Carsten Coesfeld, head at Bertelsmann Investments, is one of the 100 leading corporate venturing professionals in our 2026 Powerlist.
Carsten Coesfeld has emerged as one of the most influential figures in corporate venture capital, leading the transformation of Bertelsmann Investments (BI) into one of the world’s most active and globally diversified investment platforms. Since becoming chief executive in June 2022, Coesfeld has overseen an acceleration in both the scale and geographic reach of the investment arm of German media, services and education group Bertelsmann, earning a place in Global Corporate Venturing’s Powerlist in both 2024 and 2025.
A member of Bertelsmann’s executive board since January 2024, Coesfeld combines operating experience with an increasingly prominent investment track record. Before taking the BI role, he led publisher Dorling Kindersley and held senior positions within Arvato and Bertelsmann’s financial services operations. Educated at the London School of Economics and WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, he began his career at Goldman Sachs in London.
Under Coesfeld’s leadership, BI has sharpened its focus on long-term growth markets while maintaining an unusually broad international footprint. The unit encompasses Bertelsmann Asia Investments, Bertelsmann India Investments, Futurepresent, Bertelsmann Healthcare Investments and growth unit Bertelsmann Next. Since its creation in 2006, BI has invested roughly €2.3bn in startups and funds and today manages a portfolio of more than 300 active companies worldwide.
Today, Bertelsmann Investments serves as the group’s global investment platform, combining its venture capital activities with the growth initiatives housed within Bertelsmann Next.
Alongside its venture activities, Bertelsmann Next drives incubation and buy-and-build strategies in emerging industries.
Recent transactions highlight that broad remit. In India, BI strengthened its commitment to LetsTransport, the logistics platform it first backed in 2018 and later acquired a majority stake in, underscoring its long-term conviction in the country’s digital economy. Elsewhere, the group has continued to deploy capital into sectors such as artificial intelligence, healthcare and enterprise technology, while cormeo has become the focal point for its expanding pharma tech ambitions.
The combination of venture investing and company building gives BI a distinctive profile among corporate investors, allowing it to back early-stage innovation while also creating and scaling businesses directly within strategic growth markets.
The GCV Powerlist represents the 100 individuals spearheading the future of the corporate venturing industry.
These individuals excel in terms of their venturing approach and structure, number and quality of portfolio companies and in their contributions to the corporate venturing profession.
Here’s a snapshot of their recent deals:
