Aadit Parikh, investment director at Sony Ventures, is one of our top 50 Rising Stars in corporate venturing for 2026.
Since joining Sony Innovation Fund in 2021, Aadit Parikh has worked to strengthen collaboration across Sony business units. He has set up cross-functional business unit meetings with teams from corporate development, creator and fandom groups to share learnings and gather feedback.
Parikh brings a strong sense of responsibility and enthusiasm to his role and engages thoughtfully with founders, recognising that interaction with a CVC can be pivotal. “No matter what type of day I am having, this is their opportunity to pitch to me, so I want to give them 110%.”
His investment areas include entertainment, gaming and enterprise technology sectors. Over the past year, he has worked to deepen his expertise in the sports entertainment business and has spent time expanding his networking in the industry by attending conferences, taking part in podcasts and in panel discussions that advance the sector.
“No matter what type of day I am having, this is their opportunity to pitch to me, so I want to give them 110%.”
Sony Innovation Fund has approximately $500m in assets under management. Its global strategy covers investments in seed to late-stage startups, with the amount ranging from $1m to $10m. The team prefers to make follow-on investments rather than lead rounds. Parikh’s recent investments include Sportsvisio, an AI-powered sports technology company and software developer Sidero Labs.
As a corporate venturer, Parikh recommends spending time building a toolkit to ensure the CVC brings value to both the founder and the corporate. He advises honing operational, finance and networking skills, which are all required in CVC.
It is also important not to underestimate the value of understanding the culture of the corporate parent, how it shapes the company’s innovation strategy and how to garner buy-in from the business units, so that they see strategic and financial returns from investments.
The Rising Stars are early-career corporate venture professionals who are making an outstanding contribution to their teams and the industry.
See the full list of Rising Stars 2026 here.
