/ WEBINAR


How to Build a Corporate Growth Engine

25th Feb 2025 17:00 - 18:00 CAT

What you will learn

In the second quarter of 2025, Mach49 will present a two-day Venture Building Masterclass in Cape Town. This class will give your innovation teams active experience in each major activity in our incubation process.


Every participant will come away with new skills from Mach49's first three phases:

  • Ideate to create a portfolio of customer-centered products and services ready to incubate into disruptive new ventures;
  • Incubate to validate customer pain, understand the product vision, identify the MVP, build the business model, and prepare a go-forward execution plan;
  • Accelerate to launch your pilot ventures.


Throughout the week will also plan the critical role of Mothership Management, the organizational agility required to ensure your new ventures reach escape velocity.


How to prepare

Mach49 will work with your teams in advance to build the session around an actual innovation challenge you would like to address, and you can expect the team to make substantive progress throughout the Masterclass. Preparation is essential.


Starting 6-8 weeks before our Venture Building Masterclass, Mach49 facilitators will work with you to frame the challenge, identify key stakeholders, and prepare interviews, which we'll perform during the session. We've found that bringing these sessions to life with a current opportunity area is essential, so we never cover generic examples. 

Key Takeaways



  • What is a Corporate Growth Engine? Understand the core components and why it's critical for thriving in today's market. Understand the components of growth engines, and the imperative for new channels of growth in today's market.

  • Can Growth Engines Be Created by African Companies? Absolutely! We'll share proven frameworks and real-world examples of successful growth engines.

  • How to Build a Growth Engine: Learn the practical steps, strategies, and tools to construct a growth engine tailored to your organization.

  • Overcoming Roadblocks: Identify common obstacles and gain insights into how to navigate challenges in corporate venturing.

  • Why Aren't More Companies Doing This? We'll address the misconceptions and hesitations that prevent many organizations from embracing this powerful approach.

Meet the Panel

Mark Simoncelli Chief Revenue Officer

Mark specializes in corporate innovation and venture building. With decades of experience guiding Fortune 500 companies, he's a leading voice in transforming corporations into agile engines of innovation. Mark is a seasoned mentor who has helped global businesses develop internal venture portfolios, driving both growth and shareholder value.

Dave Blakely Executive Vice President

Dave Blakely is a venture builder and venture investor with decades of experience in guiding Fortune 100 companies, startups, and regions of the world to create transformative innovation. As Executive Vice President at Mach49, he specializes in helping businesses develop, launch, and scale new ventures with a relentless focus on disruption and market impact. Dave is a former Global Director at IDEO, where he led groundbreaking projects in technology, design, and strategy for industries worldwide, and was an early employee of two startups with successful exits.

Colin Iles Founder & CEO | Moderator

Colin Iles is the founder and CEO of coliniles.com, a platform dedicated to helping CEOs and leadership teams drive real change through thought leadership events. With a track record of curating over 100 high-impact sessions for companies like Standard Bank, MultiChoice, and Huawei, Colin specializes in bridging the gap between inspiration and action. Through strategic conversations, webinars, and keynote sessions, he empowers leaders to navigate disruption, build their brands, and spark meaningful innovation.

Want even more?

Take your innovation to the next level.


In Q2 2025, Mach49 will host a two-day Venture Building Masterclass in South Africa, giving your innovation teams hands-on experience with our incubation process. Participants will gain key skills from Mach49’s first three phases:

  • Ideate – Develop a portfolio of customer-centric products and services ready for incubation.
  • Incubate – Validate customer pain, define the product vision, identify the MVP, and build a go-to-market plan.
  • Accelerate – Launch and scale pilot ventures.

We’ll also explore Mothership Management, ensuring your organization has the agility to help new ventures reach escape velocity.


Interested in participating? Sign up now to gain access to the program.

Sign Up