Hitachi Ventures had a $ 400 million dollar for the fourth fund, exclusively to TechCrunch.
The size of the new fund is a voting for trust in various deep high -tech verticals. The vast portfolio of a corporate VC imitates a limited partner portfolio, such as energy, manufacturing, biotechnology, and AI.
“We are open on other groundbreaking opportunities,” stated, Managing Director and CEO Stephan Gabriel. “There are many quantums, nuclear, life science, and space technology. Not so large -we have a clear view of things that excite us in these fields.”
Hitachi Ventures continues to invest in Series A. “It's still a sweet spot,” said his partner Gayatori Lada Krishnan. The first investment in companies is about $ 5 million, and the funds have reserved about 55 % of the capital for subsequent opportunities, and partner and CFO Wolfgang Seibold say.
It is named from the Japanese Konglomarit, but the Hitachi venture based in Munich is a bit out of the company's VC world. Gabriel said it was structured like a typical venture fund. Hitachi functions as a solo LP. The Investment Committee is composed of the company's partner and does not need to be invested after a corporate affiliated company, Pete Bastien, a partner and president of the US business.
But he added that the fund is still working closely with Hitachi. Some have added that Portfolio companies support the potential for future customers. Like other CVCs, Hitachi Ventures does not promise that you can land a portfolio company, but you can introduce it importantly.
“We can put you in front of Hitachi, but your product needs to sell it,” Ladakrishnan said.
According to Lada Krishnan, like other CVCs, Hitachi Ventures functioned as a scout, searching for pitches, and found small companies and technologies that suit the business of corporate partners.
Prior to the Hitachi venture is in various vertical. In terms of energy, it is invested in Battery Cycle Azend Element, Fusion Startup See Energy, and Wase, a company from waste to energy. The AI investment tends to go to a workplace application that focuses on enterprise workflows. Strikeready that covers cyber security. Makersite that uses AI to improve the supply chain.