#83 – Martin Rudigier | HELLA Ventures – Corporate Investing, Designing a Career & the Potential of Data

Martin Rudigier is Principal at HELLA Ventures, a multi-stage venture capital fund focused on mobility, deep tech, and industrial manufacturing investments on behalf of German automotive supplier HELLA. Key topics in this conversation include What makes HELLA Ventures unique as a corporate venture fund The promise of solutions and companies that are able to effectively utilize the vast data being collected by vehicles How to find legitimate value amongst seemingly inflated valuations Martin’s transition from Germany to Silicon Valley, and the cultural changes experienced along the way When an MBA is the right choice, and when it might not be Links Show notes: http://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/martinrudigier Martin’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinrudigier/ HELLA Ventures website: www.hellaventures.com Martin’s Bio: Martin Rudigier is Principal at HELLA Ventures, a multi-stage venture capital fund focused on mobility, deep tech, and industrial manufacturing investments on behalf of German automotive supplier HELLA. During his tenure at HELLA Ventures, Martin has invested in Ridecell, AEye [NASDAQ:LIDR], Wejo [NASDAQ:WEJO], Oculii (acquired by Ambarella [NASDAQ:AMBA]), and Auto Motive Power. He currently serves as a Board Observer at Ridecell and Auto Motive Power. In addition, Martin has been an early angel investor in Prodigy (acquired by Upstart [NASDAQ:UPST], Firefly, Zoomo, and Skyways, among others. Martin brings to HELLA Ventures more than 10 years of experience working at the intersection of Germany’s auto industry and Silicon Valley’s tech ecosystem—both as an operator and investor. Prior to HELLA Ventures, Martin was Vice President of Finance and Business Operations at Apex.AI, where he raised more than $20M in venture capital from top tier financial and strategic investors and helped the company scale from 5 to 30+ employees. Before Apex.AI, he advised Daimler’s Board of Management and Supervisory Board on multibillion-euro M&A deals and strategic opportunities, consulted DAX30 clients at McKinsey, and was part of the investment team at Autotech Ventures, a transportation-focused venture capital firm with $270M+ in AUM. Outside of work, Martin is passionate about education equality and has helped hundreds of students gain admission to the world’s top universities. He is also a PADI Rescue Diver and involved in various marine conservation efforts in the Caribbean. About HELLA Ventures: Founded in 2015, HELLA Ventures is a multi-stage venture capital fund focused on mobility, deep tech, and industrial manufacturing investments. In addition to our own automotive expertise, we leverage our connection with Tier 1 global auto supplier HELLA as an industrialization and/or channel partner into the automotive industry to maximize our portfolio companies’ success. Future of Mobility: The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, and equitable mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields. linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/ brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/ Music credit: Slow Burn Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License