Nicolas Sauvage, founder and president at TDK Ventures, is one of the 100 leading corporate venturing professionals in our 2026 Powerlist.
Nicolas Sauvage has built TDK Ventures, the corporate VC unit for Japan-listed conglomerate TDK, into one of the most active and influential corporate venture capital units in the industry. As founder and president, he has overseen the firm’s growth from a new entrant in 2019 to a global investment platform managing $500m across four funds backed by TDK and its subsidiaries.
The unit launched its fourth fund, a $150m vehicle, in 2025 and by early 2026 had completed its 50th investment while maintaining a steady pace of new deals. That growth reflects both the scale of TDK’s commitment to venture investing and Sauvage’s conviction that corporate venture capital has become a strategic necessity rather than a discretionary activity.
Speaking at the GCVI Summit in Monterey earlier this year, Sauvage argued that investing in startups is now essential for corporations seeking to keep pace with technological change. Corporate investors are participating in more venture rounds than ever before, making venture capital an increasingly important tool for accessing innovation and understanding emerging markets.
TDK Ventures focuses on energy transformation, mobility, robotics, advanced materials and AI-driven deep technology. During the 12 months leading up to April 2026, the firm completed nine new investments, including EdgeCortix, Exponent Energy, The Guild and pH7 Technologies. The portfolio reflects TDK’s interest in technologies with the potential to reshape industrial systems and create long-term strategic opportunities.
Sauvage remains closely involved with portfolio companies, serving as board observer or non-executive director at companies including ANYbotics, Glimpse, Virewirx, Sagence AI, Metalenz and Autoflight. The hands-on approach has become a hallmark of the firm’s investment model.
The portfolio has also begun to demonstrate meaningful value creation. AI infrastructure company Groq secured a major non-exclusive licensing agreement with Nvidia reportedly valued at approximately $20bn, highlighting the scale of opportunity available within the portfolio. Other liquidity events since the start of 2025 include Ciena’s acquisition of Nubis Communications and Innoterra’s purchase of Fasal.
Alongside building TDK Ventures, Sauvage has emerged as one of the sector’s most prominent advocates. Having become chair of GCV’s advisory board this year, he has called for the corporate venturing industry to develop stronger professional standards, training programmes and accreditation frameworks. He argues that, like accounting and engineering before it, corporate venture capital has reached a scale where greater professionalisation is required.
His own career reflects the increasingly global nature of the sector. After working in technology development and sales, Sauvage moved from Taiwan to Silicon Valley through InvenSense, which was acquired by TDK for $1.3bn in 2017. With support from TDK executive Taro Ikushima, he developed the proposal that led to the creation of TDK Ventures.
Today, the organisation employs more than 30 professionals across Silicon Valley, Boston, London, Bangalore and Tokyo. Under Sauvage’s leadership, it has become a model for how corporate venture capital can combine strategic relevance, financial discipline and global reach.
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:
