The rest of the 100 (in alphabetical order): Sherwin Prior, managing director, General Motors
An acquisition analyst with US-listed car maker General Motors at the turn of the millennium, Sherwin Prior’s relationship with the automotive giant has come full circle.
After graduating from Eastern Michigan University, where he remains a board trustee, Prior held a couple of financial analyst roles before coming to General Motors. Prior then left to return to his studies, this time at Michigan University, where he obtained an MBA.
Prior would then join investment bank Morgan Stanley as a senior associate for a couple of years before moving to Northpointe Capital as an equity analyst for the rest of the decade, while also lecturing in finance at Eastern Michigan University.
Prior joined GM Ventures, the corporate venturing unit of General Motors, in 2010. There, he helps manages a $200m fund, which has 19 portfolio companies across cleantech, advanced materials and other sectors related to the automotive industry. He leads a six-man team under chief technology officer and head of ventures, Jon Lauckner, and is the board observer for nine of GM Ventures’ portfolio firms.
He was also responsible for General Motors’ $6m investment in 2011 for electric bus manufacturer Urban Mobility, which was part of a $30m round and doubled its return on investment upon exit.