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What types of cooperation are there?
Blog What types of cooperation are there?
Lukas Jöhri March 26, 2020 Innovation, Startups
The type of cooperation can be decisive for the success or failure of innovation and investment projects. Start-ups can be suffocated in paper, so it is important to choose the right form of cooperation. In this chapter we will introduce you to the most common forms of cooperation.

Acquisition, joint venture, venture capital, foundation – an overview

There are different types and forms of cooperation. These differ on the one hand in the participation structure and on the other hand in the legal liability. Just because companies cooperate does not mean that they also have joint investors.

Cooperation

This stands for nothing other than a cooperation which is not necessarily of legal character. Only through participation or corresponding contracts does a legal framework exist here.

Acquisition

This occurs when one company buys another company completely.

Joint Venture

This form of cooperation is useful if several existing companies share the same interests and hope to achieve common synergies or savings through a joint start-up. 

Strategic investment

A strategic investment is a more intensive form of cooperation in which one company acquires either a minority or a majority stake (in most cases more than 50%) from another company.

Venture Capital

This is a type of riskier investment in young start-ups, usually with a minority stake (under 30%).

Foundation

By founding a new company, a flexible organization can be created for projects that are too far away from the daily business. A new foundation does not necessarily have to be based on a pure participation.

Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding, financing by numerous individuals, is also a possibility of cooperation, which we are increasingly considering.   

Win-Win-Win
Current Baloise cooperations

The goals of our cooperation are to always recognize and understand trends, ideas and innovations. They also enable us to quickly test new products and exchange knowledge. With start-ups and start-ups, we can quickly focus on the most important processes without any legacy and without larger structures, standards or IT systems.

Start-ups can also benefit from our know-how and our size. Last but not least, our customers also benefit, as we can offer new and better products more quickly. Our innovation timeline shows which start-ups and cooperations we have already been able to celebrate success with.