Adam Holcombe’s tenure so far as a senior associate at US-based car group USAA’s venture fund has been brief yet effective. Since joining at the start of 2015, Holcombe has brought with him a wealth of business strategy, finance, and M&A experience, acquired at Boeing and Centurylink. while also pursuing an MBA at Denver University.
A recipient of the Bronze Star Medal during his time as an engineer officer in the US Army, Holcombe perceives the alignment of startups with limited resources with a bigger corporate as one of the biggest challenges of a corporate venture capitalist. To counter this, Holcombe said it was crucial for a corporate venturing unit to view itself as an integral part of the startup ecosystem that has the potential to accelerate innovation on both sides of the fence.
Alongside his role as a partner at Denver-based investor Cohort Capital, Holcombe said he planned to seek out opportunities for more responsibility in supporting both the startup and military communities.
Holcombe’s role was highlighted for this report by outgoing USAA chief Victor Pascucci as one of his last actions for the company’s $330m strategic venture capital programme when he left in September 2015.