Powerlist 2026

Corporate venture capital has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past decade. Once viewed as a niche activity on the fringes of innovation strategy, it has become an increasingly important pillar of the global venture ecosystem, providing startups not only with capital but also with access to customers, industry expertise, supply chains and pathways to scale.

Today, corporate investors participate in many of the world’s most significant technology companies and innovation ecosystems. They are helping shape the future of artificial intelligence, healthcare, mobility, climate technology, advanced manufacturing, financial services and countless other industries. At a time when technological change is accelerating and competitive advantage is increasingly tied to innovation, corporate venturing has moved from a “nice-to-have” experiment to a strategic capability for many of the world’s leading companies.

The industry has also become more global. What was once dominated by North American and European investors now includes influential programmes from Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa. New centres of innovation are emerging, and corporate investors are increasingly acting as bridges between startup ecosystems, industries and geographies.

At the same time, corporate venturing has become more sophisticated. Direct venture investing remains at its core, but today’s leaders deploy a far broader toolkit. Venture building, venture clienting, fund-of-funds investing, ecosystem partnerships, studio models and collaborative “squad” investing approaches are all being used to accelerate innovation and create strategic impact. The most successful corporate investors increasingly combine multiple models to achieve both financial returns and meaningful business outcomes.

The leaders featured in this year’s Global Corporate Venturing Powerlist have played a central role in that evolution. They are not only among the most influential investors in corporate venture capital today; they are helping define what the next generation of corporate innovation and investment will look like. Their programmes differ in structure, strategy and scale, but they share a common goal: connecting the world’s largest organisations with the entrepreneurs building the future.

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GCV is also proud to publish a list of the GCV Titans, those corporate investment leaders who have been at the head of the same investment unit for a decade.  Many of these leaders have shared with us their secrets for creating a CVC unit that stands the test of time. You can read their stories here. 

The Global Corporate Venturing Powerlist represents the 100 individuals who we believe to be spearheading the future of the corporate venturing industry. The list is selected by the Global Corporate Venturing editorial team based on performance over the past 12 months on several criteria.  

One factor is a simple numerical look at the number of deals and exits that a particular corporate venturing team has achieved, and you will find some Powerlist winners who are prolific dealmakers.   

Numbers are not everything, however. Some investors only have a remit to make just a handful of deals a year, while others, who are looking to build an ecosystem around their own technology, may make dozens of smaller transactions.  

So, we also look at factors such as exit success and in particular, the ability to create strategic value for the parent company. We also look at CVC leaders who are active in helping develop the next generation of corporate investors and who have helped with the foundational work of professionalising this industry.  

Many investors on this list are veterans with easy-to-see track records. We have, however, also made a point of looking for new names. Nearly half the people on this year’s list are new entrants. Some of them may not yet have a similar record to point to, but we have opted to include them because we felt they represented a fresh approach worth watching.   

Inevitably that means that, in order to keep the list to 100, some investors who are worthy of inclusion have been left off. We apologise for any omissions. The Powerlist is our best attempt to reflect the stage of the CVC industry over the past year, based on the information available to us.   

If you have any suggestions for Powerlist 2027, please contact us at [email protected], we would value your input.