Beckloff, an 11-year veteran of UK-based microprocessor company Arm Holdings, moved the company into corporate venturing in 2008 but has since become part-time while seconded to the UK government’s UK Trade & Investment unit responsible for venture capital.
Beckloff said: “In 2008 I came into the corporate business development group. This was generally run by senior management, who would go on to something else or wanted to buy a group and run the division. I added stability to the activity for the long-term focusing on driving the strategic process, mergers and acquisitions and investments.”
He added: “The things we invest in are strategically beneficial, which may grow Arm over the next 10 years. Our investment portfolio peaked at £50m [$80m] and it is now running at £30m today.”
The company is currently having a fresh look at how it pursues corporate venturing. Beckloff said: “We will probably take a fresh look at what we want to get out of investments, and pare back things to what is critically strategic for Arm.”
Before moving to corporate development, Beckloff set up the investor relations programme at Arm in 2005. He said: “Until 2005, Arm had never had a dedicated investor relations programme. It had been handled by the chief exexutive and chief financial officer. For some time I had wanted
to augment my marketing capabilities by strengthening my financial background. I started working with the chief financial officer and created the investor relations activity at Arm in 2005.”
Beckloff was also previously director of segment marketing at Arm. He studied materials engineering and science at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also has a master of business administration from the Southern Methodist University.
Lessons from the top: Beckloff said: “The good ones in corporate venturing are trying to further the overall mother-ship strategy. No financial investment is ever going to move the share price needle. You should first define the strategy and objective of investment activity and figure out how to motivate the team to meet those objectives.”
