Top 50 Emerging Leaders 2022 (in alphabetical order by CVC unit): Anil Achyuta, investment director, TDK Ventures
Anil Achyuta, investment director at TDK Ventures, Japan-headquartered electronics manufacturer TDK’s corporate venturing arm, heads up the unit’s energy and healthcare practice and has been focusing on investments in early-stage companies since joining as a founding member in July 2019.
Nicolas Sauvage, president of TDK Ventures, said of Achyuta: “Anil is talented, hardworking, curious, has a can-do attitude, and committed to add value whenever he can.
“Importantly, he never let the hundreds of hours in due diligence weight on his investment decision, only investing when a project meets our highest standards for financial returns, strategic returns and sustainability value.
“I am also delighted and proud to see how committed and diligent he is to help his direct team live our core values and grow them to become the rising stars of tomorrow.
“Last but not least, I have seen Anil leading and co-leading financing rounds with top VCs and CVCs, and building cohesive value add syndicates with the highest professionalism and effectiveness.”
Achyuta’s key achievements over the past two years include having reviewed over 1,500 companies and made nine investments, of which two enabled the unit to exit in 2020: 3D printing company Origin and hydrogen fuel cell company GenCell.
Another two companies – electric vertical take-off and landing company Autoflight and ultrasound provider Exo – are set to achieve unicorn status.
On these achievements, Achyuta said: “What I am even more proud of is the fact that we now have [20] investments from TDK Ventures since our inception and each of them follow the United Nations’ sustainable development goals and could have lasting positive effect to our society for an attractive sustainable future – this is something that I cherish most.”
Fernando Moncada Rivera
Fernando Moncada Rivera is a reporter at Global Corporate Venturing and also host of the CVC Unplugged podcast.
