Tobias Jahn joined Hitachi Ventures, the corporate venture capital (CVC) arm of Japan-based electronics and industrial equipment manufacturer Hitachi, as partner in July this year.
Hitachi Ventures invests in companies making advances in mobility, logistics, smart energy, smart infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, digital health and IT, with a focus on Europe, North America and Israel. The unit was originally set up in mid-2019 with $150m in capital, led by Hitachi Ventures managing director and chief executive Stefan Gabriel.
The unit has made over 20 collaborations in the past year and has another 20 in planning and evaluation stages. Going forward, Hitachi Ventures also wants to go deeper into the healthcare and environmental space.
Prior to joining Hitachi, Jahn spent six years at Germany-based automotive manufacturer BMW-backed venture capital fund BWM i Ventures, initially as a principal and then also as managing director for the firm in Europe.
That was preceded by an over six-year stint at US-based conglomerate 3M’s CVC arm 3M Ventures as senior manager, making minority investments into companies that are of strategic interest.
He previously worked in various research and innovation roles at BMW Group between 2002 and 2008, both in Munich and in Palo Alto.
