Charles Holtsclaw joined oil and gas company TechnipFMC in August 2018 as an analyst of corporate development, mergers and acquisitions, investments and corporate planning, before ascending to senior venture analyst for its External Technology Engagement team since its inception in March 2019.
Holtsclaw said: “We are the corporate venture capital (CVC) arm of the company and we are responsible for accelerating the pace of innovation at TechnipFMC by leveraging external ecosystems.”
The team engages startups via three channels – equity investments, open innovation and a technology watch practice. Holtsclaw is responsible for the investment initiatives, having helped develop the processes and governance and leads its global sourcing activities.
He identifies startups that are developing disruptive technologies for the energy industry and guides them through the investment process if he determines there is potential for a mutually beneficial strategic relationship.
Holtsclaw said he was attracted by CVC because he found it exciting to be the “tip of the spear”. CVC allows him to appreciate new technologies and an early exposure to concepts and solutions that could drastically alter the direction of the industry.
TechnipFMC’s new executive vice-president and chief technology officer, Justin Rounce, who came onboard in September 2018, decided to form a team to drive innovation at the company. Holtsclaw played a key role in the process and created the unit from scratch with the rest of the team. He said: “I am proud of the role I played in developing our processes and of the work I continue to do by introducing our team to peers and partners all over the world.”
After his four-year stint at the US Marine from 2007, he earned a cum laude bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of St Thomas, then he worked in higher education and private equity before making his way to TechnipFMC.
