implement a strategy planning programme to drive and implement the strategy over a 5 year horizon
•	Key deliveries: significant improvement of product availability, product freshness through optimal stocklevels improving Customer Service Levels with several percentage points

Business and Strategic Planning Director

Key accountability: Operational link between 4 factories and 20 markets. Drive the implementation of our Innovation Programme as Activity Manager
•	Re-Engineering of the Miniatures proposition. Development of market relevant packs from scratch to production driving development of the business to 50 mio Euro
•	In conjunction with Franchise, manage the development and implementation of the Celebrations brand across Europe. Celebrations is one of the only new entries in the top 10 Confectionery brands in the last 10 years in the UK
•	Member of the Caobisco Trade Committee, representing the Dutch confectionary industry in Brussels. Coabisco is the industry organisation that connects with the European Union to represent their interest in political and legislative developments.

Affiliate Business Activity Manager - 

Key accountability: Have the right product at the right time at the right place against minimal costs for the CIS
•	Create systems and procedures to match demand and supply between 20 world-wide sources and 7 regional depots across 12 time zones for 4 product groups (500 SKU's)
•	Management and development of a group of local associates across the geography to deliver day to day customer service levels

Finished Goods Pipeline Manager CIS

Key accountability: Sales support across four product groups for the Dutch sales unit.
•	Management and development of a team of associates in the areas of Channel development, Merchandising and Account Support and Space Management
•	Drive the development of alternative channels in Ice Cream as a key building block for a healthier Icecream business

Trade Marketing Manager The Netherlands

Key accountability: Operational and Commercial management of In and Outbound finished goods flows for the Veghel Factory and Dutch market
•	Management and development of a team of physical distribution associates and line responsibility for the Customer Service Department
•	Accountable for the LCC budget of 10 Mio Euro
•	Project member of a Full Load tender for Europe creating savings in the order of 5-10 % of LCC

Physical Distribution Manager

Key accountability: Operational management of Raws and Packs supply and Production planning for the Haguenau Snackfood factory

Production Planning and Supply Services Manage

Day to day management of Customer Service team focusing on total order to cash lifecycle management

Customer Service Manager

Production planning for part of the Veghel factory in order to deliver agreed customer service levels for 20 markets

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