For Dave Fanger, building an in-house startup was labor of love.
“It was a nights and weekends passion of mine,” said Fanger, CEO of Swell, the impact investing platform owned by Newport Beach, California-based insurer Pacific Life. “We were looking for asset managers to acquire, but I didn’t see anything out there that was addressing the values I was looking for.”
For Fanger, finding partners who were committed to sustainability was important. So six years ago, he teamed up with a colleague and decided to launch Swell — but instead of creating a startup from scratch, he decided to do so from within Pacific Life. As venture capital funding becomes harder to come by, corporate-incubated startups may become more common. For Swell, maintaining the “separateness” of the startup entity is a critical driver of success.
More in Marketing
OpenAI is coming for SMB advertisers
The company is going after smaller advertisers. Its job listings prove it.
Zoom relies on creators to boost AI search results
As AI changes how brands are discovered, Zoom is leaning on creators and journalists to shape its reputation.
Your favorite beauty brands are now also entertainment brands
Many of today’s beauty brands are asking if entertainment and advertising can be one and the same.