John Lyons, senior implementation associate at GM Ventures, is one of our top 50 Rising Stars in corporate venturing for 2026.
John Lyons has been key to GM Ventures’ investments in electric vehicle batteries and the implementation of those technologies inside General Motors, in his platform role at the carmaker’s corporate investment arm.
Lyons spent 13 years as a battery engineer at General Motors before going into venturing. After getting an MBA, he was hired as a post-investment associate at GM Ventures three years ago. He was promoted to senior associate in 2024.
In addition to his platform role, he does due diligence on startups and new technologies, as part of GM’s research and development function. “I like being able to work with our portfolio companies, helping them understand where GM’s priorities are,” says Lyons.
“I like being able to work with our portfolio companies, helping them understand where GM’s priorities are.”
He also works with leaders to identify customer pain points that startup technologies can address. “Sometimes we will be invested in a company for one reason, and it may be that their technology is applicable for other applications. We often do not have to scour the earth looking for a new technology. It is already in our portfolio,” he says.
Implementing technologies inside a large organisation such as General Motors has its challenges. Startups are fast-moving, while corporate business units tend to be less so. He also finds himself navigating internal stakeholders who try to push startups to go beyond what they are ready for. “Startups cannot do everything. You have to have them focused and think about ways that they can move from one stage to another before going into full blown automotive production.”
A lot of GM Ventures’ portfolio companies are reaching the point where they are ready to emerge from research and development to go into commercialisation, says Lyons. “Having conversations with our leadership team about what steps to enable those opportunities for our portfolio companies will be a big part of my focus this year, he says.
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.
