Dylan Gochie-Amaro’s journey into corporate venturing began on the M&A team at IBM, where he focused on acquisitions and divestitures. When he met a partner building IBM Ventures, he made his enthusiasm clear and offered to help during the early stages. As executive support grew, IBM Ventures gained traction and Gochie-Amaro joined the team full time in early 2022 to kickstart the venture programme.
“Dylan was our first hire to the investment team and has continued to impress us with his analytical capabilities, as well as his ability to be a super networker. In less than two years, Dylan has built a network that many seasoned VCs would be jealous of,” says Ben Daniels, co-founder and partner at IBM Ventures
“Dylan has continued to impress us with his analytical capabilities, as well as his ability to be a super networker”
Gochie-Amaro’s enthusiasm lies in engaging with founders, fi nding inspiration in the risks that entrepreneurs are willing to take to build something impactful. One of his personal highlights at IBM Ventures so far was his work on the security for artificial intelligence (AI) market that culminated in an investment in HiddenLayer. Recognising the scale and impact of the technological shift AI created for enterprises, he sought to understand what was being built to ensure that the technology could be used
safely and securely. When, in 2023, HiddenLayer was named the most innovative startup at cybersecurity company RSA’s Innovation Sandbox, the groundwork had already been done. “We saw this huge technological shift before our eyes that really enabled this company to bloom,” says Gochie-Amaro.
He sees a huge opportunity for disruption across a number of markets, including AI for business intelligence workflows or cybersecurity, among many others.
For aspiring corporate venturers, Gochie-Amaro’s stresses the importance of prioritising portfolio company success. Despite competing priorities, he believes that aligning success with portfolio companies leads to mutual victories for all stakeholders involved.
See the full list of GCV Rising Stars for 2024 here.