TDK investment director Tina Tosukhowong began in research and development, rising to lead business development for biochemical producer Myriant.
When Myriant was acquired by oil company PTT, she moved on to head innovation for PTT subsidiary GC International in 2017, and within a few months had helped set up its corporate venture unit.
Tosukhowong joined TDK Ventures in 2021 and says it offers a more expansive investment area, and her focus on cleantech and biomaterials resonates with her values. But the battle scars she picked up in the 2000’s cleantech boom and bust period also help her give something back to the startup world.
“Things can change very quickly with startups,” she says. “Oftentimes, owners have to pivot and at other times they’re met with very stressful situations out of the blue. Putting on a listening hat and being there for them is very important.
“This past year, you had Silicon Valley Bank collapsing out of the blue, and within a few days we had to figure out who was in the danger zone, what we could do for them and how we can navigate through that. Having them be able to pick up the phone and reach me was very important to me.”
It isn’t just portfolio companies where Tosukhowong is making her presence felt. When she joined TDK Ventures, she became the unit’s first female investment director. Now she’s helping to grow its analytics team, she’s looking to help bake diversity into its make up.
“I hope to continue building a very diverse team, being able to push some of them to go from analyst to associate to investment director along the way and passing on knowledge,” she says.
“I’ve hired female analysts and we’ve had many female colleagues in other positions. I’m proud that, in our DNA, we’re a globally diverse team and we want to continue hiring people from different cultures who bring in diversity of thought.”
https://globalventuring.com/corporate/publication/emerging-leaders-2024/