Franz Zöchbauer, managing director, Verbund Ventures, is one of the 100 leading corporate venturing professionals in our 2025 Powerlist.
Franz Zöchbauer says that if you want a demonstration of the success of the CVC unit he leads, look to what it has accomplished in such a short period of time.
Verbund Ventures, the CVC arm of the Austrian electricity provider Verbund, was established by Zöchbauer in 2022, but started ramping up investments only last year.
“We kicked off active portfolio building in 2024 with a clear goal: 15 startup investments by 2026,” he says.
“In 2024, we were able to build a solid portfolio, with six startup investments, one corporate venture-building project and one fund investment, all in a relatively short period. This marks our successful transition from concept to initial scaling execution.”
“It took vision, persistence and the right timing, but in 2022 we launched Verbund Ventures. In that sense, I see myself as both initiator and co-founder of our CVC journey.”
Verbund Ventures targets European startups that are innovating in the energy sector. Last year, its investments included Ogre AI, a UK energy forecasting software provider, and Necture, which is developing a platform for managing electric car fleets and charging infrastructure.
“The challenges of decarbonisation, electrification, and digitalisation are enormous and the [fund’s] areas of investment will evolve within this triangle,” Zöchbauer says. He adds that considerations of AI and the geopolitics of energy are influences on the unit’s investment rationale.
One of the unit’s strengths is its dual-fold structure, where the investment team is complemented by another team that helps the portfolio companies grow. To achieve the goal of building a first startup portfolio with 15 investments by 2026, Zöchbauer says, “we knew we needed a dedicated team to focus on scaling and supporting our ventures. This dual-track setup works well for us and we keep it flexible so we can evolve as we grow.”
His role in innovation at Verbund predates the founding of the CVC unit. He became director of corporate innovation and new business in 2019, a role that he was inspired to create within the company after he took part in the Stanford Executive Program in 2018.
“It took vision, persistence and the right timing, but in 2022 we launched Verbund Ventures,” he says. “In that sense, I see myself as both initiator and co-founder of our CVC journey.”
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.
