Following Compass' Lead

Corporate venture investment programs like Guidant's Compass walk a thin line between traditional business development and traditional venture capital investing. Compass' goal is to help Guidant find new technology early that could eventually help one of Guidant's core business groups but still earn a return on investment in the event the technology ultimately proves of no value to the corporation.

by David Cassak

These are tough times for small medical device start-ups. Once-active venture capital firms such as Sequoia Capital and Accel Partners...

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