Peter Krawiec, SVP of worldwide corporate and business development at Amazon, is one of the 100 leading corporate venturing professionals in our 2026 Powerlist.
As senior vice-president of worldwide corporate and business development, Peter Krawiec oversees Amazon’s mergers and acquisitions and its expanding portfolio of investment vehicles, each designed to support strategic partnerships across the organisation.
It has been a defining period for him. His elevation to the role, confirmed in 2022, followed a moment of transition for the company: Andy Jassy succeeded founder Jeff Bezos as president and chief executive the previous year, while Jeff Blackburn, the previous SVP of development, departed for Bessemer Venture Partners.
Amazon now operates one of the most multifaceted corporate venturing structures in the world. Alongside direct balance‑sheet investments — including a reported $50bn commitment to OpenAI earlier this year and $8bn in Anthropic, creator of the Claude AI chatbot — the company has continued to pursue strategic acquisitions. These include satellite operator GlobalStar for $11.57bn and RIVR Technologies, a Zurich‑based robotics startup and former portfolio company specialising in intelligent last‑mile delivery systems.
Its three principal corporate venture units reflect Amazon’s broad strategic agenda. The $2bn Amazon Climate Pledge Fund, led by Matt Peterson, continues to back low‑carbon technologies that support the company’s decarbonisation goals. Recent investments include Twelve’s $83m round to scale carbon‑to‑fuel conversion, as well as Mill Industries, X‑energy and Glacier. The fund also saw an exit with Pachama, acquired by Carbon Direct in November.
The $1bn Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund, run by Franziska Bossart, began with a focus on early‑stage robotics — backing Agility Robotics, BionicHIVE, Mantis Robotics and RIVR — but has since broadened into last‑mile logistics and autonomous systems. Recent deals include Haply Robotics.
Paul Bernard’s $200m Alexa Fund, established in 2015, has supported more than 100 companies, including Ring, Ecobee and Greenlight, to strengthen the Alexa ecosystem. Over the past year it has pivoted towards AI‑enabled startups such as NinjaTech AI, Hedra, Ario, HeyBoss and Hearvana. Exits include Scythe Robotics, acquired by ASI after the fund joined its $42m series B in 2023.
Complementing these is Amazon Catalytic Capital, a $150m initiative led by Zain Gulamali, backing funds that support underrepresented founders. Meanwhile, AWS launched a $230m programme in 2024 to accelerate early‑stage generative AI ventures.
Amazon’s corporate venturing engine is no longer a single flagship fund, but a suite of specialist instruments aligned with the company’s most ambitious bets — and Krawiec sits at the centre of it all.
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.
