Amodini Chhabra is an Investor at Compass Digital Ventures. Compass Digital Ventures is the Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) arm of Compass Group. They invest in Seed and Series A startups at the intersection of food, retail, and hospitality technology. Their area of interest include frontline employee experience, automation, sustainability tech, restaurant management, convenience economy, omnichannel retail, AI & ML.
Compass Group is one of the largest contract food service companies in the world employing over 500,000 people.
Takeaways
Transitioning from a design background to venture capital.
CDV's unique Pilot, Invest, Scale process for working with early-stage companies.
How to launch, build and create a successful CVC platform.
Unique challenges for the food service industry.
Challenges of CVC include balancing strategic objectives with financial returns and maintaining alignment with the parent company's goals.
Why AI and fintech are interesting areas for Amo right now.
Chapters
00:00 Transition from Design to Venture Capital
02:24 Experience at Boston Consulting Group Ventures
06:19 Joining Compass Digital Labs
09:13 Compass Digital Labs and Compass Digital Ventures
12:01 The Process of Working with Startups
14:28 Strategies for Corporate Venture Capital Success
17:55 Investment Stage and Co-Investment
20:50 Defining the Thesis and Focus Areas
23:45 Deal Flow and Finding Founders
27:36 Unique Challenges in the Food Service Space
31:11 Internal Relationships and Strategic Value
34:29 Incubating In-House Solutions
37:41 Areas of Interest: FinTech, AI, and Procurement
43:52 Favorite Books: 'The Inner Game of Tennis' and 'The Palace of Illusions'
45:45 Excitement for the Future: Driving Innovation and Finding Balance
47:03 Dealing with Hard Times: Mindfulness and Supportive Circle
