Venture Builders for Smart Manufacturing Tech Startups: A Comprehensive Literature Survey of an Emerging Trend

As corporate venture builders (VBs) gain traction in various industries, their adoption within the manufacturing sector remains largely underexplored. This scoping literature review investigates the hypothesis of a lack of scientific articles focusing on VBs in manufacturing. By reviewing several types of publications among multidisciplinary topics linked to manufacturing, we ensured ourselves to capture all the relevant literature. Key findings include the role of smart manufacturing technologies and the emerging trend of “shared factories,” where manufacturing tech VBs enable collaborative, cost-effective solutions. We highlight the advantages and challenges of VBs, with a particular focus on their potential to externalize R&D, drive innovation, and reduce costs. While promising, the adoption of VBs in manufacturing remains nascent, with opportunities for further research to explore their strategic impact. Our study underscores the transformative potential of VBs in accelerating manufacturing innovation and reshaping industry practices.