強大的初創(chuàng)公司生態(tài)系統(tǒng)在硅谷茁壯生長，為什么其他人沒法復制這種成功？今年3月，沃爾瑪創(chuàng)辦了旗下首個科技孵化器，成為最新一家“臭鼬工廠”和硅谷模式孵化器、加速器或?qū)嶒炇壹嬗械墓尽?/p>

“臭鼬工廠”在美國商界的歷史源遠流長。全球最大國防工業(yè)承包商巨頭洛克希德?馬丁早在1943年首開先例。“臭鼬工廠”本是洛克希德·馬丁高級開發(fā)項目的正式名稱。如今，很多美國商界巨頭在內(nèi)部設(shè)立獨立的機密部門，負責推進秘密的高科技項目。谷歌母公司Alphabet 旗下的Google X、Facebook的Building 8都是最著名的例子。

“臭鼬工廠”之父凱利·約翰遜認為，創(chuàng)新組織獨立于原公司至為重要，無論是辦公地點還是體制架構(gòu)里都要和原公司有區(qū)別。約翰遜的座右銘是：“動作快，動靜小，要及時。”

有些公司并不會選擇從零開始開發(fā)創(chuàng)意，而是選擇通過企業(yè)加速器項目，培養(yǎng)創(chuàng)業(yè)初期的小公司。投資初創(chuàng)公司的不止是硅谷的科技巨頭，可口可樂、德勤、勞氏公司、塔吉特等傳統(tǒng)領(lǐng)域的佼佼者也都在積極開展加速創(chuàng)新項目。

另一些企業(yè)則是以風投的角色進行硅谷之類的創(chuàng)新試點。一些《財富》500企業(yè)在投資與本公司經(jīng)營范圍完全無關(guān)的初創(chuàng)公司。投資研究機構(gòu)CB Insights稱，按交易數(shù)量排名，英特爾的Intel Capital、谷歌的Google Ventures和企業(yè)客戶關(guān)系管理軟件公司Salesforce 旗下的Salesforce Ventures是去年最活躍的企業(yè)風投基金。

以下列舉了《財富》500強公司最近一些較引人矚目的創(chuàng)新實踐：

甲骨文

今年4月，軟件巨頭甲骨文開始為美國公司的內(nèi)部“初創(chuàng)項目”招募工程師。新公司的員工主要為甲骨文的客戶量身定制云服務(wù)應(yīng)用。新公司將在甲骨文內(nèi)部作為獨立部門運營，兩個解決方案工程中心都遠離甲骨文在加州紅木城的總部，但開發(fā)的產(chǎn)品完全為內(nèi)部使用。新公司的工作重心包括云計算、大數(shù)據(jù)分析、移動運算、物聯(lián)網(wǎng)和網(wǎng)絡(luò)安全領(lǐng)域。

所在地：弗吉尼亞州萊斯頓和科羅拉多州丹佛

Facebook

社交媒體巨頭Facebook旗下的首家初創(chuàng)公司加速器并沒有設(shè)在總部硅谷，而是落戶巴黎，這令科技界大跌眼鏡。加速器Facebook Startup Garage所在的巴黎F站自稱“全球最大的初創(chuàng)工業(yè)園區(qū)”。Facebok的員工可以在六個月內(nèi)與大約12家初創(chuàng)公司合作，提供辦公場所，幫助營銷推廣、技術(shù)開發(fā)和提升用戶體驗等等。在今年9月的加速器首期活動中，F(xiàn)acebook將挑選一些以數(shù)據(jù)驅(qū)動的初創(chuàng)公司，重點為“個人信息創(chuàng)新”。

所在地：法國巴黎

沃爾瑪

全球最大零售商沃爾瑪今年3月在硅谷成立了內(nèi)部孵化器“8號店”。起這個名字是為了紀念沃爾瑪嘗試店內(nèi)新擺貨方式的地點。8號店的目標是改變零售業(yè)的未來。沃爾瑪已經(jīng)宣布投資一項名為Code Eight的初創(chuàng)公司。Code Eight最近聘請服裝租賃公司Rent the Runway的創(chuàng)始人珍妮?弗雷斯主管業(yè)務(wù)。弗雷斯說，Code Eight還在靜默階段，主打產(chǎn)品將是一款移動應(yīng)用，將利用人工智能“讓購物變得神奇又愉快。”

所在地：加州硅谷和紐約市

杜邦

石化業(yè)巨頭杜邦聯(lián)手特拉華大學和特拉華州政府，創(chuàng)立了創(chuàng)新園區(qū)Delaware Innovation Space，占地10萬平方英尺的創(chuàng)新中心可容納幾十家科技領(lǐng)域的初創(chuàng)公司，由一個六人組成的外部非營利性董事會指導。董事會的成員全都是以上三家合作方的代表。杜邦還會密切留意各初創(chuàng)公司，作為未來有收購潛力的目標。杜邦對創(chuàng)新中心的初始投資為125萬美元，在房地產(chǎn)方面將另外投入1500萬美元，還提供價值200萬美元的實驗室設(shè)備。Delaware Innovation Space將于今年夏季開幕。

所在地：特拉華州威明頓

賽門鐵克

除了像傳統(tǒng)風投機構(gòu)一樣提供資金，網(wǎng)絡(luò)安全軟件巨頭賽門鐵克今年3月成立的Symantec Ventures還會分享網(wǎng)絡(luò)安全方面的資源，方便初創(chuàng)公司接觸有威脅的數(shù)據(jù)以及各種市場觀點。數(shù)據(jù)收集是進入網(wǎng)絡(luò)安全行業(yè)的主要壁壘，通過將初創(chuàng)公司納進自身生態(tài)系統(tǒng)，賽門鐵克希望縮短新公司走向市場的時間。賽門鐵克將每筆投資都當成未來收購的機會，但并不會承諾一定收購，對初創(chuàng)公司也不會提出硬性要求。

所在地：加州山景城（財富中文網(wǎng)）

本文發(fā)表于2017年6月15日期《財富》雜志，文章標題為《商界巨頭的“小心機”》。

譯者：Pessy

審稿：夏林

?

A robust startup ecosystem seems to be working for Silicon Valley, so why not the rest of us? Walmart (No. 1 on the 2017 Fortune 500 list) launched its first technology incubator in March, becoming the latest company with not just a skunkworks (though it has one of those too), but also a Bay Area–style incubator, accelerator, or lab.

The skunkworks has a rich history in American business. Lockheed Martin launched the first one 1943. Indeed, “Skunk Works” is the official name of the defense contractor’s Advanced Development Programs. Now, plenty of the country’s largest companies are creating separate divisions inside their companies where employees can work on advanced and oftentimes secretive projects. Alphabet’s Google X and Facebook’s Building 8 are among the most buzzy examples.

Having separation—both physical and institutional—between innovators and the rest of an organization was considered crucial to Skunk Works’ creator, Kelly Johnson, whose motto was, "Be quick, be quiet, and be on time."

Rather than develop purely ideas from scratch, some companies are choosing to nurture young companies in their early stages through corporate accelerator programs. And it’s not just Silicon Valley tech giants that are investing in young talent; Coca Cola, Deloitte, Lowe’s, and Target are all running active acceleration initiatives.

There’s also the Bay Area-test VC route. Some Fortune 500s are investing in early-stage companies completely external to their operations. Intel Capital, Google Ventures, and Salesforce Ventures were the most active corporate venture capital funds last year by number of deals, according to CB Insights.

Here, some of the most recent splashy innovation moves by Fortune 500 companies .

Oracle

In April, the software giant began recruiting engineers for what it is calling a “startup” within its U.S. operations. Employees of the new venture will build custom cloud apps for Oracle’s customers. The startup will operate as a separate unit within the company, with its two physical Solution Engineering Centers located far away from the enterprise software provider’s Redwood City headquarters, but will create products purely for internal purposes. The areas of focus are cloud computing, big data analytics, mobile computing, internet of things, and cybersecurity.

Where: Reston, VA and Denver, CO

Facebook

The social network raised eyebrows around the tech world by launching its first startup accelerator not in its Silicon Valley home base, but in Paris. The Facebook Startup Garage will be housed in Station F, which calls itself “the world’s biggest startup campus.” The company’s employees will work with about a dozen startups for six months at a time, offering them office space and help with functions like marketing, technical development and user experience. For its inaugural class, which starts in September, Facebook is selecting data-driven startups with a focus on “personal information innovation.”

Where: Paris, France

Walmart

The world’s largest retailer has launched an internal incubator in Silicon Valley back in March. Called Store No. 8 (in homage to an early location where the company experimented with store layouts), the incubator is focused on transforming the future of retail. Walmart has already announced one portfolio company, called Code Eight, which has recently hired clothing rental company Rent the Runway founder Jenny Fleiss to lead its operations. The startup is still in stealth mode, but its main product will be mobile app that uses AI to “make shopping magical and delightful," says Fleiss.

Where: Silicon Valley, CA and NYC

DuPont

The petrochemical giant has teamed up with the University of Delaware and the state government to create the Delaware Innovation Space. The 100,000-square-foot center will house dozens of early-stage, science-based startups that will be mentored by an outside non-profit governed by a six-member board, which will have representatives from all three partners. DuPont also plans to keep a close eye on the companies as potential future acquisition targets. The company is pitching in $1.25 million in initial funding, $15 million in real estate and $2 million worth of lab equipment to the project, which is opening this summer.

Where: Wilmington, DE

Symantec

In addition to providing capital like a traditional VC firm, Symantec Ventures, which the cyber security company launched in March, will give young companies in its industry access to its threat data and market insights. Data collection is a major barrier to entry into the cyber space; by giving startups access to its ecosystem, Symantec hopes to accelerate companies’ time to market. The software giant is looking at investments as future acquisition opportunities, but it is not making or requiring any promises.

Where: Mountain View, CA

A version of this article appears in the June 15, 2017 issue of Fortune with the headline "Titans of Business Think Small."