Aymerik Renard (pictured) has left Western Digital Capital, the corporate venturing arm of data storage technology provider Western Digital, to join “a small emerging VC,” he told Global Corporate Venturing.
Renard, formerly a director at the unit and the recipient of a Global Corporate Venturing Rising Stars award in January this year, said: “I am leaving Western Digital.
“I have really enjoyed my time here, and working for (Western Digital’s vice-president of corporate development and strategy) Dan Flynn has been great, but it is time for a new adventure.”
In nominating Renard for the GCV Rising Stars award, Flynn said: “As you are probably aware, Western Digital closed its acquisition of SanDisk in May. As a result of the combination, we have combined our respective corporate venture capital arms into a single Western Digital Capital.
“On our team of about 10 team members, Aymerik is only one of two professionals dedicated full-time to Western Digital Capital.
“As such, Aymerik has been instrumental in driving this integration, leading efforts around managing our combined portfolio of companies, launching our Western Digital Capital website, and our go-forward investments in innovative startups that improve how data is generated, saved, managed and consumed.”
Renard was a director at SanDisk Ventures, the strategic investment arm of data storage equipment producer SanDisk, from early 2014 to August 2016. Western Digital closed its acquisition of SanDisk in May 2016 and absorbed SanDisk Ventures into its own CVC activities.
Earlier in his career, Renard spent 12 years in North American investment for France Telecom-Orange, and was managing director of its investments in North America for nine of those.
Some of the unit’s portfolio companies listed in the US, while others were acquired by Yahoo, Sun Microsystems, Microsoft, Cisco, SAP, IBM, Cox Automotive and Cable & Wireless.
In between France Telecom-Orange and Sandisk, Renard headed startup business development for supply chain firm PCH International. While there he also co-founded accelerator Highway1 to back hardware startups.