Bruce Nive, head of strategic venturing at Saudi Aramco, is one of the 100 leading corporate venturing professionals in our 2025 Powerlist.

Bruce Niven joined Aramco Ventures in 2011 to help build its corporate venturing programme. He currently leads the unit’s $2bn strategic venturing programme, with a focus on backing startups with technologies of strategic importance to its parent Aramco, an energy and chemicals company.
This includes the $1.5bn sustainability fund that supports the parent company’s net zero 2050 decarbonisation goals, as well as diversification into new energy and materials businesses. It also includes the $500m industrial fund, investing in digital and hardware technologies that can contribute to the company’s operational performance.
One of the world’s largest corporate VC funds, Aramco Ventures has $7bn in assets under management. The unit has invested in more than 160 startups to date.
“In 2024, we made several notable new investments,” says Niven. These include Immersive Labs, taking workforce cybersecurity training to the next level; Andium, offering an integrated AI-enabled camera applicable to a range of industrial applications; and Hydotech, a developer of advanced low-cost electrolyser systems.”
“We will be selective this year given market conditions, but we have the advantage of a parent with the financial strength to take a long-term view and ride through downturns.”
Speaking of Aramco Ventures’ upcoming investment plans, Niven confirms that it will continue to invest globally in its main domains of digital, sustainability, industrial tech and disruptive technologies.
“Last year was challenging, as the market continued to pull back after the 2021-22 euphoria,” he says. “Barring the AI space, VC retreated with valuations coming under pressure and funds being directed to preservation mode in existing portfolios. This is certainly true in the sustainability space, with the IRA-fuelled run-up being brought back down to earth and uncertainties around the US administration and trade tensions continuing to complicate cross-border investing.
“We will be selective this year given market conditions, but we have the advantage of a parent with the financial strength to take a long-term view and ride through downturns. Despite the current market sentiment, we continue to believe the sustainability imperative will persist in the medium term and we see strong near-term opportunities in areas such as AI applications, as these technologies continue to mature towards enterprise-grade solutions.”

The Global Corporate Venturing Powerlist represents the 100 individuals spearheading the future of the corporate venturing industry.
These individuals excel in terms of their venturing approach and structure, number and quality of portfolio companies and in their contributions to the corporate venturing profession.