The rest of the 100 (in alphabetical order by company): Sebastian Peck, InMotion Ventures

“This year has been a tremendous year for mobility and transport,” according to Sebastian Peck, managing director of InMotion Ventures, the corporate venturing unit of UK-based car maker Jaguar Land Rover.

Peck added: “We completed 11 investments in less than 12 months. The pace of our investment activity reflects the overall dynamic of the sector. Our team of investment professionals has put InMotion firmly on the map this year, and we look forward to the opportunities 2018 brings.”

InMotion Ventures invests globally in technology startups across mobility services, data analytics, travel and lifestyle, fintech and insurtech and its initial deals ranged from growth equity investments to seed funding for early-stage startups aiming to change the way we move.

The 11 companies were:

  •  Lyft, a US-based ride-sharing platform, which tripled its revenues in 2017 and launched its services in Canada.
  • By Miles, a UK-based company using telematics data to offer dynamically priced insurance policies for low mileage drivers.
  • Cove, a Hong Kong-based car-pooling service provider for residential developments and hotels.
  • Dovu, which uses blockchain technology to give individuals control over their personal travel data so they can earn rewards and cash incentives for sharing it.
  • GoKid, a car-pooling application for parents.
  • Sheprd, a provider of on-demand mobility solutions for children and parents, operating their own fleet of smart school buses with approved drivers.
  • Splt, which provides employers who want to encourage employee car-pooling to meet sustainability targets.
  • Synaptiv, which collects and processes vehicle data original equipment manufacturers and third parties.
  • Validated, so retailers can reimburse parking and transport costs for customers.
  • Wluper, an artificial intelligence-powered personal travel assistant using voice recognition.
  • Zeelo, a demand-responsive coach travel provider.

Peck joined InMotion in December 2016, but saw its founder, Jonathan Carrier, leave to start a new role at RocketSpace in the UK helping startups scale and corporates solve their innovation challenges.

Peck’s move into mobility was the latest in a series of role changes across sectors. Previously, he had a short stint as chief financial officer at Health Bridge, non-executive roles at research startups and had been co-founder of Digital Science, a subsidiary of Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, after associate positions at investment bank UBS and management consultancy Boston Consulting Group.

Similarly, his top-flight academic studies took him from an MA in history from University of Cambridge to an MSC in philosophy and public policy at London School of Economics and then an MBA from London Business School.

The winding road has taken him on to the fast track.