Top 50 Rising Stars 2021 continued (in alphabetical order by CVC unit): Erik Paisley, investment manager, 3M Ventures
Erik Paisley is an investment manager at 3M Ventures, the corporate venture capital (CVC) arm of manufacturing conglomerate 3M, having joined from the parent firm in October 2015. He is responsible for identification, evaluation, negotiation and management of the unit’s venture investments.
Ben Wright, director of 3M Ventures, said: “Erik has been instrumental to the success of 3M Ventures over the past five years. Erik played a critical role in implementing a new CVC strategy put in place in 2015, which has proven successful for 3M Ventures and 3M Company.
“Erik is truly a Rising Star and an excellent representation of the best of 3M and corporate venturing.”
Paisley started at 3M in 2011 and held roles in business development and product management prior to joining the unit. Before joining 3M, he worked as a senior associate at institutional investor-focused investment consultancy Cambridge Associates.
Paisley said: “I was attracted to CVC as an opportunity to invest in and partner with startup companies with disruptive technologies and business models as a way to build new businesses; generating value for both our portfolio companies and for 3M. Joining 3M Ventures was an exciting opportunity to pair my background in investments with my experience in commercialisation and business development at 3M.
“We are also beginning to see commercial success coming from collaborations with our portfolio companies. I am proud to be part of the team that established a new strategy for 3M Ventures in 2015 and is seeing that strategy lead to value creation for our portfolio companies and for 3M.”
Going forward, he hopes to build awareness and understanding of the unit’s CVC activities throughout all levels of 3M and maintain continuity through organisational changes. “Prioritising startup investment areas of focus given 3M’s breadth of technology and segments is both challenging and exciting,” he concluded.
