L’innovazione nel settore informatico in Italia: l’attività di Corporate venture capital del Gruppo Olivetti negli anni Ottanta

The present paper focuses on the innovation process in the computer science industry in Italy during the eighties. We choose a representative case study, the Olivetti Group. During the eighties, Olivetti stepped up its growth with international acquisitions, agreements and alliances, as well as a number of venture capital operations. Olivetti was the only Italian company involved in corporate venture capital (CVC), which is an instrument used to foster research and development, especially in the Information and Technology sector. Olivetti's corporate venture program, initiated in 1980, was developed to provide Olivetti a window on emerging technologies and companies, as well as provide potential new sources of business in the US and Europe