Maria de los Ángeles Romo, director at SQM Lithium Ventures, is one of our top 50 Emerging Leaders in corporate venturing for 2025.

Recognised as one of the 50 most powerful women in the country last year by Forbes Chile, Maria de los Ángeles Romo is director at SQM Lithium Ventures.  

Launched in December 2022, the unit invests in growth-stage startups related to lithium production processes, water and electric mobility. Its remit extends worldwide and its team is spread across North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia.  

The $40m CVC fund backs startups with investments between $1m and $5m and is complemented by an accelerator programme for younger startups in Chile’s Antofagasta region. “Ángeles not only structured and led this CVC fund, but also operates an acceleration programme for early-stage startups from Antofagasta, providing them with a training programme and connections to SQM,” says Pablo Rosello, head of sustainable innovation at SQM. 

“Ángeles not only structured and led this CVC fund, but also operates an acceleration programme for early-stage startups, providing them with a training programme and connections to SQM” 

The unit pays particular attention to startups in electric mobility, water and lithium – how to improve its production, quality and enhance the lives of the communities where they operate.  

De los Ángeles Romo says recycling and circularity, logistics, new extraction technologies and the intersection of lithium, energy and batteries stand out for their potential innovation.  

The CVC’s portfolio includes battery recycling startup Altilium – which has been the largest recipient from the fund at $12m – as well as clean truck engine retrofitter Movener, rural water purification technology provider Remote Waters and AI-controlled battery storage technology developer Electric Era Technology.  

Before joining SQM Ventures, de los Ángeles Romo worked in a number of roles at Corfo, Chile’s production development agency, including corporate manager, director of strategy and startup manager. She worked for nine years at accelerator Endeavour, first as manager of entrepreneur services then as managing director and was also an investment manager at angel investor network Southern Angels.  

See the full list of Emerging Leaders 2025 here.