Sep 1, 2023

The 24 standout women in CVC on the US East Coast Sep 1, 2023 • Roshini Bains Our mission to identify the outstanding women working in corporate investment continues with this list focused on the US East Coast. You thought our mission to highlight women in corporate venturing was over? On the contrary, we have barely begun. We have already found Latin American women in the corporate venturing world, notable female corporate venture capitalists in Asia and women in the DACH region. Now our focus is shifting towards the US, a powerhouse in the world of corporate venturing with a number of successful CVC units that have racked up decades of experience. Though the West Coast, home of investment teams such as Intel Capital and Microsoft’s M12, has traditionally been more prominent in corporate venture we are seeing a growing number of strong CVC units on the East Coast too. Many of them, such as Ginger Rothrock at HG Ventures and Kai Daniels at GM Ventures, have been active participants at GCV events and with our Membership Society. We should note that we have taken a very broad view of what “East Coast” means for the purposes of this list, using the Mississippi river broadly as a border. Next we are planning a list of women in CVC in the midwest and a list of West Coast women. If you have suggestions for those lists, or if there is anyone you feel we should have included in this one, please get in touch. These lists are never final, we are always keen to add more women to them. Here’s who we want to highlight so far: Dina Samra Based in New York Sometimes it can seem that everyone in the VC world has the same background in finance and consulting. But Dina Samra didn’t let those conventions hold her back. “The venturing world is not easy to break into. There is a lot of prejudice around types of degrees that someone may have and it was a huge hurdle for me having done my MBA in marketing,” says Dina Samra. Samra says that rigorous networking and showing creative capabilities beyond a qualification is what has allowed her to thrive in the sector. Samra spent four years at MassChallenge, the zero equity startup developer., where she was director of partnerships and strategic partner manager, before joining New York Life Ventures. She has been director of business development at unit, the corporate venture arm of New York Life Insurance Company, for nearly two years. Founded in 2012, New York Life Ventures invests in sectors from healthcare to enterprise software. It has 22 companies in its portfolio, including Brella Insurance, a US-based health insurance advisor. Samra focuses on areas such as proptech and fintech, and aims to help startups in these fields start collaborations with large enterprises. Samra believes that CVCs should avoid seeking out the “usual suspects” and must actively employ underrepresented groups. “I still come across CVCs that contain ten men and one woman, so CVCs need to push themselves to get a pipeline of resumes during the hiring process to make sure more diverse backgrounds are entering our market,” she says. Samra also believes that everyone plays a role in promoting gender diversity in the sector, including herself. “I want to open up my network and be helpful to anyone that is looking to break into the corporate venturing space, and I ask all women to do that,” she says. She continues: “We have already made huge strides but continuing to foster an open door policy and having tough conversations will increase the number of women entering these roles.” “I want to open up my network and be helpful to anyone that is looking to break into the corporate venturing space, and I ask all women to do that.” Dina Samra, director of business development at New York Life Ventures Jaya Balasubramaniam Based in New Jersey Jaya Balasubramaniam is the head of incubation at Store No.8, the investment arm of the US-based retail corporation Walmart. Established in 2017, Store No.8 invests in retail focused startups. The incubator has five companies including Aspectiva, the Israel-based product reviews to smart shopping experience converter that Walmart acquired in 2019. Balasubramaniam has worked at Store No.8 for three years, leading the management of the incubator’s portfolio. Before Store No.8 she spent ten years as managing director of Deloitte’s venture accelerator and before that worked in strategy and corporate development at JP Morgan Chase & Co. Alisa Band Based in Connecticut Alisa Band is the senior investment manager at Henkel Tech Ventures, the corporate venture capital of German chemicals and consumer developer Henkel. Launched in 2016, Henkel Tech Ventures typically invests in digital, adhesive technology and beauty care startups. Henkel Tech Ventures has 14 companies in its portfolio. Henkel Tech Ventures has also seen several of its startups exit such as Drop Wise Technologies, an anti-corrosion coating solutions developer and barrier producer Vitriflex which were both acquired by Henkel Adhesives Technologies. Band has held her position at Henkel for three years. Born in Israel, Band moved to the US in early 2014 where she started working as the global head of tech and startup scouting at ICL Group. Beforehand, she built a name for herself in Israel working as a business development manager for Ramot, the technology transfer arm of the Univeristy of Tel Aviv and founded the healthcare and medical fertility platform Fertil-IT. Andrea Chico Based in Fort Lauderdale From the start of her career Andrea Chico, business development manager at Ferguson Ventures, has been passionate about uplifting women. “I’m heavily involved in the women’s business resource group at Ferguson where I have had the opportunity to mentor with leaders and manage our portfolio. Having the opportunity to mentor someone in the CVC ecosystem helped me understand what it took to join corporate ventures,” says Chico. Chico joined Ferguson Enterprises, the US-based building supplies company, nine years ago starting in the company’s sales department. She joined the corporation’s venture unit in 2022. Chico says that establishing her career in corporate venturing was not smooth sailing. “When I first became interested in the corporate venturing sector, the issue wasn’t how do I get into venture capital it was when is the right time. I knew I wanted to focus on strategy and I needed to strengthen this skill so I found a mentor who helped me,” she says. Founded in 2018, Ferguson Ventures invests in seed to early-stage companies focusing on consumer services, energy and technology-based sectors. The firm has 13 companies in its portfolio including Greyter, a Canada-based water solutions provider that raised $10m in a series B round this early this year. As an advocator for diversity in the workplace, Chico believes that corporate venturing would benefit from a greater gender balance. “We have an opportunity to encourage and introduce diversity of thought and once we achieve that through greater conversation we will generate stronger results.” She continues: “A rising tide lifts all boats, so continuing to advocate for women in our industry and being their biggest cheerleader is how we will encourage more women to enter into corporate venturing.” “A rising tide lifts all boats, so continuing to advocate for women in our industry and being their biggest cheer leader is how we will encourage more women to enter into corporate venturing.“ Andrea Chico, business development manager at Ferguson Ventures Barbara Dalton Based in New York Barbara Dalton is the senior managing partner of Pfizer’s corporate venture arm, Pfizer Ventures. The New York-based corporate venturing veteran is also the vice president of worldwide business development for Pfizer. Established in 2004, Pfizer Ventures is a $600m unit that invests in medical companies in the US with a focus on rare diseases, oncology and vaccines. The firm has 54 startups in its portfolio and has overseen 94 company exits including Zura Bio, a US-based novel medicine developer that exited via reverse merger in 2023. Other notable investments include drug discovery platform Jhana Therapeutics which raised $107m in 2022, and dark matter decoder Nucleome Therapeutics which raised $47.5m in a series A round in 2022. Dalton has been running Pzifer Ventures for 16 years. She has personally managed more than 30 fund investments and 80 company investments since. Dalton has acquired extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry having worked for ten years as president of SROne, GSK’s corporate venture fund. She later joined the $260m venture firm EuclidSR Partners as a partner in 2000 before joining Pfizer. Kai Daniels Based in Michigan Kai Daniels is supervising principal at GM Ventures, the corporate venture arm of General Motors, the US-based automotive manufacturing giant. Founded in 2010, GM Ventures invests in the transport sector focusing on automotive cleantech and automotive technology companies. The unit has around 31 companies in its portfolio and has invested in over 110 startups, including UK-based dynamic holography innovator Envisics which recently raised $50m in a series C round. GM Ventures has also overseen 30 startup exits including Novasentis, a US-based developer of sensor technology to develop wearable consumer electronic products, which was acquired by Kemet in 2019. Based in Michigan, Daniels began working at General Motors in 2013 as a business analyst and project manager intern. She then progressed to GM Ventures in 2016 starting as an associate before progressing to her current position early this year. She was also listed as one of GCV’s Rising Stars for her engagement in strategic partnership negotiations along with portfolio implementation. Prior to her time at General Motors, Daniels was a legislative intern at the Florida House of Representatives. Lisa Dufresne Based in Boston Boston-based Lisa Dufresne is an associate at GC Ventures, the corporate venture unit of the Thailand-based chemicals corporation, PTT Global Chemicals. GC Ventures was founded in 2018 and invests in digital platforms, energy storage and life sciences companies. The corporate arm has 10 startups in its portfolio including, Arevo, a US-based carbon fibre 3D printing company. Other startups that GC Ventures has invested in include NirvaMed, a US-based developer of heart muscle damage technology for heart attack patients, and Inkbit, the US-based additive manufacturing platform. PTT Global Chemicals is a $6.5bn petrochemical company with eight business areas including a Polymers Business Unit and a Aromatics division. Dufresne has been a part of the GC Ventures team for four years and previously served as a senior consultant for Foresight Science and Technology for 16 years. She has a Master’s in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Tufts University. Jenna Foger Based in New York Jenna Foger is senior vice president at Alexandria Venture Investments, the corporate venture arm of California-headquartered real estate company Alexandria Real Estate Equities. Established in 1996, Alexandria Venture Investments invests in seed to growth stage companies in the healthcare, agrifood and climate innovation sectors. The unit has 158 companies in its portfolio and has invested in 358 startups, including Georgiamune, a US-based developed of dual functioning monoclonal antibodies that completed a $75m series A round this month. Foger has been working in New York for over 15 years. She began her career as a senior consultant at Easton Associates before its acquisition by Navigant Consulting and later became an associate for Windham Venture Partners in 2013. Foger joined Alexandria Venture Investments in 2014 and plays an active role in identifying new syndicate partners and liaising with the local life science venture community through the firm’s Seed Capital Platform. Foger was also listed in GCV’s Powerlist this year and in 2022. Darcy Frisch Hearst Ventures Based in New York Darcy Frisch is managing director and vice president at Hearst Ventures, the subsidiary of the US-based multinational mass media conglomerate Hearst Corporation. Launched in 1995, Hearst Ventures invests in media and entertainment industries and has 61 companies in its portfolio such as UK-based eCommerce fulfilment technology provider Huboo. Frisch is based in New York and has held her position at Hearst Ventures for over 23 years. Her role includes being an observer on several startup boards, including the on-demand transit app, Via, and the mobile advertising platform Nexage. Before Hearst she was at KPMG and worked as a legislative assistant for Senator David Boren. Allison Goldberg Comcast Ventures Based in New York Allison Goldberg is senior vice president & managing partner at New York-headquartered Comcast Ventures, the corporate unit of telecommunications giant Comcast. Founded in 1999, Comcast Ventures invests in seed to later-stage startups operating in digital health, fintech, and workforce sectors. The firm has around 129 companies in its portfolio and has invested in close to 500 startups including US-based housing and interior design website, Houzz. Comcast Ventures has also seen close to 196 startup exits such as SundaySky, the Israeli-headquartered video creation platform that was acquired by Clearhaven Partners for over $100m+ in 2022. Golberg has been in the venture capital business for over 20 years. She started as a venture capital associate in 2000 for the investment firm Groupe Arnault. Golberg then spent 17 years at the investment arm of Time Warner, and two years at the Touchdown Ventures. Angie Grimm IBM Ventures Based in New York Angie Grimm is the head of IBM Ventures, the corporate venture capital of the US-based technology corporation, IBM. She also serves as the vice president of corporate development for IBM. Founded in 2001, IBM Ventures invests in IT-based startups focusing on quantum, data and security developments. The firm has 11 companies in its portfolio and has invested in over 41 startups. The team has overseen 24 exits including EnterpriseDB, a US-based software services company that was acquired private equity firm Great Hill Partners in 2019. Grimm is a company veteran, starting her career at IBM in 2002 as a team lead for corporate development and market insights. She then progressed to director of investor relations in 2016 before joining IBM Ventures as the director and head of business development for IBM Research and Cloud & Cognitive Software. Marie-Helene Kennedy-Payen New York Life Ventures Based in New York Based in New York, Marie-Helene Kennedy-Payen is the senior director of operations and community at New York Life Ventures, the corporate venture capital of the insurance company New York Life. Founded in 2012, New York Life Ventures invests in innovative technology companies from healthcare to enterprise software. The corporate unit has 22 companies in its portfolio, including DataRobot, a US-based artificial intelligence lifecycle platform that has raised $1bn in funding. Payen joined New York Life Ventures in 2021 where she is responsible for leading negotiations, budgeting and maximising company productivity. Before this, she founded Community of Seven, a female focused leadership development programme. Payen also spent two years as a relationship manager for sponsor firms and business development for the Financial Women’s Association, a New York-headquartered female professionals networking company. Coppelia Marincovic Based in New York Coppelia Marincovic is a partner at Solvay Ventures, the corporate unit of the Belgium-based chemicals company, Solvay. Founded in 2005, Solvay Ventures invests in varying sectors from commercial products to sustainable resources. They have invested in 17 companies and have 11 in their portfolio including Invizius , a spinout of the University of Edinburgh that has developed complement therapies to treat kidney diseases. Based in New York, Marincovic has been a part of Solvay Ventures for seven years starting as the firm’s investment manager for North America. She then was promoted to her current position in April 2022 where is has personally overseen three exits, such as Multimechanics which was acquired by Siemens. Voted as one of GCV’s Emerging Leaders in 2023 , Marincovic was previously an engagement manager at McKinsey focusing on pharmaceutical and chemicals companies. She also worked as a senior consultant at Next47-backed sustainability organisation Thinkstep. Marian Nakada JJDC Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts Marian Nakada is the vice president of venture investments at Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, the corporate venture firm of US-based pharmaceutical conglomerate, Johnson & Johnson. Founded in 1973, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC invests in startups typically in the seed to series A stage. They seek out companies focusing on pharmaceuticals, medical devices and consumer healthcare sectors. The firm has 114 startups in its portfolio and has invested in close to 500 companies. JJDC startups have achieved more than 180 startup exits, one of the most notable if which was Syndesi Therapeutics which was acquired by AbbVie for $1bn in 2022. Nakada has been at JJDC for nearly 11 years. Her focus is on venture investments on the East Coast and she works closely with the Boston Innovation Center. Before JJDC she was at Janssen, Johnson & Johnson’s daughter company as a strategy, operations and external innovation lead. Nakada also spent eight years at another Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, Centocor as a senior director of business development and senior director in oncology research. Marie-Christine Razaire Based in New York Marie-Christine Razaire, who is based in New York, is the principal at Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, the corporate arm of financial services company, Northwestern Mutual. Founded in 2017, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures invests in sectors ranging from digital health to finance. The unit has 31 startups in its portfolio and has invested in 53 other companies, including homecare services provider The Helper Bees which secured a series B funding round in 2022. Razaire joined Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures in 2019 as an associate before progressing to her current position last year. Prior to this, she spent a year as a scouting manager at US-based insurance company, State Farm, and spent three years at another insurance company, Validus Group, where she held positions such as innovation team manager and fintech underwriter. Madison Rezaei Based in Madison Rezaei is the head of the New Jersey-based corporate unit Verizon Ventures, a subsidiary of the telecommunications conglomerate, Verizon Communications. She also serves as the company’s vice president of new business strategy. Founded in 2000, Verizon Ventures finances early stage companies innovating the telecommunications, media and consumer sectors. The firm has 58 companies in its portfolio. Before Verizon, she spent eight years as a director at Altman Solon, a Boston headquartered telecommunications and media consulting firm. During her time there, she led the Women in Technology group to promote the entry of women in the male-dominated tech sector. Ginger Rothrock Based in Indianapolis Ginger Rothrock is senior director at HG Ventures, the corporate venture arm of the US-based energy and construction conglomerate, The Heritage Group. Founded in 2018, HG Ventures invests in a range of early-stage startups working on everything from advanced materials to environmental solutions. The firm has some 32 companies in its portfolio, including Vartega, the US-based advanced materials recycler, and US-based solar panel recycling services provider, SolarCycle. The Heritage Group is a $227m corporation and fourth generation family owned business. The business hires more than 5,000 individuals and has 170 growing locations across the globe. Based in Indianapolis, Rothrock began her career at HG Ventures nearly five years ago. Prior to this, she spent seven years at the US-based nonprofit organisation RTI International where she held various positions including senior director of commercialisation and intrapreneurship and vice president of technology and commercialisation. Dina Routhier Based in Boston Dina Routhier is the president of Stanley Ventures, the corporate subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker, the US-based industrial tool manufacturer. Founded in 2016, Stanley Ventures is a $100m venture fund that invests in IT and industrial sectors such as SaaS, construction technology and advanced materials startups. The corporate arm has 36 startups in its portfolio and has invested in over 55 companies. Stanley Ventures has overseen nine exits, with the most notable being VizExplorer, the US-based business intelligence casino gaming industry platform that was acquired by Dry Line Partners earlier this year. Routhier has been working in the Boston region for over 20 years. Before joining Stanley Ventures in 2017 she was director of corporate development of corporate venture capital for five years at Autodesk, the US-based software corporation where she executed over $135m in acquisitions. Michelle Russey McCarthy Based in New Jersey Michelle Russey McCarthy is the managing director of Verizon Ventures the corporate unit of the telecommunications conglomerate, Verizon Communication. Founded in 2000, Verizon Ventures finances early stage companies innovating the telecommunications, media and consumer sectors. The firm has 58 companies in its portfolio and has made 179 investments in startups. Verizon Ventures has overseen 61 startup exits such as US-based machine learning technology developer AdTheorent which exited via IPO and listed on NASDAQ in 2021, and Israel-based imaging software solutions provider Beamr Imaging which exited via IPO on NASDAQ this year. Based in New Jersey, McCarthy is a Verizon veteran having worked for the corporation for 28 years. She joined the company in 1995 as the manager of corporate strategy and held other positions such as head of LIHTC Investments and portfolio management and director of corporate strategy, development, and planning . She has a Masters in Finance from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business and a Bachelors degree in International Studies and German from American University. Madelyn Rutter Based in Chicago Madelyn Rutter is the senior director of collaboration at TechNexus Venture Collaborative, a Chicago-headquartered corporate venture capital firm. TechNexus Venture Collaborative was founded in 2007 and invests in early stage companies in the audio consumer electronics, health and mobility sectors. The firm has 114 companies in its portfolio and has invested in 229 companies such as video relationship management platform Gather Voices. Rutter has worked for TechNexus Venture Collaborative for four years, starting as the unit’s senior manager of collaboration before being promoted to her current position in April this year. She also spent a decade at Kantar, a marketing data and analytics company where she held positions including director of early stage qualitative innovation and senior director of innovation. Rutter was named as one of the Global Corporate Venturing Rising Stars in 2023. Kathryn Scheckel Based in New York Kathryn Scheckel is the managing director at Hines Global Venture Lab, the New York-based corporate venture arm of the real estate developer Hines Interests. Founded earlier this year, Hines Global Venture Lab invests in emerging real estate technologies, focusing on sustainability and ESG. The company has invested in 27 startups and has launched two funds, Hines European Property Partners and Hines European Value Fund 2 which have raised a combined $953.1m. Scheckel started working at Hines in 2019 working across various roles in strategy and innovation. Before joining Hines Scheckel was a management consultant at McKinsey. She has a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts from Arizona State University. Laura Veroneau Based in Boston Laura Veroneau is the managing partner and founding team member at Optum Ventures, the corporate venture capital of US-based healthcare services provider Optum. The venture unit was launched in 2017 and typically invests in digital health and other healthcare related sectors. The firm has around 50 companies in its portfolio and has invested in close to 100 startups, including UAE-based digital healthcare platform for chronic condition management, Alma Health which raised $10m in a series A round this year. Optum Ventures has also overseen over 11 startup exits, with its most notable being the Hayward headquartered pharmacy telehealth solutions connector Trupill, which was acquired by UK digital pharmacy group Phlo Technologies after reaching unicorn status in 2021 with a $1.6bn valuation. Veroneau has been a part of the Optum Ventures team for over six years, starting off as the firm’s principal. Listed on GCV’s 2023 Powerlist , she personally led notable investments such as US-based social service network provider Unite Us, which raised $195.6m. Before Optum Ventures, Veroneau spent a year at UnitedHealth Group working in their corporate strategy team. She also worked for two years as manager of product development at Dovetail Health, a US-based tailored medications solutions platform. and sits on the board of overseers for Brighman and Women’s Hospital. Fei Shen Based in Massachusetts Fei Shen, who is based in Massachusetts, is the managing director at Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund USA, the corporate subsidiary of US-based pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation. Established in 2010, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund USA is a $326m fund that invests in therapeutic and digital healthcare startups focusing on immuno-oncology, gene therapy and the microbiome. The fund has 41 companies in its portfolio. The fund has also overseen 17 startup exits such as Hookipa Pharma which exited via IPO for $75m on NASDAQ. Shen joined Boehringer Ingelheim in 2015 as a senior principal scientist in immunology and respiratory research before joining the corporation’s venture fund in 2020 as the investment director. Prior to this, Shen spent eight years at Theravance Biopharma, a US-based biopharmaceutical company, where she held positions such as scientist in the pharmacology department. She was also listed as one of GCV’s 50 Emerging Leaders in 2023 where her ambitions to create new medications and improve patients’ lives garnered her recognition. Deborah Zajac Based in New York Deborah Zajac is a director at Touchdown Ventures, the US-based corporate venture capital unit and venture capital-as-a-service (VCaaS) firm. Launched in 2014, Touchdown Ventures partners with corporations to invest in early and growth-stage companies focusing on sectors ranging from IT to media. The firm has 83 startups in its portfolio including the US-based text summarisation software developer Agolo. Notable investments include Gooten, a print-on-demand company headquartered in New York. Gooten closed its $11m series A round last month with participation from global manufacturer INX International and venture firm KEC Ventures. Based in New York, Zajac has been Touchdown’s director for over seven years. She previously was the senior director for three years at GE Ventures, the corporate unit of US-based conglomerate, General Electric. Roshini Bains