Venture services firm Mach49 has helped the owner of alcohol brands Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark and Yamazaki to launch the CVC initiative.
Image of Rei Okawa (Fukuda), director of enterprise project management office and strategic transformation at Beam Suntory, courtesy of LinkedIn.
Beam Suntory, an American subsidiary of the Japanese distilled beverage producer Suntory, has formed a corporate venture capital arm, having joined forces with CVC advisory firm Mach49.
Formed in 2014 as a result of Suntory’s $16bn acquisition of US bourbon provider Beam, Beam Suntory sells spirits under brands such as Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark bourbon and Yamazaki whisky.
The unnamed corporate venturing unit will target innovative companies operating in the beverage industry or developing technologies for brands in the consumer packaged goods sector.
Beam Suntory had already made a couple of strategic investments. Organic alcohol producer Flying Embers received funding from the corporate in 2022, following funding for Bartesian, a cocktail maker manufacturer, six years before.
Rei Okawa (Fukuda) (pictured), director of enterprise project management office and strategic transformation at Beam Suntory, and her colleague, strategic transformation manager Gurdeep Singh Somal, helped launch the CVC team. They were joined by Mach49 managing partner Kevin Ye and associate Marigrace Ragsdale.
