Henri Jaanimaegi, founder and global head eBay Ventures, is one of our top 50 Emerging Leaders in corporate venturing for 2026.
When Henri Jaanimaegi founded eBay Ventures in 2022, it was with the idea of tapping into external, startup-driven innovation that was, at the time, hard to reach for the ecommerce platform.
“I was thinking more on the lines of how to build in a way that allowed us to move faster and be more daring, while remaining aligned to the core needs of the parent. Ultimately, for a CVC unit to succeed, it needs to be tailored to the specific needs of the corporation. That is what I have kept in mind all along.”
This was not something that happened overnight – it took Jaanimaegi nearly two years to set up the unit and ensure it was prepared for long-term success. At the same time, his background in strategy and consulting before switching to corporate venturing, made Jaanimaegi more aware of the need for the CVC team to work closely and be aligned with the business unit.
“Ultimately, for a CVC unit to succeed, it needs to be tailored to the specific needs of the corporation. That is what I have kept in mind all along”
“I wanted to ensure the unit outlived me, which meant it needed to have long-term strategic value for the parent company.”
But he also points out that it is equally necessary to build for the short or immediate wins to help the parent quickly realise the value the CVC unit brings.
“The parent company often thinks in quarters or about making year-end targets. You cannot just promise the business an ROI in five or 10 years, you have to give them something faster.”
As for whether he would do anything differently, Jaanimaegi says he would have liked to have invested in portfolio management capabilities from day one.
“We grew fairly quickly. Right now, we have a portfolio of more than 20 positions which can become a fairly big portfolio to manage for a team of five. I would have told myself to pre-empt a little bit and put in the tools and processes to manage a portfolio from an early stage. Built earlier, it would have made the growth feel a lot lighter.”
The Emerging Leaders are mid-career corporate venture professionals who are making an outstanding contribution to their teams and the industry.
See the full list of Emerging Leaders here.
