Ginger Rothrock, senior director, HG Ventures, is one of our Top 50 Emerging Leaders in corporate venturing for 2024.

Born to a family of engineers and entrepreneurs, it was only fitting that Ginger Rothrock, senior director at HG Ventures, would end up working in a highly technical field. With her chemistry PhD in tow, Rothrock co-founded a biotechnology company in grad school and led the technical and commercialisation practice at a billion-dollar research institute before being – to her surprise – recruited to the world of venture capital at The Heritage Group’s CVC.  

“First rule of career planning is: don’t plan your career. You have no idea what might happen if you stay open-minded” says Rothrock. “I never once thought I could be a VC. I come from the era where VCs were only men with MBAs that went to certain business schools.” 

The highlight of her time so far as a venture capitalist has been the ability to add tangible value to startups – something VCs typically don’t have a good reputation for doing. Being able to deliver for both parent and portfolio companies in ways that they wouldn’t be able to do without the other is meaningful. She’s especially excited about the future of infrastructure, the circular economy and supply chain resilience. 

“She exhibits integrity, honesty, and builds trust within our team, The Heritage Group, and with external venture collaborators.”

VCs should be data-driven but fearless, says Rothrock – a philosophy that should extend to the rest of life. “What would you do if you were fearless? We so often, as humans, make personal and professional choices because of perceived needs, or self-doubt, or fear. And I think it’s critical to look back to who our former self was maybe three, five, 10 years ago, and think about how far you as an individual have come. People are really amazed by that,” she says. 

“She exhibits integrity, honesty, and builds trust within our team, The Heritage Group, and with external venture collaborators,” says John Glushik, managing director at HG Ventures.  “Over the past year she has become well known in the market and sought for her expertise in our investment sectors, particularly in sustainability.”  

See the full list of GCV Emerging Leaders for 2024 here.