Lutz Stoeber is an investment director at Evonik Venture Capital (EVC), the corporate venture capital (CVC) arm of Germany-based speciality chemicals producer Evonik Industries.
Stoeber joined the unit as one of the founding members and a North America-focused investment manager when it launched in 2012.
EVC managing director Bernhard Mohr said: “[Since joining,] Lutz has been instrumental in establishing processes and his extensive transactional experience helped build a team of now seasoned investment professionals and build a strong portfolio of direct and fund investments.
“Most recently, Lutz was named head of venture capital and investments North America. Under his leadership the position incorporates Evonik’s North America investment strategy focusing on external growth, innovative partnerships with startup and technology companies and M&A activities.”
In his role, he is responsible for identifying investment opportunities with strategic relevance to Evonik across North America, looking for innovative technologies with high growth potential in fields including advanced materials, sustainable nutrition, advanced food ingredients, additive manufacturing, personal care and healthcare.
Stoeber has held board observer seats in several EVC portfolio companies including Modern Meadow, mySkin, Wiivv Wearables and NIS, and he is actively involved with Element Analytics and Union Labs Ventures.
Regarding what attracted him to CVC, Stoeber said: “Corporate VC allows me to work with a variety of business units on growth strategies, to bring new technologies to the business units, and to learn from seasoned operators within these industries.
“In addition, I have the opportunity to interact with entrepreneurs and technologies that change the way we will do things in the future or will have a major impact on advancing our lives.”
