Hakan Goker and Owen Lozman, managing directors of M Ventures, make up one of the 100 leading corporate venturing professionals in our 2025 Powerlist.

Not many corporate venture units have two heads, but Hakan Goker (pictured left) and Owen Lozman (pictured right) have made it work at German science and technology company Merck Group’s M Ventures unit, which invests in biotech and frontier technologies and which hit new heights for number and value of deals in 2024.

“We had a record level of new dealflow, plus an increased number of new investments and refinancings,” says Goker, who heads the unit’s biotech investments. M Ventures also expanded its team to deal with an increased workload from expanded dealflow and a larger portfolio.

That dealflow included nine-figure rounds for optical interconnect technology startup Celestial AI and Biolinq, creator of a biosensor designed to improve metabolic health, as well as a $31m seed round for Trimtech, a Cambridge University spinout developing drugs to treat neurodegenerative disease. M Ventures is especially proud of how many of its startups engage with Merck.

“It is easy to say, ‘we had a great financial year’, or ‘we have had a great strategic year’, but it is very rare that you can say both were true”

“It is easy to say, ‘we had a great financial year’, or ‘we have had a great strategic year’, but it is very rare that you can say both were true,” says Lozman, who oversees M Ventures’ technology deals. “We have managed to get strong strategic buy-in on a lot of things and still generate large financial gains as well.”

The venture heads do not just focus on different sector areas: Goker and Lozman each bring a different element to the dynamic, with Goker citing Lozman’s tireless energy and his enthusiasm in widening his knowledge beyond his core focus areas.

Lozman praises Goker’s openness to share his knowledge, as well as his experience in relationship and board management. He particularly appreciates how each brings their particular expertise to the table, and M Ventures is continuing to explore how its technology and pharmaceutical expertise can intersect, in areas such as AI for drug development.

“We remain cautious but excited for the new year,” says Goker. “Regardless of the current market
dynamics, the clear need and want for new technologies and innovative, differentiated treatments is
what excites us.”


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.

See the full 2025 Powerlist here.