Bernhard Mohr has been recognised for the ninth consecutive year in the Global Corporate Venturing Powerlist, a testament to his infl uential role in the industry.
Mohr set up Evonik Venture Capital for German speciality chemicals provider Evonik 12 years ago and has run it since as managing director. Under his leadership, Evonik Venture Capital has accumulated a fund size of €400m and has executed more than 50 investments in startups and other venture capital funds.
A notable segment of this is the €150m allocated to the Sustainability Tech Fund, inaugurated in May 2022, which is dedicated to investing in technologies and business models that primarily aim to mitigate CO2 emissions through reduction, removal and carbon sequestration.
Under his leadership, Evonik Venture Capital has accumulated a fund size of €400m and has executed more than 50 investments.
The venture capital team, comprising 14 investment managers based in Germany, China, and the US, brings together a diverse pool of expertise, including scientists, engineers and business managers. This team typically engages in series A and B funding rounds, with potential investments reaching up to €15m in a single startup over the investment’s duration.
Evonik Venture Capital’s strategic investments are integral to Evonik’s ambition to be a leader in the speciality chemicals sector. By investing and partnering with pioneering startups, the unit fosters strategic value and cultivates growth opportunities, with a focus on startups in markets characterised by above-average growth rates.
Mohr’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond his corporate role – he chairs the Global Corporate Venturing Sustainability Council. Evonik Venture Capital’s recent sustainability focused investments include Interface Polymers, a UK startup developing high-performance additives for more sustainable plastics, and JLand Biotech, a Chinese firm specialising in vegan collagen production. Other investments include backing Danish water treatment startup HPNow, which raised €14m in September 2023.
The Global Corporate Venturing Powerlist represents the 100
individuals spearheading the future of the corporate venturing industry.
These individuals excel in terms of their venturing approach and structure, number and quality of portfolio companies and in their contributions to the corporate venturing profession.