AI, robotics, local weather tech: How VCaaS helps companies enter deep tech safely

Corporate executives often ask themselves how to participate in the benefits of deep tech innovation – but without trying to create this innovation based on just a few risky internal projects. What can help this dilemma is for corporations to use Venture Capital-as-a-Service (VCaaS) to invest in innovative startups around the globe. 

Strong Investment Growth

There is compelling industry data to support the growth and important of AI, robotics, and climate tech as well as the overall venture market. 

AI: Global VC investment in AI reached $226 billion in 2025, representing 48% of all global venture funding that year. The broader AI market was valued at $757 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $4.2 trillion by 2035.

Robotics: Robotics companies raised a record $40.7 billion in 2025, accounting for 9% of all venture funding globally. The average robotics deal size nearly tripled from $50 million in 2022 to $135 million in 2025.

Climate Tech: Climate tech VC deals totaled $42.2 billion worldwide in 2025, with clean-energy investment growing 31% to $14.4 billion — a three-year high.

Overall Venture Market: Global venture funding reached $469 billion in 2025, up 47% year-over-year, though deal count fell 17%, meaning capital is concentrating in fewer, larger bets — a dynamic that strongly favors diversified portfolio models like VCaaS.

Deep Tech Challenges

Deep tech innovation is unique and it differs greatly from consumer apps or software platforms. This is due to factors including capital-intensive development, long timelines for R&D, high complexity of regulations and safety, human resource requirements, and high technical failure rates. 

Increasingly, corporations realize that using traditional innovation models does not work well in today’s business and technology environment – especially if they target advanced robotics, AI infrastructure, or climate hardware. Relying on internal R&D is unlikely to succeed because it does not have exposure to innovation developed on the frontier. Relying on acquisitions at later stages is unlikely to succeed, since this approach is competitive and expensive. Direct startup investments can also be hard to source and manage.

Deep tech offers high strategic and financial upside—but also high volatility.

Why VCaaS Is a Natural Fit for Deep Tech

VCaaS enables corporations to enter frontier technologies through a structured, diversified, and professionally managed venture framework.

By using the VCaaS model, corporations reduce risk through access to a wide portfolio of startups across sectors including robotics, AI, energy systems, advanced materials, and climate solutions. This method of risk-reduction produces better results than corporations focusing on a small number of internal programs. At the same time, corporations gain financially through access to cutting-edge technology innovation. 

1. Diversifying Risk

While it is challenging to find deep tech breakthroughs, doing so makes a huge impact. Portfolio structures in the VCaaS model are meant to capitalize on this asymmetry. Many failures can be offset by a single success, which means this form of investing is likely to result in major innovation. 

2. Access to the Best Talent

It is common that the smartest, best educated robotics engineers, AI researchers, and climate scientists work closely with university spinouts or startups. VCaaS connects corporations to these ecosystems without requiring them to recruit every capability in-house. Corporations benefit from the best talent without having to hire them, which is challenging and expensive. 

3. Speed and Optionality

Unlike most corporations, startups typically explore unusual approaches to developing technology and forming new business models. Through VCaaS, corporations gain early visibility into emerging directions and maintain optionality—to partner, license, invest further, or acquire when technologies mature.

4. Efficiency of Capital

Corporations seeking to become innovative can do so by investing in the best startups in the world. By investing capital in external innovation, the corporation has more options while reducing its financial risk. Targeting innovation developed by creative startups gives the corporation a better chance of success, since investing money in internal efforts simply may not work well. 

Less Risky Deep Tech

VCaaS benefits corporate investors seeking to invest in robotics systems, climate hardware, or AI infrastructure. This is because VC firms who advise corporations understand the cultural divide between corporations and startups, the importance of budgets and financial planning, and how to manage internal processes. This lets corporations learn from market signals, gain experience before making scale commitments, experiment with technologies through pilot partnerships, and build internal understanding over time. 

By taking this gradual approach, there is less organizational resistance and new innovation does not shock corporations – helping align internal resources without excess train. 

Pegasus / AISIN Case Study

Pegasus Tech Ventures and AISIN Corporation (a Japanese automotive supplier with ~120,000 employees across 20+ countries) expanded their Corporate Venture Capital fund to $100 million in February 2026, extending a partnership that began in 2018.

The expanded fund runs through 2036, targeting humanoids, space exploration, and next-generation energy — a concrete illustration of how VCaaS enables a corporation to use a long-term, professionally managed structure to enter deep tech safely.

Anis Uzzaman, Founder & CEO of Pegasus Tech Ventures described the relationship as an “18-year long-term alliance” — a rare example of a corporate venture partnership that has compounded over time rather than being wound down.

Developments in Corporate Venture Funds and Deep Tech Investments

Corporate venture funds (CVCs) are increasingly pursuing fewer, more targeted deals — with AI investment becoming a core pillar of corporate innovation strategy, according to Silicon Valley Bank’s 2025 CVC Trends Report.

Harvard Business School research found that VC financing of climate-tech startups causes incumbent corporations to measurably increase their own investment in climate solutions — measured across capital expenditures, R&D spending, and dividend reallocation. This validates the author’s argument that portfolio exposure reshapes corporate behavior.

Investment in deep tech startups globally quadrupled from $15 billion in 2016 to $60 billion in 2020, with Toyota, Samsung, Alibaba, and Lenovo cited as early movers in deep-tech corporate venturing.

Benefits Beyond the Financial

In addition to positive financial returns, investing with the VCaaS model offers corporations solid benefits as they focus on deep tech innovation. The gain influence over technology roadmaps, a strong pipeline of acquisition targets, competitive information about potential disruption, unique insight about future industry directions, and the chance to develop strategic partnerships with innovators growing rapidly. 

While financial performance is a key goal, the strategic learning curve is equally valuable in AI, robotics, and climate tech. 

From Risk to Readiness

I believe it is important to understand key risks and the importance of readiness. It is widely believed that deep tech transformation is inevitable. AI will reshape industrial operations. Robotics will automate physical workflows. There’s little doubt that technologies related to the climate will make major changes to materials, infrastructure, and energy.  

The real risk for corporations is not participating—it is entering too late or with the wrong structure.

VCaaS offers a bridge between exploration and execution. It provides a way to engage frontier innovation safely, methodically, and with professional oversight.

The Companies That Will Lead

The next generation of industry leaders will not rely solely on internal labs or occasional acquisitions. They will build continuous connections to deep tech ecosystems. They will treat venture partnerships not as side experiments, but as core innovation infrastructure.

In AI, robotics, and climate tech, the path forward is not about avoiding risk. It is about managing risk intelligently—and VCaaS is becoming one of the most effective tools to do exactly that.

The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.