Marcus Behrendt, managing director BMW i Ventures, is one of the 100 leading corporate venturing professionals in our 2025 Powerlist.
CVCs are intimately linked with their parent company, but that does not mean they cannot be independent. Marcus Behrendt has always been a strong champion for a fund structure that gives the investment team freedom to operate.
“We came to the conclusion that if you really want to be in the good deals – the deals that will change the world – you probably have to be faster. You have to be more dedicated. You have to take risks – controlled risks – but you have to take risks,” Behrendt told GCV earlier this year.
“We needed to build a unit that was allowed to take risks, that was allowed to go out and play the game as institutional venture capitalists do.”
We needed to build a unit that was allowed to take risks, that was allowed to go out and play the game as institutional venture capitalists do.
BMW i Ventures sees great potential in the area of automation and autonomous driving, which, despite having seen something of a slump in recent years, is now seeing a strong comeback.
“Some things go through this classical life cycle. So in the beginning there is the idea, then there is this big hype, then you sober out and then, actually, the technology prevails,” says Behrendt.
“Some of the things we have been looking at from the very beginning, such as autonomous driving, we have gone through the highs and lows and we are just seeing it picking up.”
The unit’s portfolio includes startups such as green steel manufacturer Boston Metal, rare earth minerals recycling technology developer Cyclic Materials, autonomous driving technology provider Embotech, self-driving truck company Kodiak, micromobility company Lime, and cybersecurity company Runsafe Security.
Behrendt started at BMW i Ventures’ Silicon Valley office as partner and CEO in 2018, when the unit was investing off balance sheet, before becoming managing partner based out of its Munich office in 2022 under an independent structure.
He has a depth of experience at automobile manufacturers, having worked at BMW Group for four years, dealing with user experience and human-machine interface, as well as seven years at Mercedes-Benz in project management, safety product analysis and vehicle dynamics engineering.
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.
