Argentina-headquartered oil and gas producer Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales (YPF) has chosen Tomás Ocampo to lead its corporate venturing arm, YPF Ventures, as US-based managing director.
Ocampo helped the corporate set up YPF Ventures last month, having served as a US-based adviser to Japan-headquartered utilities J-Power and Osaka Gas on corporate venturing initiatives in advanced mobility and renewable energy in 2018.
YPF Ventures’ two vehicles – US-based growth equity fund Argentina Energy Bridge and the Argentina-based, seed-stage YPF Early Stage Fund – will concentrate on global and local deals respectively, and the company has invested in scooter rental service Bird Technologies and renewable energy provider Sustentator in recent weeks.
El Cronista has reported that Ocampo recently said in a speech to the Argentine Association of Private Equity, Venture and Seed Capital forum that YPF Ventures is seeking to access innovation ecosystems including China, Israel, Silicon Valley and Latin America “by partnering the most advanced energy companies”.
The unit would follow the corporate venture capital initiatives of petroleum suppliers such as Chevron, BP and Shell, adding that he intended to “unlock the sleeping talent” in the industry.
Ocampo confirmed that lithium was among the areas that YPF Ventures would be focusing on in order to improve the corporate’s lithium production and help reduce climate change.
Photo of Tomás Ocampo courtesy of LinkedIn.
