How Corporates Can Actually Innovate: Lessons from RBC Ventures’ Mike Dobbins

Most corporate innovation efforts fail before they even begin. Why? Because companies apply core-business thinking to ventures that demand a completely different approach.

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In this episode, Mike Dobbins, Former Group Head RBC and Founder of RBC Ventures, joins us to unpack what it really takes for a corporate giant to build, scale, and sustain ventures beyond its core business.

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We cover:

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✅ Why most new ventures are built on assumptions, not certainty—and how to de-risk them.

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✅ The disruptor vs. enabler dilemma: Do you compete with incumbents or sell into them?

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✅ How to decide when to build inside the core business vs. spin out a venture.

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✅ The real reason corporate-startup partnerships move too slowly (and how to fix it).

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✅ Lessons from RBC Ventures—what worked, what didn’t, and what corporate innovators should learn.

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If you’re a corporate leader trying to launch something truly new—or a founder wondering how to work with big companies—this episode is a must-watch.

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