E631 | EUCVC Summit 2025: Marcus Behrendt, BMW iVentures & Nicole LeBlanc, Woven Capital: What is next in the European Automotive industry

Welcome back to the EUCVC Summit Talks, where we bring you candid conversations with Europe’s leading founders, corporate leaders, and investors shaping the future of venture collaboration.

In this session, Marcus Behrendt, Managing Director at BMW i Ventures, and Nicole LeBlanc, Partner at Woven Capital (Toyota’s global growth fund), join Andreas Munk Holm to explore the shifting landscape of mobility and corporate venture.

From navigating capital-intensive hardware bets to finding the balance between strategic alignment and financial discipline, Marcus and Nicole share what they’ve learned running two of the world’s most active mobility CVCs. They open up on exits, collaboration with startups, and how CVCs must evolve to remain relevant in an era of autonomous, connected, and electrified vehicles.

🎧 Here’s what’s covered:

00:00 BMW i Ventures’ journey from corporate “experiment” to one of Europe’s most established mobility CVCs.
01:00 Woven Capital’s global mandate — $800M to invest in growth-stage companies shaping the future of mobility.
02:00 Strategic vs. financial returns: how to keep credibility with founders while serving corporate parents.
04:00 The hard part of hardware — why scaling in mobility takes patient capital and operational backing.
06:00 Startups + corporates = frictions and opportunities — lessons from portfolio collaborations.
08:00 Exit realities: IPO droughts, M&A dynamics, and how mobility startups find liquidity.
10:00 The next decade of CVC in mobility: sustainability, AI, and cross-border collaboration.