These are the 50 mid-career professionals who are influencing the corporate venturing industry.

Emerging Leaders use CVC to bring change to the world

A common thread among the Emerging Leaders on this year’s list is that so many of them have a very clear sense of purpose, an understanding of the change they would like to bring about in the world through corporate venturing.

Johnathan Stone at BP Ventures, for example, made a conscious decision nearly a decade ago to work for a low-carbon future and moved into corporate venturing to make a real difference in the energy transition.

Phoebe Wang at Amazon Climate Pledge Fund, meanwhile, not only invests in sustainability but also finds time to promote gender diversity by heading up the company’s Female Founder Initiative, which invests $50m in climate startups led by women.

Jennifer Webb at Swisscom also sees diversity as something she needs to support. “I would love to see more diversity among VCs and startup teams and am always on the lookout for ways I can contribute,” she says.

Others lead by example. Yukiko Kato at SBI, for example, has, for more than 20 years as a successful female investor in Japan, seen a market where women are still struggling to gain a foothold in VC.

This sense of wanting to make a difference and change the world brings a real passion to their work. It is not just about doing clever deals and earning a bonus but about trying to make a difference. This often puts them on the same wavelength as the entrepreneurs they work with.

At the same time, Emerging Leaders know how to do the corporate side of the job and go very deep when they need to. Sometimes they work in another function at the corporation as well as the investment role. Jon Koplin at Cisco Investments, for example, is involved in both investments and mergers and acquisitions.

At their best, Emerging Leaders manage to gain positions of trust at their companies, bringing insights about the future of the industry and helping to guide strategy.

This has not been an easy year for venture capital. This cohort of Emerging Leaders are unlikely to emerge from the down market without a few battle scars. All the same, speaking to them, there is a sense of steadfast optimism. Whatever may happen with markets moving up and down, these Emerging Leaders are hoping that, in the long run, they are making the world a better place.

Emerging Leaders 2024 (alphabetically in order of surname) 

Download the 2024 GCV Emerging Leaders list here

See GCV’s list of Rising Stars for 2024

These are early-career stars in corporate venturing