CFOs and other senior finance and accounting executives within large corporations are often the last and most important hurdle many corporate innovators face when trying to secure funding for their new venture. In this Trending Topic, Mike Joslin (Director, High Alpha Innovation) talks through the Jobs-to-be-done of CFOs, how to craft business/investment cases that translate "innovation speak" into CFO language, and novel approaches to funding innovation that increase the odds of success.

Mike is a Director at High Alpha Innovation. Prior to High Alpha Innovation, Mike established and ran Marriott's corporate venture capital program, supported portfolio companies at a $13B venture capital fund of funds and later stage investor, spun out tech-enabled startups at a startup studio, and consulted large corporations on growth strategy, innovation capabilities, and new venture development. Mike holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and began his career at Best Buy Co in marketing and new product development.