10.22.20 CVC Forum – Hardware and Materials Investments

Hardware and Materials Investments

Exciting areas in hard tech space

Trends in hard tech that might be burgeoning after the pandemic

Investment challenges in hardware and new materials

Impact of more extended return periods on LPs’ perspectives and fund structure.

Roles of strategic and financial investors in this ecosystem

MODERATOR
Radhika Malik
Samsung Catalyst Fund

Radhika Malik is a Senior Associate at the Samsung Catalyst Fund, Samsung’s corporate venture capital fund focused on core technology areas including AI/deep learning, cloud infrastructure, smart machines (cars, robots, factories), IoT, digital health and device-level technologies.

Prior to Samsung, Radhika was at Panorama Education (a startup backed by Y Combinator, Mark Zuckerberg and Spark Capital among others), where she built data and analytics products for educators. Radhika has also served as a software engineer and product manager at large tech companies including Microsoft and Amazon, as well as early stage startups including MindMeld.

Radhika holds a B.S. and M.Eng. from MIT in Computer Science and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Connie Bowen
Director of Innovation and Investment
AgLaunch

Connie Bowen is the Director of Innovation and Investment at AgLaunch, a farmer-centric technology development group in Memphis, TN. In this role, she drives organizational growth, oversees accelerator investments, develops internal innovation capacity, and champions innovation to build a transformed regional food and agricultural economy. In addition to AgLaunch, Connie serves as Investment Manager for The Yield Lab Europe.

Prior to AgLaunch, Connie served as an Analyst for Chess Ag Full Harvest Partners and as a Partner with Chess’s subsidiary, Farmacopia Farms, as Principal for The Yield Lab, and as the Director of Operations for Grape Arbor VC. She is a 2016 Venture for America fellow, serves on the Venture for America Alumni Board and The Yield Lab Institute Board, is a contributor to Forbes, and co-hosts The End of Ag: The Podcast.

Sarah Applebaum
Pangaea Ventures

Rejoining Pangaea Ventures in 2020, Sarah brings almost a decade of venture capital and company building experience to the team. Sarah has cultivated expertise in building entrepreneurial teams, scaling early stage ventures, and venture financing. Sarah is an active mentor to early stage entrepreneurs and a startup community activator and advocate.

Sarah led Pangaea’s investments into PolySpectra and Correlia Biosystems. Sarah holds a Bsc. From Dalhousie University and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business.

Daniel Franke
M Ventures

Daniel is a Senior Associate at M Ventures and responsible for display & semiconductor investments out of M Ventures’ €400 million Science & Technology fund. M Ventures is the strategic, corporate venture capital arm of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and focuses on investments in Biopharmaceuticals and broader Science & Technology areas (Life Science Tools, Display & Semiconductors, Deep Tech and Sustainability).

Daniel joined M Ventures as Associate in 2019, after supporting the team as an Analyst during the M Ventures Fellowship starting in 2018. At Merck, KGaA , Darmstadt, Germany, Daniel also co-founded the Quantum Computing Task Force. Daniel obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s in Chemistry at RWTH Aachen University before moving on to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for his Ph.D. studies. At MIT, Daniel developed quantum materials for display technologies and advanced biomedical imaging applications, leading to a novel biomedical imaging platform on basis of shortwave infrared light.

Vera Schroeder
Safar Partners

Vera Schroeder is an early stage tech investor at Safar Partners. As an associate at Safar, Vera evaluates and mentors entrepreneurs, conducts diligence, and supports portfolio companies. In addition to her work at Safar, Vera is an officer at MIT’s Social Entrepreneurship Alumni Group and mentor with the Junior Achievement of Northern New England. She also mentors MIT and Harvard students interested in entrepreneurship and acts as a judge and panelist for local startup and VC events. Vera earned a PhD in chemistry from MIT specializing in nanoscience and materials science.

Xiaotang Lu
TDK Ventures

Xiaotang Lu is an Investment Associate at TDK Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of TDK. She is responsible for sourcing and driving investments in deep tech companies. Xiaotang is passionate about new technologies on the interface of materials science, life sciences and computer science, as she believes interdisciplinary collaborations are the catalyst for innovation. Prior to TDK, Xiaotang was a fellow with M Ventures. Xiaotang holds a PhD degree in Materials Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and did her postdoctoral research on neuroscience at Harvard University.