Inc.

Should Big Customers Be Your Big Investors?

Corporate venture funding is on the rise. These founders explain how they made the choice to take corporate investment—or not
GIANT IN THE ROOM Beware of potential conflicts when taking investment from a large customer.

WHEN GETABLE FOUNDER Tim Hyer raised outside capital last year, he ended up getting a chunk from a source he never pitched: his big-company customers. “I was blown away,” says Hyer of the industry interest when he casually mentioned Getable was raising its Series A round. Ultimately, 20 percent of the $5 million Hyer raised in 2015 came from

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