Michel Nasilowski, external venturing manager at Nova by Saint-Gobain, is one of our top 50 Rising Stars in corporate venturing for 2026.
What Michel Nasilowski enjoys most about working in corporate VC is the people – he is energised by conversations with founders who are deeply passionate about what they are building and willing to take on long and difficult journeys to make it real.
“From the very beginning, I was impressed how quickly he was able to identify relevant startups and, even more importantly, found ways to successfully ‘sell’ their technology internally,” says Sven Harmsen, director of external ventures at Nova by Saint-Gobain.
Helping founders understand manufacturing realities, customer adoption and the complexity of construction markets is a central part of his role. Startups may bring breakthrough materials or processes, but turning those ideas into products that function at industrial scale in conservative value chains, is where collaboration becomes critical.
“We are seeing that startups want smart capital, not just a cheque, especially in more challenging years.”
“Having a great technology and a great idea does not necessarily mean it will lead to adoption in the real world,” says Nasilowski, who is a trained chemist.
Corporate VC will become increasingly important in tougher market environments. As capital becomes more selective, startups are looking not just for funding, but for partners that can bring expertise, infrastructure and long-term perspective. In industries such as construction, working with corporates that understand the sector can be as critical as access to capital itself. “We are seeing that startups want smart capital, not just a cheque, especially in more challenging years,” he says.
Looking ahead, Nasilowski is interested in AI for construction, robotics to address labour shortages, resiliency technologies responding to climate risk, and sustainability.
For those entering corporate venture, his advice is simple but hard-earned: stay curious, remain patient and do not expect fast results. In industries such as construction, meaningful returns, financial or strategic, take time.
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.
