Nino Marakovic became chief executive of SAP Ventures, the corporate venturing unit of the Germany-based technology company, seven years ago. Before this he worked at venture capital firms IVF Ventures and MeVC Capital. He has also worked for US-based investment banks Robertson Stephens, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs.
At SAP Ventures, Marakovic has overseen the growth of the corporate venturing unit with the launch of a dedicated $350m fund last year. SAP Ventures has funded and helped build more than 100 companies since 1997 – about a third are still in its portfolio – with goals to create financial returns and facilitate interaction among innovative companies, SAP and its broader ecosystem.
SAP Ventures has also been building a fund of venture funds to look at earlier-stage deals and in July hired Elizabeth Clarkson as a managing director and chief operating officer from a similar role at VC firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson managing its DFJ Global Network.