The top 50: John Somorjai, executive vice-president of corporate development, Salesforce Ventures
Salesforce Ventures, the global investment arm of US-based enterprise software producer Salesforce, is among the most active corporate venture capital (CVC) units, according to GCV Analytics data.
Led by John Somorjai since 2014, Salesforce Ventures has invested over $3bn and partnered with more than 400 of the most disruptive enterprise technology companies globally since it was formed in 2009. These include Databricks, DocuSign, Hopin, nCino, Snowflake, Tanium, Twilio and Zoom. The firm has over 100 acquisitions and 26 IPOs.
Among its most recent investments are participation in the $100m series B round for US-based regtech startup Drata in November last year, as well as the purchase of $75m worth of shares in Monday.com alongside the work-management platform’s IPO in June 2021.
Salesforce Ventures’ focus is on partnering with the most ambitious enterprise technology companies at every stage in their journey. The firm has launched multiple targeted funds, including one focused on artificial intelligence, another on impact, as well as regional funds focused on Australia, Canada, Europe and Japan. It has also emphasised its investment in Salesforce consultants and system integrators with its Consultant Trailblazer Fund.
Somorjai was initially tasked with deploying the unit’s $100m Salesforce1 Fund. He then brought in Matt Garratt, a GCV Rising Star 2016, to run what became Salesforce Ventures in October that year and it quickly grew.
Somorjai previously worked for pay-per-call company Ingenio, which was acquired by AT&T, as its vice-president, business development, responsible for partnership, sales and strategic corporate activities. He has also worked for Oracle Corporation as a senior director of corporate development working on strategic transactions. Somorjai was originally Oracle’s corporate counsel in the company’s legal department.
