Aymerik Renard, formerly a director at hard disk drive producer Western Digital’s corporate venturing subsidiary, Western Digital Capital, has joined US-based venture capital firm Hardware Club as a general partner.
Hardware Club makes investments in US, Europe, Asia and Israel-based consumer, industrial and enterprise-focused startups at seed and series A stage.
The firm raised $28m from limited partners including contract manufacturer Foxconn for the first close of its first fund in June this year, and expects to reach a final close in the next few months.
Renard had been a director at SanDisk Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of data storage technology provider SanDisk, from early 2014 before joining Western Digital Capital in 2016 after its parent company acquired SanDisk.
Renard had been an advisor for Hardware Club since June 2016. He was named a Global Corporate Venturing Rising Star in January 2017.
Hardware Club’s portfolio companies include gaming robot producer Reach Robotics, building automation startup Biscuit Labs, connected toy creator Play Impossible and intelligent security device developer Noke.
– Photo of Aymerik Renard courtesy of LinkedIn.