Being able to access the capabilities of the parent corporation is how Coppelia Marincovic, partner at Solvay Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Belgian chemicals maker Solvay, sees the benefits of working in corporate venture capital.
“It is really fascinating how much expertise and support we have access to. Get to know your business really well and have great connections in different parts of the company. It can take a while to understand the strong network you can tap into,” says Marincovic.
A chemist by training, Marincovic decided to specialise in environmental science early on in her career. She has a master’s of science from Harvard University and an MBA from French business school INSEAD. She spent four years at a startup that worked on life cycle assessments and carbon footprinting, before eventually joining consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where she worked with pharmaceuticals, biotech and chemical companies.
She joined Solvay Ventures six years ago when the unit shifted from a fund of funds approach to doing more direct investments. Since joining the fund has achieved three exits, one of which was a unicorn. One of her investments, Multimechanics, was acquired by Siemens.
“I see more and more women in that space, but I feel more needs to be done to attract women.”
Her biggest challenge is balancing the strategic and financial sides of investing. “We want to do both, and we want to do both well. That sets the bar high on every investment we make,” she says.
The fund focuses on the energy transition. It is active in battery technology, hydrogen and carbon capture. It also focuses on bio-based materials. Two other pillars are healthcare and the future of manufacturing, such as 3D printing.
One way the CVC sector could improve is by hiring more women, especially in the deep tech sector, she says. “It has been going in the right direction. I see more and more women in that space, but I feel more needs to be done to attract women.”
See the rest of our Top Emerging Leaders for 2023 here.
