Oliver Fitz-Gibbon, head of platform at InMotion Ventures, is one of our top 50 Rising Stars in corporate venturing for 2026.
For early-stage-leaning units such as Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) InMotion Ventures, providing tangible benefit to the portfolio companies is key. It is with those younger companies where the most impact can be made, and where venture platform people such as head of platform Oliver Fitz-Gibbon shine.
“What I love about corporate VC is the value-add is incredibly clear and it is incredibly binary,” he says.
“The one thing we can attempt to do that no other fund can do is help a technology form some type of relationship with JLR. If we do it, fantastic. If we do not do it, we are not coming good on our pre-pitch promise.”
When he was working at a big marketing agency, he got a call from a couple of former VCs who wanted to help startup founders better position their products in the market. Eventually, that road took him to helping startups in corporate VCs.
“Always develop the platform strategy such that it is aligned with the fund’s goals and priorities and also align with what the startups want, which may not always be the most obvious thing a unit can provide.”
Having joined at a time of change in the unit – including new strategy and leadership – he has been pleased to see it go from what was regarded as sub-par portfolio engagement, to now having roughly 90% of the portfolio companies collaborating with the corporate.
For those people considering a platform role, he says they should keep a few things in mind: always develop the platform strategy such that it is aligned with the fund’s goals and priorities and also align with what the startups want, which may not always be the most obvious thing a unit can provide.
Ultimately, he hopes to see more collaboration with platform teams at other CVCs that have invested in the same startups, so that they work together towards a shared goal.
“ We rarely speak to each other about portfolio collaboration. I just think we all get so caught up in our individual portfolios and individual goals that it does not happen, and it just seems like it would be a very easy, quick win.”
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.
