TDK Corporation (TSE:6762) announces that subsidiary TDK Ventures Inc., its corporate venture capital arm, has added three key roles to grow its recently opened London office, the first office for the firm’s European expansion. The team members will assume their roles, effective June 10, in the following positions: Marc Bouchet, Senior Investment Associate; David Delfassy, Investment Director; and Sam Hill, Investment Analyst.
As newly appointed Senior Investment Associate, Marc Bouchet will lead capital deployment from TDK Ventures Fund 2 which focuses on Digital Transformation (DX) and Energy Transformation (EX). Marc has spent the last three years supporting early-stage startups in the energy, climate, and industrial technology sectors in the firm’s San Jose, California, headquarters. Previously at Plug and Play Ventures and General Electric, he is an aerospace engineer by trade with a bachelor’s degree from Case Western University.
David Delfassy, Investment Director, will lead capital deployment from TDK Ventures’ Fund EX1 which focuses on accelerating European energy transition and decarbonization. He joins the London office after serving as a Senior Investment Associate with Ahren Innovation Capital. Prior to this, he was an investor in early-stage startups at MTech Capital and a management consultant with McKinsey & Company. He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering and materials science from Duke University.
Sam Hill joins as Investment Analyst to support Delfassy’s team investing from Fund EX1. He comes to TDK Ventures from Clean Growth Investment Management, where he was a private equity investor, building on prior experience consulting with Roland Berger. He earned his master’s degree in material science from the University of Cambridge.
“Europe is very important to us,” commented Nicolas Sauvage, President of TDK Ventures. “Recent breakthroughs in materials science and advanced manufacturing, with important regulatory tailwinds, have created a watershed era for electrification and decarbonization projects in the region. Marc, David, and Sam’s collective experiences, knowledge, tenacity, and discipline will help us conduct meaningful ‘Deep Explorations,’ invest in the best entrepreneurs, and bring them our TDK Goodness – like helping entrepreneurs access resources to scale production and commercialize faster.”
TDK Ventures’ mission to invest in breakthrough climate technology startups aligns with Europe’s ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. To that end, it has initiated its $150 million (USD) multi-LP Fund EX1 (EX stands for energy transformation) that focuses on both European and North American-based electrification and decarbonization startups in Seed and Series A stages.
Last year, TDK Ventures chose London for the site of its European operations given the city’s deep venture capital and private equity ecosystem, scientific talent, world-class university system, centralized location, and access to strong public markets. The city also boasts a spot in the global top-three rankings for climate and deep tech startup funding in past years according to multiple sources, with a wealth of climate and energy-tech investors in the area.
To learn more about TDK Ventures, interested startups or investment partners should visit www.tdk-ventures.com or reach out at contact@tdk-ventures.com.
Source: Business Wire