CVCs based in the southern and midwestern US often end up getting overlooked. Here is an updated list of women dominating corporate venture capital in this region.
Corporate venturing is known to be largely male dominated, but a change is certainly underway. We’ve been featuring women in CVC for the past three years, and the women we are speaking to these days are highly aware of the need for diversity and doing everything in their power to ensure there are safe and inclusive spaces available for their peers.
This update of our women to watch in the CVC industry list looks at the US South and Midwest – a region sometimes unfairly overlooked for venture capital, but which is, in fact, a powerhouse for many industrial, energy and healthcare companies and their investment funds.
Keeping up to date with new entrants into the sector has meant updating our women in CVC lists on a rolling basis, region by region. We have now completed our updates for the US (see our updated lists for the US West Coast and US East Coast) and are moving to update the Mediterranean Europe, DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), Asia, the Middle East and Latin America with new faces. We continue to look for women in the sector to add to our lists. If there is anyone you feel we should add, please let us know.
Laura Daily
Director, impact investing
Lilly Ventures
Based in Indianapolis, Indiana
“My journey into corporate venturing was kind of a serendipitous path of following a leader that I deeply admired,” says Laura Daily.
Having studied biochemistry and neuroscience at Indiana University in Bloomington, she spent time supporting work in an academic research lab focused on neurology and animal models. When she moved back to Indianapolis in 2018, she began looking for roles within Lilly Research Laboratories, the R&D function of pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, and happened to come across a role in external innovation.
“I had no idea what external innovation really was or how the pharma industry interacted with early-stage startups to help create partnerships that would lead to downstream deals and, hopefully, medicines or patents,” says Daily.
She applied for the role without any real expectation of getting it, but the managing director (Heather Wasserman, then senior director, external innovation at Lilly Ventures) saw Daily’s potential and brought her in.
“Heather Wasserman was probably the first female mentor that I had in this space. She saw the potential in me, despite having just a core scientific background and not a strategic business background,” says Daily.
“Heather asked if I wanted to join her when she was moving to head our CVC team. I agreed, despite not knowing anything about venture capital. And that was the beginning of my now six-and-a-half-year career with the ventures team.”
Daily joined the ventures team in 2019 and believes Wasserman played a key role in putting her in rooms that had all the right conversations, giving her exposure to leadership, strategic decisions and the big picture of why they were doing the work they were doing.
“It’s what helped me grow,” says Daily. “My current supervisor has also helped on this journey. He’s enabled me to progress from doing triage and landscaping to owning relationships, transactions and a portfolio.”
Daily presently oversees the impact investing portfolio at Lilly Ventures. She works with different venture funds within their portfolio to provide a direct Lilly connection. At the same time, she’s also responsible for quantifying and qualifying the impact these funds are making through the companies they’ve invested in and how that can be measured and reported on.
Her work has brought her in contact with a wide network of VC fund managers who’ve mentored her in varying ways.
“I have several female-led emerging manager funds that I’ve got to work with and know for the past four to five years,” says Daily.
“One of them, Black Opal Ventures*, is led by two female GPs who have gone beyond the GP/LP relationship to become mentors to me and other emerging leaders on our team. They’ve been very open to sharing their experience as women navigating CVC and VC. I feel really lucky that my portfolio helps my own development thanks to the people that I get to work with.”
On the topic of diversity, Daily believes it to be the cornerstone of any functioning, strong team – something that should be encouraged.
“CVC and traditional VC can be quite non-diverse when it comes to gender. But we have to look at ways to encourage it,” says Daily.
“While we have pretty strong parity in our team at Lilly Ventures, I’m always thinking of ways to empower and encourage the women on my team and around me to take leadership, step up and have their voices heard.”
*(Note: GCV is an LP in Black Opal Ventures’ fund)
“CVC and traditional VC can be quite non-diverse when it comes to gender. But we have to look at ways to encourage it.”
Laura Daily, Lilly Ventures
Kristen Harvey
Managing director
301 Inc
Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Kristen Harvey is the managing director for 301 Inc, the corporate VC arm of US-based packaged foods company General Mills, where she partners with founders across the food and wellness ecosystem to accelerate scale and refine growth strategy.
Founded in 2012, 301 Inc’s areas of investment focus include emerging food brands, digital capabilities, new go-to-market models and agriculture and packaging technologies. The unit prefers to engage and make direct equity investments in early-stage food businesses.
Harvey took over the managing director role at 301 Inc in June 2024. Prior to that, she spent over a decade gaining commercial experience across several of General Mills’ key platforms including Old El Paso, Betty Crocker and Fruit & Salty Snacks.
She is passionate about wellness-forward innovation and creating connections that drive meaningful impact.
Erin VanLanduit
Head of corporate ventures
Cargill
Based in Greater Minneapolis – St. Paul area, Minnesota
Though her path to corporate venturing was fairly indirect, former US army officer Erin VanLanduit can see how her various professional experiences have brought her to the present chapter of her career.
“Managing P&L businesses at global CPG companies, understanding operations and supply chain, global innovation projects, conducting M&A commercial integration, and yes, even leading soldiers in highly stressful combat deployments, all gave me useful perspective,” explains VanLanduit.
“I became more interested in finding new ways to unlock growth and value for mature businesses while getting my MBA at Chicago Booth, so transitioning to ventures just made sense.”
The portfolio of agribusiness Cargill is spread across the food and ag sector and has been built over the past several years. VanLanduit’s team is heavily focused on ensuring those companies continue to succeed and the relevant partnerships to deliver long-term strategic value progress.
“I’m also personally very passionate about team and professional development, so I’m constantly looking for ways we can build skillsets to expand our capabilities, adding more value to the organisation as a whole,” she says.
As a woman in the largely male-dominated space of CVC, VanLanduit believes she’s been fortunate to learn from some very skilled practitioners in the organisations she’s been able to be a part of, as well as through peer networks.
“I don’t necessarily feel my professional experience has been any different because I’m a woman; I got quite accustomed to working effectively in predominantly male fields over my decade in the military in my early adult life. My first two managers when I pivoted into CVC were both women, so I had some fantastic leadership lessons and mentorship from each of them.”
On the matter of diversity within CVC, VanLanduit states, “There is significant data proving that diverse teams deliver better business results; I believe the same is true in CVC. A variety of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and approaches to problem solving lead to the best solutions – who doesn’t want that?”
As for ways to encourage it? “I think there are two ways – one, education that CVC is a career option, and two, intentional talent pipeline cultivation, including active mentoring.”
Quennie Co
Managing partner
Shell Ventures
Based in Houston, Texas
Quennie Co took over as managing partner for Shell Ventures, the corporate subsidiary of the UK-based multinational oil and gas company Shell, in September 2024 following the departure of unit co-founder Geert van de Wouw.
Co has over two decades of experience in Shell in various roles. She began her career with the company in mergers and acquisitions, later moving to business finance including CFO roles for various Shell subsidiaries.
Co leads a global team of investment professionals across 10 hubs in opportunity identification, investments and portfolio management.
The Shell Ventures team prefers to invest in early-stage companies focusing on power, mobility, emission management, digital and resources sectors and has a portfolio consisting of over 80 companies and 10+ funds.
Mila Kyriacou
Venture principal
Woodside Energy
Based in Houston, Texas
A fascination for entrepreneurship played a role in Mila Kyriacou’s journey into corporate venturing.
She founded a travel agency right after college where she learned the ups and downs of building a business from the ground up. She also launched an equity crowdfunding platform called Strattica Capital after completing her MBA, which “further enhanced my understanding of venture building techniques”.
An internship at a Silicon Valley VC firm led to a role at Silicon Valley Bank where Kyriacou provided banking services to some of the top VC firms in the area. “This experience was instrumental in shaping my understanding of how investments fuel innovation,” she says.
Kyriacou joined Australia-based global energy company Woodside Energy in 2020 as commercial manager, technology. She took on the role of venture principal in February 2024 and relocated to Houston office of the company.
“I found purpose in investing in startups whose visions align with our strategic objectives, leveraging my prior experience to drive innovation within the energy sector,” states Kyriacou.
Woodside Energy invests across three pillars of interest – oil, gas and new energy projects (such as carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and ammonia and solar energy).
Looking over her career, Kyriacou believes successful investment in early-stage technology companies hinges on thorough analysis – not just of the technology and business model, but also of the broader environment and related uncertainties.
“Assembling a diverse and highly qualified team is key to making robust, well-informed investment decisions that consistently deliver value,” she says.
Jaimie Clark
Head of innovation and venture strategy
Catalyst by Wellstar
Based in Atlanta, Georgia
Jaimie Clark has been head of innovation and venture strategy at Catalyst by Wellstar since it was set up in 2021 and played a role in building the unit’s operating model and team.
Catalyst by Wellstar is the venture and innovation arm of US-based healthcare provider Wellstar. The unit seeks to disrupt the healthcare system by investing in and nurturing new technologies that address challenges facing the sector. They support a multi-sector approach by investing in startups in health tech, data and security, future of work, customer experience, supply chain and mobility and sustainability.
Clark leads the development of new companies in the unit’s studio. Prior to this role, she was business technology portfolio manager at healthcare company Novant Health.
Taylor Chance
Principal
Southern Company’s New Ventures
Based in Atlanta, Georgia
Taylor Chance is principal at New Ventures, the corporate VC arm of US-based electric power distribution company Southern Company.
Founded in 2022, New Ventures is a strategic innovator, catalyser and collaborator driving transformative impact across the parent company. The unit co-founded venture firm Energy Impact Ventures to provide access to early-stage companies focusing on energy and utilities innovations.
The New Ventures’ team’s primary areas of focus include technologies that can help them serve their customers better, faster and more efficiently while continuing to deliver clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy; introducing novel technology pilots and solutions to Southern Company; driving value and impact; and leading to transformational scaled solutions based on needs that address internal challenges and opportunities.
Chance joined the New Ventures team earlier this year. She was previously director of corporate innovation at innovation and corporate venture platform Engage.
Kelsey Maguire
Managing director
Blue Venture Fund
Based in Greater Chicago Area, Illinois
Kelsey Maguire has moved from banking and growth private equity to health insurance over the course of her career. “It gave me a lot of respect for what health insurance companies do, and why they are oftentimes best positioned to try to push for the triple aim in healthcare – improving patient experience, healthcare outcomes, and reducing costs.”
She moved to the investing side of the equation when she joined VC firm Sandbox Industries in 2019 as managing director. There she is also partner of the Blue Venture Fund, a corporate venture programme of the federation of US health insurance plans Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and Sandbox.
Blue Venture Fund, formerly known as Blue Cross Blue Shield Venture Partners, was founded in 2008 and invests in startups focusing on healthcare technology and services, as well as clinical sciences.
Maguire’s focus at work is within innovation in healthcare delivery, i.e., how to better deliver care to patients. “This can sometimes involve expanding access to in-network care or redefining how care is paid for in a particular space where incentives may be misaligned between providers, payers, and patients.”
She is also keeping a close eye on the impact of the adoption of AI on the healthcare sector. “We are looking for AI companies with strong healthcare use cases that improve the system for everyone.”
On the subject of diversity within corporate VC, Maguire believes healthcare to be a diverse industry and is thankful to be surrounded by female leaders such as startup CEOs, Blue Plan executives, fellow investors, and so on.
She highlights the importance of encouraging diversity within CVC. “Backgrounds in CVC can vary widely – direct industry experience, prior investing jobs, etc. Continuing to allow for this type of diversity of experience is the best way to encourage overall diversity.”
Diane Smith
Program manager, portfolio development
Intel Capital
Based in Hillsboro, Oregon
Diane Smith joined Intel Capital, the venturing arm of US chipmaker Intel, in 2002 as programme manager of portfolio development.
Intel Capital, one of the oldest CVC units, has been in operation for over 30 years. Earlier this year, it announced that the investment unit was being spun out but the decision was later reversed.
Smith works closely with entrepreneurs to grow their business by building and executing a variety of programmes that drive customer acquisition, marketing, go-to-market by collaborating closely with Intel’s global salesforce and business units.
Prior to Intel Capital, Smith worked across multiple groups within Intel, including materials group, purchasing, marketing, engineering and more.
Kathryn Underhill
Digital scout
Chevron Technology Ventures
Based in Houston, Texas
Kathryn Underhill is digital scout at Chevron Technology Ventures, the corporate VC arm of oil and gas major Chevron.
Launched in 1999, Chevron Technology Ventures focuses on identifying and integrating externally developed technologies and new business solutions from the startup ecosystem that have the potential to enhance the way Chevron produces and delivers affordable, reliable and cleaner energy.
The unit’s areas of investment focus include industrial decarbonisation, emerging mobility, energy decentralisation and the growing circular economy sectors. As digital scout, Underhill is responsible for identifying, evaluating and deploying emerging digital technology in the startup ecosystem. Her areas of experience include AI, internet of things, connected worker, cybersecurity, remote operations and blockchain.
Lovely Sharma
Investor
Aramco Ventures
Based in Houston, Texas
Lovely Sharma began her career as an engineering trainee for the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation in India. Working in remote oil and gas sites offshore and onshore, at times as the only woman on a drillship surrounded by men, shaped her perspective on inclusivity in a unique manner.
Now an investor at Aramco Ventures, the $7.5bn AUM corporate VC arm of energy company Saudi Aramco, Sharma believes there’s still a way to go to achieve true inclusivity even in CVC.
“While there are more women in mid and junior roles, parity at leadership levels remains rare… The industry benefits greatly when leaders actively support women and promote diverse talent.”
Sharma’s role at Aramco Ventures has her focusing on investment opportunities that sit at the intersection of sustainability and advanced technology, where energy meets innovation.
“My team invests in industrial AI, new materials, critical minerals, and climate tech, always seeking startups with transformative potential and strategic fit for Aramco,” she says. “Our mandate is broad: from carbon management and hydrogen to digital and nature-based solutions, we support breakthrough technologies that advance net-zero ambitions and global resilience.”
Speaking as an immigrant woman of colour, Sharma strongly believes diversity is critical in VC since it fuels creativity and better decision-making.
“The ability to anticipate future trends and spot transformative opportunities depends on having diverse voices in the room,” she states.
“Encouraging it [diversity] requires intentional recruitment, mentorship programs, and cultivating networks that especially support women and immigrants who often navigate non-linear career paths. The women’s community in CVC is powerful and collaborative, and together we raise the bar for the entire ecosystem.”
Kelly Krajnik
Senior director of business development
Mayo Clinic
Based in Rochester, Minnesota
Kelly Krajnik has been with US healthcare and medical centre Mayo Clinic since 2008 in various roles, the most recent being senior director of business development.
Mayo Clinic invests through its venturing arm Mayo Clinic Ventures which was established in 1986. The firm invests in healthcare-related startups in sectors such as life science, big data, oncology and internet-of-things across the US.
As lead of the technology and business development function, Krajnik is responsible for facilitating the development and commercialisation of Mayo Clinic’s technologies by working with the staff, external companies, entrepreneurs and investors.
Krajnik also administers the CVC unit’s seed/angel fund programme and chairs its investment committee.
Luly Castillo
Manager, accelerator
Halliburton Labs
Based in Houston, Texas
Luly Castillo is part of the accelerator team at Halliburton Labs, the investment arm of multinational oil services provider Halliburton, where she supports the operational activities of the scalerator programme.
Halliburton Labs was founded in 2020 as an accelerator that runs a 12-month programme focusing on early-stage clean energy companies. Some of their recent investments include materials liberation technology company Disassociate and non-thermal crystallisation technology developer Aquafortus.
Castillo works with participant companies to accelerate achievement of their commercial and operational milestones using her experience and connections at Halliburton and across the industry.
She has been with Halliburton since 2008 and held various positions within technology, sales and marketing.
26 women in venture we highlighted previously
In 2023, we shone a light on 26 standout women in venturing in the US South and Midwest. Check them out below.
Chelsea Plant
- Investment manager
- 3M Ventures
- Based in Minnesota
For Chelsea Plant, working in business and finance was the dream; however, her path into corporate venturing came by chance.
“I kind of fell into corporate venturing,” she says, “I joined 3M Ventures after previously working on 3M’s post-MBA programme, which was a rational opportunity to work across the company.”
Plant says that the venture side of 3M was something she fell in love with, so once an opening for a position on the venture team appeared, she took action.
She has now been the investment manager for two years at 3M Ventures, the corporate venture arm of conglomerate 3M.
Plant has an extensive career in finance and business, having acquired a bachelor’s in finance, investment banking and international business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
She began her career focusing on M&A, before transitioning to venture capital, having served a year as an M&A senior associate at Tyton Partners and another year as an M&A investment banking analyst at BMO Capital Markets.
“Corporate venture is so much more fun than M&A and I feel like I’ve found where I’d like to stay for a while at least,” Plant says.
Founded in 2008, 3M Ventures invests in healthcare, infrastructure, life science technologies and digitisation startups. The firm has 19 companies in its portfolio and has invested in more than 66 companies, including US-based wiring harnesses replacer CellLink, which closed a $250m series D round in 2022.
Plant leads the sustainable packaging investments and supports initiatives around climate technology and developers in new packaging materials.
Plant not only believes that finance would benefit from having a greater gender balance but believes that women thrive in the CVC space.
“Women are really good at working in CVC as it requires a lot of relationship building and hearing other people’s perspectives,” she says. “I am passionate about promoting more women in this business and I stay engaged in GCV women’s groups. In addition, 3M also just hired another woman on our team, further increasing our inclusivity.”
Plant believes that venture capital is an attractive sector for women and units need to do more to encourage and see the value that women can bring to these teams.
“We need to see the significance of women who lead in this sector and prioritise their capabilities in the interview process,” she says, “I think we can encourage women by putting them on a pedestal through speaking events and articles like this.”
She continues: “Being vocal in sharing what it is like being a woman in this role and having a more mindful interview process will surely drive women to enter the corporate venturing sector.”
Jennifer Ard
- Managing director and head of investment operations
- Intel Capital
- Based in Utah
Jennifer Ard is the managing director and head of investment operations at Intel Capital, the corporate venture unit of US-based semiconductor manufacturing corporation Intel.
Established in 1991, Intel Capital invests in early stage startups focusing on computer technology such as silicon, frontier, devices and cloud-based software developers. The firm has more than 335 companies in its portfolio and has invested in more than 2,000 startups.
Ard began her stint at Intel in 2004, starting as the corporation’s senior financial analyst. She later transitioned to Intel’s venture unit in 2011, focusing on investments in manufacturing, wearables and new technologies sectors. Ard later progressed to investment director in 2016 before accepting her current position in 2020.
Sindu Balan
- Senior investment principal
- Chevron Technology Ventures
- Based in Texas
Sindu Balan is the investment principal of Chevron Technology Ventures, the venture capital investment unit for oil and gas major Chevron.
Founded in 1999, Chevron Technology Ventures invests in low carbon technology, information technology and oil and gas startups. The firm has 55 companies in its portfolio, including carbon capture startup Blue Planet, which raised $10m in 2020.
Other notable investments include piper technology manufacturer Ingu and super absorbent nanomaterials maker Immaterial.
Balan started working for Chevron in 2009 as a business analyst. Throughout the years she has held various positions including senior analyst and management advisor.
Balan acquired a masters degree at the University of Houston and participated in an advanced leadership programme at Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Kelly Carlquist
- Vice president
- Blue Venture Fund
- Based in Illinois
Kelly Carlquist is the vice president of Blue Venture Fund, a corporate venture programme of the federation of US health insurance plans Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and Sandbox.
Blue Venture Fund, formerly known as Blue Cross Blue Shield Venture Partners, was founded in 2008 and invests in startups focusing on healthcare technology and services, as well as clinical sciences. The subsidiary has 42 companies in its portfolio and has invested in more than 130 startups.
Notable investments include US-based healthcare pricing platform Sempre Health, which raised $20m in a series B round this year, and in-network paediatric behavioural care provider Fort Health, which secured $4.5m in February 2023.
Carlquist joined Sandbox Industries in 2020 as an associate before progressing to her current position as vice president of the venture fund in 2021. She previously worked for multiple venture firms, including Adam Street Partners, where she was an associate for a year, and Goldman Sachs, where she spent two years as an analyst.
Grace Chan
- Principal
- BP Ventures
- Based in Texas
Grace Chan is the principal at BP Ventures, the corporate venture arm of UK-based oil and gas major BP.
BP Ventures was founded in 2006 and invests in technology startups focusing on advanced mobility, carbon management and digital transformation. The investment arm has 48 companies in its portfolio, including sustainable fermentation platform Calysta, which raised $39m in a series D round in 2021.
Other notable investments include electric ride hailing startup BluSmart and alternative geothermal power technology generator Eavor.
A company veteran, Chan joined BP 15 years ago, starting off as a financial analyst. Throughout the years, she has held various positions, including planning analyst for the Mauritania and Senegal regions, and commercial interventions lead for the Gulf of Mexico.
She moved into venture capital in 2020, working as BP a Ventures associate before accepting her current position two years later. Chan has been recognised for her efforts in corporate venturing and was listed as one of GCV’s Rising Stars in 2022.
Jennifer Chan
- Vice president of ventures
- ExxonMobil Product Solutions
- Based in Texas
Jennifer Chan is the vice president of ventures at ExxonMobil Product Solutions, the corporate venture subsidiary of natural gas company ExxonMobil.
ExxonMobil typically invests in new technologies in the energy sector and has invested in close to 100 companies. Notable investments include carbon capture company Global Thermostat, which has raised $5m in funding, and oil and gas deliverer Yoshi, which received $20m from ExxonMobil in a 2020 series B round.
Chan is a company veteran, having served 30 years at ExxonMobil and has held her current position for over a year. She held various positions throughout the years, including planning and development manager and vice president of major growth ventures in the company’s chemical division.
Chan acquired a masters and bachelors degrees at MIT in chemical engineering and chemical engineering practice.
Christina Cheng
- Vice president of corporate strategy
- AT&T
- Based in Texas
Christina Cheng is the vice president of corporate strategy at Dallas-based telecommunications company AT&T.
AT&T launched a venture capital investment firm, AT&T Ventures, in 1991. It invested in the communications services sector but is now inactive. The firm has invested in 67 startups, including US-based analytics and ad platform Sometrics, which has raised $5.6m in funding.
Cheng has held her position as vice president of corporate strategy for more than two years. She has been a part of AT&T Corporation for more than 16 years.
Cheng has a bachelor of arts in political science and government from the University of California, Berkeley, and a masters degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Andrea Course
- Venture principal
- Shell Ventures
- Based in Texas
Andrea Course is the venture principal at Shell Ventures, the corporate subsidiary of the UK-based multinational oil and gas company Shell.
Shell Ventures was launched in 1996 and invests in startups revolutionising oil and gas technologies, renewable energy and mobility solutions. As one of the first oil and gas based venture capital firms, Shell Ventures has up to 73 companies in its portfolio and has invested in over 150 more.
Notable investments include US-based fusion power developer Zap Energy, which raised $160m in a series C round that saw investors such as Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Chevron Technology Ventures participate. In June this year, Shell Ventures oversaw the exit of online care maintenance and marketplace platform WhoCanFixMyCar.com, which was acquired by manufacturing giant Niterra.
Course began at Shell Ventures four years ago, focusing on robotics and AI-based startups. She also acted as the venture principal of oil and gas corporation Schlumberger in its corporate venturing division for nearly two years.
Brittany Clements
- Managing director
- American Family Ventures
- Based in Minnesota
Brittany Clements is the managing director of American Family Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of US-based insurance company American Family Insurance.
American Family Ventures was founded in 2010. The firm invests in seed to early stage startups focusing on business products, consumer services and cybersecurity, with 46 companies in its portfolio.
Recent investments include AI settlement platform Alix, which secured $5.5m in a seed round in 2023, and wireless signalling mapper SignalFire, which was acquired by PwC in 2021.
Clements has held her current position at American Family Ventures for nearly two years. Before joining the firm she spent five years as the managing director of Allianz Life Ventures, the corporate investment arm of financial services company Allianz, and was the vice president of Silicon Valley Bank for four years.
Kirby Crutchfield
- Vice president of business development
- EBSCO Capital
- Based in Alabama
Kirby Crutchfield is the vice president of business development at EBSCO Capital, the corporate venture subsidiary of US-based EBSCO Industries.
EBSCO Capital was founded in 2014 and deploys minority and controlling equity capital, ranging from buyouts, acquisitions and venture capital. The firm has 10 companies in its portfolio and has invested in more than 30 startups, including risk reduction platform Acalimant, which raised $15m in a series B round in 2021.
Crutchfield has been EBSCO Capital’s vice president of development for more than three years. Before that she worked directly in EBSCO Industries for four years, where she held various positions such as marketing and corporate communications manager, and account manager for corporate communications.
Prior to this, she worked as an account executive for advertising services company Intermark for three years and acquired a bachelor’s degree in marketing at Auburn University.
Celeste Dauner
- Managing director
- Koch Disruptive Technologies
- Based in Kansas
Celeste Dauner is the managing director at Koch Disruptive Technologies, an investment arm of US-based conglomerate Koch Industries.
Founded in 2017, Koch Disruptive Industries invests in a range of sectors including healthcare, semiconductors, food tech and mobility. The corporate venture arm has 60 companies in its portfolio and has invested in more than 80 companies.
Koch Disruptive Industries has also overseen three company exits, with its most recent being UK-based healthcare diagnostics equipment maker Sense Biodetection, which was acquired by biotechnology company Sherlock Biosciences.
Dauner began at Koch Disruptive Industries five years ago when she served as a director. She moved to her current position in 2022.
Prior to this, Dauner spent nine years at oil and refining company Flint Hills Resources, where she held various positions including credit analyst and director of business development.
Katherine Davis
- Investment principal
- Ascension Ventures
- Based in Minnesota
Katherine Davis is the investment principal at Ascension Ventures, the corporate investment arm of the private healthcare company Ascension Health.
Launched in 2001, Ascension Ventures invests in startups focusing on healthcare IT, services and medical devices. The firm has 34 companies in its portfolio and has invested in more than 165 startups, including developers of vaccine-to fridge-free technology Stablepharma, which closed a $6.3m series A round in 2021.
Davis has been the investment principal at Ascension Ventures for over a year. Her role has allowed her to act as a board observer for several startups, such as kidney care company Strive Health and patient care company Compassus.
Beforehand, Davis spent four years at the healthcare insurance company Bind Benefits, where she held various positions including inclusive benefits leader and sales strategy and process leader. She also spent two years as an associate in global strategy at Thomson Reuters and another two years as a financial and market analyst at Lemhi Ventures.
Christine Irvin
- Director
- Oxy Low Carbon Ventures
- Based in Texas
Christine Irvin is the director at Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, the corporate venture arm of energy and chemical manufacturer Occidental Petroleum.
Launched in 2018, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures invests in startups developing low carbon fuels and products as well as services to support carbon capture projects. The corporate venture arm has eight companies in its portfolio, including global commodity exchange platform Xpansiv and Cemvita, the CO2 utilisation platform.
Irvin has worked for Occidental Petroleum for nearly 17 years. She started off as the company’s facilities engineer and held various positions, including commissioning manager and engineering manager.
Irvin became the director at Oxy Low Carbon Ventures in 2022, where she is responsible for the executive and operations of Oxy’s Direct Air Capture programme.
Prior to this, Irvin acquired a bachelors in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University.
Emily Kist
- Venture and innovation associate
- Nelnet Ventures
- Based in Minnesota
Emily Kist is the venture and innovation associate at Nelnet Ventures, the investment unit of financial services firm Nelnet.
Nelnet Ventures invests in technology startups focusing on fintech, payment technology and real estate innovations. The company has 40 companies in its portfolio, including Hudl, a sports performance analysis software provider.
Kist started at Nelnet as an intern in 2020, working in innovation and venture capital and also serving as a pathway intern. After a brief hiatus, she returned to the company in 2022 as a corporate financial analyst and was promoted to her current position this year.
Alongside her current position, she is an advisory board member for the Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
She has also worked for Capital Advisors as a consulting intern and was the co-founder and managing director of Husker Venture fund for a year.
Robin Lainier
- Managing director
- Southern Company’s New Ventures
- Based in Georgia
Robin Lanier is the managing director of New Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of US-based electric power distribution company Southern Company.
Founded in 2022, New Ventures co-founded venture firm Energy Impact Ventures to provide access to early stage companies focusing on energy and utilities innovations. Southern Company has invested in several companies, including carbon removal creditor Clovery which raised $21.1m in funding.
Lanier has been a part of the Southern Company family for decades. She worked for the corporation’s sister company, Georgia Power Company, for 13 years. In 2020 she was promoted to the director of renewable gas at Southern Company Gas, where she led strategy development to advance the company’s renewable gas programmes.
In 2022 she moved into the world of corporate venturing, starting off as Southern Company’s director of corporate development before accepting her current position in April 2023.
Powell has a degree in agricultural engineering, structures and structural systems from the University of Georgia.
Jennifer Marcus
- Director of strategic business development
- The Home Depot
- Based in Georgia
Jennifer Marcus is the director of strategic business development at US-based home improvement company Home Depot.
In 2022 Home Depot announced the formation of its $150m corporate venture arm, Home Depot Ventures, which invests in startups focusing on internet of things, logistics services and consumer products. The corporation has invested in companies such as digital bathroom renovation platform Made Renovation, and Loadsmart, a freight technology company.
Marcus has been the director of business development at Home Depot for two years. The Canadian native joined the company in 2016 as a financial analyst in ecommerce and marketing before moving to the southern US and serving as the company’s manager and senior manager of strategic business development.
She has previously spoken to GCV about heading the corporation’s CVC and the benefits it will have on the company.
Before her stint at the Home Depot, Marcus worked for KPMG Canada, where she held various positions ranging from senior accountant of consumer and industrial market groups, and talent attraction specialist.
Louisa McCarthy
- Team member
- 7-Ventures
- Based in Texas
Louisa McCarty is a team member at 7-Ventures, the corporate venture subsidiary of US-based convenience store chain 7-11.
Founded in 2010, 7-Ventures invests in seed to later stage companies developing consumer technologies. The unit has six companies in its portfolio and has invested in 14 startups, including organic fruit infused beverage maker Core Nutrition, which has raised $65.51m in funding.
McCarty started at 7-Ventures as an intern in 2022 and joined the company full time in June this year. She previously spent four years at lifestyle brand Equinox, holding positions such as digital marketing intern and audience acquisition and engagement coordinator.
Melissa Noel
- Senior director of corporate development
- Mayo Clinic
- Based in Minnesota
Melissa Noel is the senior director of corporate development at the US healthcare and medical centre Mayo Clinic.
Mayo Clinic invests through its corporate venture arm Mayo Clinic Ventures, which was founded in 1986. The firm invests in healthcare-related startups focusing on medical devices and biopharmaceuticals. It has 71 companies in its portfolio.
Other notable investments include surgical intelligence platform Theator and surgical navigation technology developer MediView.
Noel joined Mayo Clinic in 2019, starting off as a manager of corporate development. She has held various other positions since then, including director of corporate development. She began her current position in September 2023.
Prior to this, Noel spent four years at services network PwC as a senior associate consultant in growth strategy and process improvement. She also spent three years at medical equipment manufacturer Cantel Medical as a senior global product manager and portfolio manager.
Mollie O’Brien
- Vice president of investor relations
- Best Buy
- Based in Minnesota
Mollie O’Brien is the vice president of investor relations at consumer electronic company Best Buy.
Best Buy launched an investment unit in 2008, called Best Buy Capital, which went out of business a decade ago. The firm used to invest in resources and technology innovative startups, with 25 investments to its name.
Notable investments include biometric sensor technology developer Valencell and full spectrum IoT solutions provider Xingtera.
O’Brien joined Best Buy in 2011 as a senior director of investor relations, and progressed to her current position three years later.
Prior to this, she spent a year as a director of investor and public relations at teleradiology company Virtual Radiologic. She worked at real estate company Move for nine years as a vice president of investor relations and director of online marketing.
Kate Powell
- Associate manager, head of strategic programs and corporate strategy
- Tyson Foods
- Based in Arkansas
Kate Powell is the associate manager, head of strategic programs and corporate strategy at Tyson Ventures, the corporate venture arm of US-based food processing company Tyson Foods.
Founded in 2016, Tyson Ventures invests in the consumer sector focusing on food and beverage innovations. The firm has 11 companies in its portfolio and has invested in more than 20 startups, such as plant-based alternative foods manufacturer Believer and sustainable livestock systems platform Athian.
Powell’s stint at Tyson Ventures began in 2020, starting as an executive coordinator. She later progressed to become the firm’s associate manager of strategic initiatives, before moving to her current position in August 2023.
Before joining Tyson Ventures, she spent a year as a project specialist in the enterprise project management office at retail chain Murphy USA. She spent four years at luxury event and catering services company A Fare Extraordinaire, where she was the senior account executive and staffing coordinator.
Mary Roberts
- Corporate development and M&A associate
- AT&T
- Based in Texas
Mary Roberts is the corporate development and M&A associate at the Dallas-based telecommunications company AT&T.
The corporation launched a now inactive firm that has invested in 67 startups, including US-based education workshop provider Akimbo, which was acquired by credit card services company Usio for $3m in 2014.
Roberts has been corporate development and M&A associate for six months. She joined AT&T in 2020 as a senior financial analyst for the company’s finance leadership development programme and later progressed to the lead financial analyst of the programme.
Beforehand, she spent less than a year as a content manager at Quiver Quantitative and a global research summer associate in equity research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Susanna Sabbagh
- Executive director of venture investments
- Halliburton Labs
- Based in Texas
Susanna Sabbagh serves as the executive director at Halliburton Labs, the investment unit of multinational oil services provider Halliburton.
Founded in 2020, Halliburton Labs is an accelerator that runs a 12-month programme focusing on early stage clean energy companies. The accelerator has 25 companies in its portfolio.
A company veteran, Sabbagh has been a part of the Halliburton corporation for over 20 years. She started off as the company’s operations manager in advanced data services and has since held positions including principal proposals manager and director of programme management.
She moved to Halliburton Labs in 2022.
Sabbagh was previously a well data services consultant at Petrologic. She received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy at University of Cambridge and was a part of an executive development programme at Mays Business School, part of Texas A&M University.
Taylor Sankovich
- Principal and head of business development
- 301 Inc
- Based in Texas
Taylor Sankovich is the principal of business development at 301 Inc, the corporate venture arm of U food processing company General Mills.
Founded in 2012, 301 Inc partners with emerging food brands and invests in early stage food startups. The unit has 18 companies in its portfolio and has invested in 29 startups, including pet tracking device maker PitPat.
Sankovich has worked for General Mills for four years. She started as an associate brand manager for snacks and kid grain. In 2022, she became principal of 301 Inc and has since held various positions such associate business development manager.
Sankovich previously spent four years at UBS where she worked as an analyst of prime brokerage sales and was associate director of global equity finance.
Justine Savarin
- Director of accelerators
- Target Corporation
- Based in Minnesota
Justine Savarin is the director of accelerators at US retailer Target.
Founded in 1902, Target generates $100 billion in sales in the US and has invested in 20 startups. Notable investments include US-based machine learning API platform Nexosis, which raised $7m in funding and ecommerce sleep products distributor Casper, which raised $341m in funding.
Before joining Target in 2019, she spent two years at Satisfi Labs, a software development company where she was senior vice president and head of industry in enterprise and retail and vice president of strategic partnerships and alliances.
Tamara Steffens
- Managing director
- TR Ventures
- Based in Texas
Tamara Steffens is the managing director at TR Ventures, the corporate venture fund of media conglomerate Thomson Reuters.
Founded in 2011, TR Ventures is a $100m fund that invests in early stage companies, particularly series A and B investment rounds. It focuses on startups in future enterprise technology.
The fund has 10 companies in its portfolio, including financial wellness platform Northstar, which raised $24.4m in 2022, and US-based data privacy startup Datagrail, which raised $45m in a series C round in 2022.
Steffens has been the managing director at TR Ventures for over a year. She also served two years as the general manager and managing director at M12, Microsoft’s corporate venture fund.
With over 20 years of experience in the venture investing world, she has also personally led the acquisitions of several startups, including Color, a mobile applications developer. Steffens was the senior vice president of business development at Color before it was acquired by Apple in 2012.
Nina Terrero Groth
- Lead pipeline manager, Target Accelerators
- Target Corporation
- Based in Minnesota
Nina Terro Groth is the lead pipeline manager of Target Accelerators, an accelerator programme managed by US retailer Target.
Target invests in startups in ecommerce, IT and disruptive technologies. The company has made investments in startups such as Sonia Kashuk, a market cosmetics and beauty products developer and on-demand grocery delivery service Shipt.
Groth joined Target in 2017 as a corporate communications specialist before progressing to her current position in 2022.
Prior to this, she spent three years at Entertainment Weekly as a senior correspondent and spent two years at NBC News as an entertainment editor and as a web producer at NBC Latino.
