Jon Soberg, CEO and managing partner at MS&AD Ventures, is one of the 100 leading corporate venturing professionals in our 2025 Powerlist.
Jon Soberg, managing partner of MS&AD Ventures, believes giving people responsibility is the best way to build a strong team.
“I like to let people run as fast and as far as they can. I give people a lot of opportunities, and allow them to step up and take ownership,” he says.
His unit is the CVC arm of MS&AD, a Japan-headquartered global insurance and financial services company. Soberg helped launch the CVC in 2018, bringing strong experience to the table, having managed four funds prior to taking this role.
“Tough markets really require resilience and discipline and we are always impressed by the companies that can adapt to market conditions quickly and find ways to excel.”
Soberg says he has modelled the unit on a traditional VC fund with an emphasis on being “nimble, fast and flexible”, and that it mainly targets early-stage companies. Typically, MS&AD Ventures will not lead deals.
“In general, CVCs are not the most desired leads in early stages,” says Soberg. “So we set up our fund to be a collaborator and a fund that can easily fit into seed rounds and collaborate with other VCs. We believe that is a good fit for the market.”
Sectors MS&AD Ventures targets include fintech, AI, cybersecurity, supply chain and health, but Soberg says it is not limited to these areas.
“We do not normally focus on specific industries or areas. We focus on teams first and foremost. If we can find a strong team going after a market they know and we think they have a chance to make an impact in that market, we are interested.”
He points to the exit of portfolio company Rubrik as one of the fund’s success stories. In April last year, the cloud data management provider went public, raising $752m.
“The Rubrik IPO was a big success for us and especially in a market where IPOs are rare,” says Soberg.
And in a market that is currently clouded by uncertainty, he emphasises the opportunity.
“Tough markets really require resilience and discipline and we are always impressed by the companies that can adapt to market conditions quickly and find ways to excel,” he says. “This market is going to create some lasting and strong companies.”
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.
