The rest of the 100 (in alphabetical order): Michael Kim, principal, Rogers Venture Partners
Michael Kim joined Rogers Venture Partners (RVP), the corporate venturing unit of the Canada-based telecoms operator, in 2012 as a principal after six years as an analyst in investment banks Morgan Stanley, Oppenheimer, CIBC World Markets and JPMorgan.
Sourcing and managing new and existing investments as well as supporting and helping inform both the RVP partnership as well as our corporate parent on trends in tech innovation however was a rewarding challenge, he said.
Kim, a board member at holiday rental company CanadaStays and marketing services provider Trapit, said: “Working at RVP, I have had the opportunity to lead up whitepapers and deep dives into emerging sectors such as virtual and augmented reality, while analyzing investments across the entire VR/AR stack.
“Additionally, we have invested in emerging technologies such as blockchain disrupting trillion dollar industries including healthcare and finance by investing in PokitDok and SecureKey, respectively. RVP has also focused on segments transforming digital media and the TV viewing and video advertising experience with investments in Cognitive Networks, (acquired by Vizio) and Watchwith.
“The switching costs endured by many in venture has similarly been one of my biggest challenges. Meeting thousands of entrepreneurs, diligencing countless sectors, analyzing multiple stages, and absorbing the tsunami of trends & data points can many times lead to analysis paralysis. Identifying best practices to effectively digest and translate themes into near-term and tangible insights and benefits for the partnership, our portfolio companies and corporate parent is an on-going evolving, but rewarding, challenge.”
One solution to the challenge is for the industry to better collaborate, Kim said.
“Having a systematic process across CVC’s to identify up-to-date and real-time requests for proposals and corporate engagement opportunities for portfolio companies is one way to collectively bring tangible value to the startup ecosystem and get more CVC’s into deals.
“While innovation groups and CVCs informally do pipeline reviews and foster corporate engagements, a more formal process or platform for CVC collaboration would accelerate and magnify one CVC’s ability to bring near term value to companies.
“Leveraging the collective power of CVC’s and then educating entrepreneurs on this impact will be important for CVC’s going forward to get into deals and ultimately bring both strategic and financial value back to corporate LPs [limited partners, the investors in venture funds].”
It is one that is much appreciated by his colleagues. Paul Sestili, partner at Rogers Venture Partners, said: “Michael is an up-and-coming star in the VC world, and has added tremendous value to our CVC unit. His combination of analytical rigor and deep understanding of technology positions him for a long career in venture. He is a key piece of Rogers’ team and has a bright future in our group. Plus, he is an incredibly nice guy, with whom it is a pleasure to work every day.”
