Jarek Khoilian, senior associate at Woven Capital, is one of our top 50 Rising Stars in corporate venturing for 2025.

Before joining Toyota’s growth-stage fund, Jarek Khoilian invested in infrastructure – virtually on the opposite end of the risk spectrum from venture capital. After all, there is no such thing as a 30-year government concession for a tech startup, so going from an asset class where everything can be modelled quantitatively to one where it is a lot more qualitative was a big change, but one he took to with gusto.  

Woven Capital’s wide remit means Khoilian gets to look at a range of industries, anything from aerospace to tyre recycling, automated forklifts, advanced materials, robotics, additive manufacturing and more.  

“I love going on site visits, meeting the team, seeing robots moving, seeing the actual lasers being used to create what these teams are creating,” he says. 

There is a lot of talk about what AI can do in the software space, but Khoilian is excited to see what it can enable in the physical space, too. It has the potential, he says, to open doors in materials sciences that will have significant downstream impact on other industries.  

“When he brings forward an investment thesis, it is always backed by solid research and clear thinking, even when it challenges our usual assumptions” 

“In the past, you could dream it, but you could not create it, but now you can. Some of the companies we have been talking to are saying, people have been looking into this for the past 30 years, they knew it was feasible, we just did not have the material science to do that – now we do.” 

He has earned the respect of colleagues and partners through a combination of diligence and independent thinking. “What immediately strikes you about Jarek is his ability to read a room and speak with genuine conviction – not because he needs to be right, but because his thinking is clear and well-reasoned,” says Woven Capital principal Prashant Bothra.  

“When he brings forward an investment thesis, it is always backed by solid research and clear thinking, even when it challenges our usual assumptions. He is not afraid to champion bold ideas, but he does the work to prove why they matter.”

See the full list of Rising Stars 2025 here.