Lauren Wisniewski, senior manager at New Incubation Ventures, is one of our top 50 Rising Stars in corporate venturing for 2025.
Lauren Wisniewski compares her path into corporate venturing to a maze filled with twists and turns that helped prepare her for her current role at The Estée Lauder Companies’ New Incubation Ventures (NIV).
She started off in equity sales and trading at Scotiabank, which taught her how to understand what investors look for in an investment. She then worked on securing financing for public companies, which developed an interest in driving corporate innovation. An MBA helped build that expertise in strategy and venture investing, followed by stints at WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) and a VC firm in New York. When the opportunity to join the newly formed NIV came up, she was ready to jump in. “It was exciting to be able to have an opportunity to grow the strategy,” says Wisniewski.
Her goal is not just to fund founders and entrepreneurs, but also support them. She and her three team members are always on the look out for “the best emerging beauty brands” and they are hoping to discover “new business models within beauty that are redefining what the next generation of beauty is going to be”. The unit invests as early as incubation, through to series A or B.
“I feel like VC or corporate venturing can be a bit like joining a band before it becomes a global sensation”
“What is most exciting about beauty is that consumer behaviour is always evolving. It creates so many opportunities within beauty. When I first joined, I thought I would run out of brands to look at, but that has not been the case,” says Wisniewski.
She has been instrumental in expanding NIV’s portfolio, adding six new investments, including KIKI World, Vyrao and Melt Season.
“I feel like VC or corporate venturing can be a bit like joining a band before it becomes a global sensation. I find it really fulfilling to collaborate with amazing, passionate, creative management teams and see these businesses thrive and really push the boundaries of beauty.”
See the full list of Rising Stars 2025 here.
