Ian Clow, investment director at Samsung Catalyst Fund, is one of our top 50 Rising Stars in corporate venturing for 2026.
Over the past year, Ian Clow has worked closely with colleagues across geographies to develop investment theses revolving around AI infrastructure and use cases, such as AI EDA (electronic design automation). It is a space in which startups use AI to accelerate the speed and reduce the cost of semiconductor design.
Before transitioning to venture investment, Clow spent six years in Seoul at Samsung in various roles, including strategy and corporate development, in the semiconductor and biopharma sectors. His move to Samsung Catalyst two years ago was a natural progression. He is energised by interactions with entrepreneurs, researchers and developers and spends a large portion of his time reviewing technical white papers, textbooks and other resources to stay current on advancements and gain a deep understanding of the technologies being developed.
Clow says he works hard to bridge the operational and cultural differences between the global enterprise and startups. The Catalyst team aims to identify and support collaboration opportunities with portfolio companies, resulting in a win-win.
“The success of our portfolio companies is critical to us. We devote many resources to create collaboration opportunities for them in the Samsung ‘universe’, while also helping them to develop independently.”
To succeed in corporate venturing, Clow recommends practitioners keep aware of the duality of the role as an investor and as part of the corporate entity. “The success of our portfolio companies is critical to us. We devote many resources to create collaboration opportunities for them in the Samsung ‘universe’, while also helping them to develop independently, as a financial VC would do. Having an appreciation and understanding of both sides makes you a more effective participant, both as an investor and as a corporate citizen.”
An evergreen fund, Samsung Catalyst Fund typically makes initial investments in series A or B, although there have also been cases of investing in earlier stage. The fund works closely with the portfolio along their journey, driving for mutual value creation.
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.
