Television invented it for the obvious commercial reason: the audience decides during the titles, so the titles cannot come first. The same logic now applies to almost every format, because every format has an equivalent of titles — the logo sting, the intro music, the "hi, I’m", the agenda slide — and all of them are decision points where people leave.
The strongest cold opens are not summaries or highlights. They are complete small units that raise a question the main piece answers, which is why the trailer-style montage opening is weaker than a single strange moment: a montage promises everything and specifies nothing.
The corporate version is the branded intro animation, and it is worth stating plainly that it costs viewers. If it must exist, it belongs after the cold open, where the audience has a reason to sit through it.
What is a cold open?
A scene before the titles or branding, designed to give the audience a reason to stay before the piece formally starts.
Should a corporate video have an intro animation?
Not at the front. Every branded sting is a decision point where viewers leave. If it has to exist, it goes after an opening that has already earned the attention.