strategic investor – n : an investor (typically a company) that invests primarily for strategic rather than financial (return) purposes – for example, in order to gain future access to a key new technology or product. (By contrast, financial investors make investment decisions primarily based on the prospect of a strong financial return.)

Example: Corporation Z, a large record company, made a strategic investment in a minority equity stake in the startup digital music distributor; they did so in the hopes of learning more about online media marketing, with the possibly of eventually acquiring the startup.

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Adapted from "The CompanyCrafters Entrepreneur's Dictionary"
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