ZX Ventures: Inside AB InBev's growth and innovation group

ZX Ventures was founded in 2015. It is best known as a corporate venture fund, boasting an impressive and far-reaching portfolio that includes Swish Beverages (Babe Wine), Hiball Energy, RateBeer, and Master of Malt, among others.

But ZX Ventures is much more than a corporate VC. Its 1,500 person team is tackling everything from e-commerce and brand experience to international craft. In this episode, Liz Tomic, Global Director of ZX Ventures’ Explore Fund, explains how ZX operates, her team’s investment strategy, and how they balance independence and accountability while driving innovation at the world’s largest beer company.

In this episode, Liz helps explain:

1. Why did AB InBev decide to form a semi-autonomous growth and innovation group?
2. How does ZX Ventures ultimately contribute to the bottom-line for AB InBev and in which parts of the business do they play a role?
3. What factors drive ZX Ventures’ decision to invest in one brand over another?
4. How does the growth strategy at ZX Ventures differ from AB InBev, and how do they decide which organization should ‘own’ new products and categories.

This podcast is hosted by Rabobank’s global beverage strategist Stephen Rannekleiv, senior analyst Jim Watson, and analyst Bourcard Nesin.