On the corporate side, we spoke with heads of innovation, technology scouts, strategy leaders and corporate venture capital managers to hear their perspectives. On the startup side, we interviewed CEOs, business development managers, CTOs, and CMOs who have already navigated key moments in their company’s journey and could share what worked well in collaborating with corporations and what really did not.

To these conversations, we added the extensive knowledge accumulated at Drive TLV built on close, long-standing relationships with leading global corporations in mobility and beyond, as well as deep familiarity with hundreds of startups across diverse fields and work styles.

All of this knowledge has been distilled into one concise document with ten key insights- our kind of “The Ten Commandments” for startups working with corporations.
These serve as guiding principles that startups can follow when engaging with large organizations.

Naturally, every entrepreneur has their own approach, and some of the points could spark debate. Still, we believe that as a foundational guide, these insights can be valuable to any startup just beginning to navigate the deep waters of corporate collaboration.

These are the recommendations:

1. Listen to the Corporate Needs & Speak Its Language

2. Find the Right Stakeholder Inside the Corporation

3. Do not Rely on a Single Contact or Department

4. Make Sure the Relationship Is Serious

5. Create a Clear and Organized Workflow

6. Be Patient and Manage Expectations

7. Be Flexible, but Do not Make Promises You Can not Keep

8. Build Personal Connections, But Never Let Them Replace Professionalism

9. Learn from Every Interaction and Maintain High Self-Criticism

10. Be Humble

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The Ten Commandments for Startups Working with Corporations

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1. Listen to the Corporate Needs & Speak Its Language
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A great product or service is not enough if it does not address the corporation’s real needs. Before the first meeting, startups must invest time in understanding the company’s pain points, competitive landscape, strategic priorities and existing resources. They need to know what gaps the corporation is trying to close, where it seeks to differentiate from competitors and what challenges stand in the way of its growth.

Equally important is learning to “speak the corporation’s language”. This includes adopting the right terminology, understanding organizational structures and aligning with internal processes, as well as understanding cultural nuances like the company’s values, brand, customers and communication style. Startups that do this effectively position themselves not just as solution providers but as strategic partners, significantly increasing their chances of building strong and lasting collaborations.
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2. Find the Right Stakeholder Inside the Corporation
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The success of any collaboration often hinges on finding the right internal champion. The right person can open doors, remove barriers and build trust over time, while the wrong contact can leave the process stuck in endless discussions. Startups need to engage in two directions: upward and deep.

Upward means reaching senior decision-makers, such as VP-level executives or higher, who can provide executive sponsorship and ensure innovation is recognized at the top.
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Deep means connecting with professionals who understand the operational impact of the innovation and can advocate for it internally. These champions should be motivated, curious, and willing to translate the startup’s solution into concrete improvements. 

To identify and understand who is the champion that can help the startup break through, a proactive effort is required. Before engaging with a corporation, the startup should conduct independent research using open sources or insights from contacts inside and outside the company, to map out which individuals or departments effectively drive innovation and also have decision-making authority. Once potential champions are identified, the startup should try to learn how they view innovation by analyzing their public statements or previous actions with startups. Yes, it may feel a bit like intelligence work, but it can be the difference between success and failure.
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3. Do Not Rely on a Single Contact or Department
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Everyone knows the saying “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” In the context of startup-corporation relationships it can mean the difference between a long-term partnership and a big disappointment. When a startup successfully gains a foothold within a corporation and establishes a stable business relationship with one department, it should aim to expand its presence across multiple departments, key stakeholders and projects.

In large organizations, personnel frequently change roles, get promoted or even leave the company and departments or projects may be canceled or merged. To navigate these uncertainties, startups should strive to work with as many departments, decision-makers and initiatives as possible. This approach helps build a sort of “coalition” within the organization that can sustain the startup’s presence even amidst unexpected changes.

Obviously, this is not an easy task. Startups need to navigate internal corporate politics carefully. There may be hidden competition between departments, and one manager might be reluctant to share knowledge with another. Additionally, the transition from working with the corporate innovation function, which is naturally interested in implementing new solutions, to gaining the trust of the professional functions, who are the actual end users, requires skill and diplomacy. Success depends on expanding influence thoughtfully, without stepping on anyone’s toes.
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4. Make Sure the Relationship Is Serious
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Engaging with large corporations can be transformative for a startup, financially, commercially and reputationally. But relationships that never progress beyond conversations or pilot projects can drain time, resources and focus. Startups must ensure that every engagement is moving toward tangible collaboration and measurable business value.

A “serious” relationship is characterized by progressive discussions, involvement of increasingly senior stakeholders and the transition from theoretical talks to practical implementation. Projects such as Proofs of Concept (POCs) should be structured, paid and aligned with clear goals and KPIs. Startups should avoid being dazzled by brand prestige or focusing on PR outcomes at the expense of real business impact. POCs should be part of a defined pathway toward strategic partnership, with a clear vision of next steps after a successful pilot. By insisting on structure, commitment and shared understanding of success, startups increase the likelihood of converting corporate interest into meaningful partnerships.
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5. Create a Clear and Organized Workflow
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This recommendation is less about what most startups we talked with actually do and more about what they wish they could implement.
To ensure a serious and productive engagement with a corporation, startups should establish a structured workflow with clear goals, milestones and evaluation points. While there is no single formula that guarantees success, since every corporate engagement differs in requirements and organizational processes, guiding principles are essential.

The workflow should outline how a healthy and developing corporate relationship progresses from initial introductions, technical discussions, and NDAs, to demos, POC and ultimately a commercial agreement. Defining clear POC goals is critical, specifying success criteria, timelines, required resources and outcomes that will lead to a commercial agreement. Even after signing a contract, the engagement should continue to follow defined milestones, both in technical execution and relationship management.

Following a structured workflow is important not only to measure success but also to identify failures, pinpoint what did not work and determine which aspects of the guiding principles may need adjustment.

6. Be Patient and Manage Expectations
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Startups and corporations operate at very different tempo. Corporations function through lengthy and bureaucratic processes that involve multiple approvals, while startups move fast, make decisions quickly and have limited resources. This mismatch can create frustration, as startups must decide how to allocate time and effort across projects with uncertain timelines.

To navigate this, startups must accept that corporate decision-making is inherently slow, sometimes taking a year or more from initial discussions to final agreements, and in regulated industries, even longer. Relying too heavily on a single corporate relationship carries financial risk, so opportunities should be diversified. Clear communication, realistic goal-setting and consistent value delivery are essential. By being patient, planning strategically and maintaining transparent expectations, startups can manage corporate processes effectively while safeguarding their own growth and momentum.
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7. Be Flexible, but Do not Make Promises You Can not Keep
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Flexibility is a startup’s natural advantage. Corporations often expect solutions to be adapted to their specific needs, processes and culture, which may require startups to adjust their original value proposition or target market. Being agile and responsive increases the likelihood of advancing and building meaningful corporate relationships.

At the same time, over-promising, whether regarding technology, resources or timelines, can quickly erode credibility and harm the collaboration. Trust is as valuable as innovation, and failing to deliver on commitments can create a lasting reputational deficit. Startups must balance speed with quality, maintain honesty about capabilities and communicate progress transparently. 

Knowing when to say “no” is critical, as corporations generally prefer candid responses over unmet expectations. By adapting thoughtfully while staying within their capabilities, startups preserve authenticity, build trust and create the foundation for long-term partnerships rather than short-term wins.
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8. Build Personal Connections, But Never Let Them Replace Professionalism
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Personal relationships play an important role in successful collaborations between startups and corporations. When there is trust and connection between individuals, communication becomes smoother, problem-solving is easier and both parties are better equipped to navigate challenges. A positive personal connection can encourage a corporation to give a startup additional “credit” or flexibility, and can help maintain momentum even when initial setbacks occur.

However, personal chemistry alone is not enough. The foundation of any corporate engagement must remain professional and results-oriented. Even the strongest relationships cannot compensate for missed commitments, poor deliverables or insufficient value creation. Furthermore, relying solely on personal bonds is risky, as staff turnover or internal reorganization can disrupt relationships. A connection that is rooted primarily in personal affinity may falter when key individuals change roles.

Startups should therefore cultivate personal connection to enhance collaboration but ensure it complements and not replaces professionalism. Clear communication, consistent delivery of value, technical quality and accountability remain the primary drivers of long-term corporate partnerships.
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9. Learn from Every Interaction and Maintain High Self-Criticism
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Startups engage in dozens of interactions with corporations each year, ranging from highly successful collaborations to opportunities that never progress or fail from the outset. Every interaction, whether a success or a setback, provides valuable lessons that should be fully analyzed and documented. Yet, many startups admit that they lack a structured internal process for debriefing on wins and failures, often relying instead on informal reflections by the CEO or sales lead.

To improve outcomes, startups should formalize this process, reviewing each interaction before, during and after engagement. This includes evaluating communication effectiveness, the evolution of the process, framing of the value proposition, building personal rapport and identifying the right corporate contacts. By consistently assessing what works and what does not, startups can refine their approach, avoid repeated mistakes and enhance their ability to deliver real innovation to corporate partners.

By combining rigorous self-assessment, structured evaluation processes,and high standards of accountability, startups can continuously learn from experience and systematically increase their chances of building lasting, productive corporate partnerships.
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10. Be Humble
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Confidence is essential in business as startups need to believe in their product and be assertive in presenting it. However, there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and humility is especially important when engaging with corporate executives who have seen hundreds of startups and closed numerous deals. While a startup may have superior technical knowledge, conveying a sense of superiority or condescension can quickly hinder collaboration.

Listening is as important as speaking. By attentively hearing what the corporation needs, a startup can better adapt its solution, learn new insights about the industry and build credibility. Demonstrating humility, being willing to share expertise while remaining open to learning, helps establish a foundation of trust and mutual respect. This approach not only enhances communication but also significantly increases the likelihood of a productive partnership.

In short, humility allows startups to position themselves as collaborators rather than lecturers and foster an environment where knowledge is shared and value is co-created.

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