Carlo Stern, investment manager at Porsche Ventures, is one of our top 50 Rising Stars in corporate venturing for 2025.
“The most exciting part of my job is being part of the transformation of industries,” says Carlo Stern, referring to his corporate venturing role at Porsche Ventures. Stern has a background in banking and finance in a prior role at JP Morgan. “My underlying passion for technology and anything around innovation drove me away from traditional banking.”
Launched in 2017, the 10-member CVC unit is spread across Europe, the US and Israel. Stern is part of the European team and is based in Luxembourg. “We are actively managing around 45 companies,” says Stern. “We like to enter companies around the late seed, series A stage – that is our sweet spot – and can do investments up to series B, but it depends on the technology, region, valuation and exit potential.”
“My underlying passion for technology and anything around innovation drove me away from traditional banking”
The team focuses on three areas when it comes to investing. First, industrial tech – AI, the future of computing, cybersecurity, manufacturing, supply chains and anything that touches on any industrial enterprise to an extent. Second, energy transition – sustainable power generation and storage, battery value chains, and how we source raw or essential materials. And third, mobility – electrification, advanced connectivity and software for vehicles.
The two recent deals that are closest to his heart are Porsche Ventures’ investment in Cylib, a German startup that offers next generation battery recycling technology in Europe, and Tomorrow, a sustainable bank from Hamburg in Germany – something which Stern says “you would not traditionally associate with Porsche, but one where we had the opportunity to push the boundaries of what corporate investment can be”.
He believes anyone thinking about coming into corporate venturing should keep two things in mind. “Pick a corporate where you have a passion for what they do and one that is receptive to innovation.”
See the full list of Rising Stars 2025 here.
