Leopold Buening, senior investment associate at DB1 Ventures, is one of our top 50 Rising Stars in corporate venturing for 2026.
An interest in financial markets, combined with early exposure to the VC ecosystem at university got Leopold Buening interested in investing in startups. He quickly realised the most exciting part was not just placing capital but partnering with startups for the long-term.
“CVC provides a unique proximity to seasoned experts that have been in the market for decades. The opportunity to learn from them, combined with the chance to immerse myself in an industry I am passionate about, is what drew me to this role.”
In the four years since joining DB1 Ventures, the corporate VC arm of German stock exchange operator Deutsche Börse, Buening has built expertise in the fund services and asset management industries and is recognised for his highly analytical assessments of innovative business models of startups.
“I find the trend around private markets very compelling – specifically, making these investments more accessible and creating structures to improve liquidity for traditionally illiquid assets.”
The DB1 Ventures team comprises six people, with everyone maintaining close contacts with internal stakeholders and the external market. Areas of focus include the application of DLT in financial markets and developments in the private markets. The latter is an area of particular interest for Buening.
“I find the trend around private markets very compelling – specifically, making these investments more accessible and creating structures to improve liquidity for traditionally illiquid assets. This is a significant area to explore.
“There is also a lot happening in the wealth segment, where great founders are building applications to engage younger, tech-savvy generations. I believe these new models are fundamentally changing the investing landscape and creating tremendous opportunities across the market.”
Buening’s advice to anyone getting into corporate venturing is simple.
“Pick an innovative corporate in an industry that you find interesting, since you will be spending a lot of time exploring its trends, hypotheses and market dynamics.”
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.
