Top 50 Emerging Leaders 2022 (in alphabetical order by CVC unit): Mark Crawford, managing director, Stanley Ventures
Mark Crawford is a managing director at Stanley Ventures, the strategic investment arm of US-based hardware product maker Stanley Black & Decker (SBD), where he leads the firm’s corporate venture capital (CVC) practice in Silicon Valley.
Dina Routhier, president of Stanley Ventures, said: “Mark has invested capital in all stages of the corporate lifecycle – from seed to mature – during his 20-year career in the venture capital asset class. He has been involved in mezzanine lending, buyout, growth, seed, distressed and recap situations at the associate, vice-president and director levels.
“Mark has been instrumental in bringing some of the best practices in corporate venturing to Stanley Ventures and has expanded our presence in Silicon Valley. His insights and experience have been valuable as Stanley Ventures continues to expand its sector focus areas and refines its investment themes.”
Regarding Stanley Ventures and his work for the firm, Crawford said: “Stanley Ventures has successful deployed over $100m since its inception, and despite focusing exclusively on strategically relevant opportunities aligned to SBD business units, we have outperformed our peers when it comes to all the financial metrics related to the venture capital asset class.”
Prior to joining Stanley Ventures, Crawford spent four years at Intel Capital, the CVC arm of semiconductor manufacturer Intel, where he worked in the software and service and new technology divisions. In addition, he also invested on behalf of Intel Capital’s Diversity Fund.
Crawford added: “Corporate venturing is one of the most effective strategies for bringing external innovation internally. The strategic deployment of capital, when executed correctly, can drive future growth along with strategic and financial returns. I chose the CVC career path for the dual impact it makes in the start-up ecosystem and the corporate world.”
