The career of Rachel Weiss, an early-stage VC investor at L’Oréal Bold, has been shaped by a dynamic intersection of entertainment, digital and product marketing and corporate innovation. Beginning in the mid-1990s with roles at Sony and Citigroup, Weiss later engaged with startups, realising the potential for corporations to achieve growth through innovative partnerships.
Leading L’Oréal’s go-to-market innovation for more than a decade, she spearheaded groundbreaking collaborations and technology solutions, laying the groundwork for her route into corporate investing.
Transitioning into her role at L’Oréal Bold, the corporate venture arm of the French personal care company, in 2022, Weiss built the US arm of the venture fund, fulfi lling her dream of working as an investor. Career highlights include witnessing the transformative impact of the internet and being at the forefront of discussions on technology’s role in business growth
“She always knew how to guide the company to the next step and set the right expectation. She is a master at her craft”
Weiss saw first-hand the evolution of attitudes toward technology in the beauty industry. And while these attitudes have grown from acceptance to excitement, she acknowledges the challenges in biases against strategic investors.
“The reputation of strategic investors needs to be improved. I spend a lot of time ‘selling’ L’Oréal to founders and lead investors who may have a biased idea of how helpful a strategic investor can be to a startup,” says Weiss.
Her advice for those entering corporate venturing is to build deep subject-matter expertise, gain internal trust and foster external relationships with founders and investors.
“Rachel is very good at understanding the intersection between a technology and the right pathway for that technology within the L’Oréal ecosystem. She always knew how to guide the company to the next step and set the right expectation. She is a master at her craft,” says Omar Tawakol, CEO at Rembrand.
See the full list of GCV Emerging Leaders for 2024 here.