Ralph Wilson, global ventures lead at Arup Ventures, is one of our top 50 Emerging Leaders in corporate venturing for 2026.
Ralph Wilson helped set up the corporate venture unit for design and engineering consultancy Arup in 2015, and has since seen the programme expand to 10 people working across the UK and Europe, the US and Asia-Pacific.
A mechanical engineer by training, Wilson had a career in engineering and R&D with Arup before his focus on ventures. He got a first taste for entrepreneurship in 2013 when, together with friends, he took some time out of work to launch a consumer tech startup.
“I loved that journey of setting up an early-stage company, raising funding, filing IP and sourcing manufacturers. That was a formative experience, where I really caught the bug for innovation and entrepreneurship,” he says.
“I loved that journey of setting up an early-stage company, raising funding, filing IP and sourcing manufacturers. That was a formative experience, where I really caught the bug for innovation and entrepreneurship”
When Arup asked if he would be interested in setting up a ventures arm, Wilson was enthusiastic. The team invests in five themes related to Arup’s engineering and built environment work: water, transportation, energy, science and industry and construction tech.
Central to Arup Ventures investment in early-stage companies is a “sweat equity” model – providing high-value services from Arup’s experts in exchange for an equity stake.
“It is a package of support that comprises technical support and often market and commercial support, as well,” says Wilson. Arup can provide everything from technical design and piloting support through to regulatory navigation, commercial strategy and customer testing.
“Sometimes there is IP or data involved, but typically it is our experts’ brain power. One of the early conversations is asking what we can bring to the table that gives the startup a better chance of success.”
Arup Ventures has invested in 10 companies so far using this model. Alongside these efforts, it also builds its own startups from scratch, based on ideas originating from inside the business. So far, it has spun out six companies, of which one has been acquired.
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.
