Leading Change

Interview Series 2021

Today, we are meeting with David Perry, the senior director of the Corporate Venturing and Innovation Team, a core element of Sumitomo Chemical America, Inc.

David co-leads CVI’S life science business agenda that not only provides investment opportunities in next-gen technology businesses and partnerships with academia, but its value proposition aligns and supports Sumitomo’s vision for a sustainable future.

In his role, David is focused on identifying, evaluating, and proposing partnerships and strategic capital investments in emerging life sciences and technology companies whose businesses focus on: agrochemicals, food, animal nutrition, and health care. David works alongside a material science team that directs business strategies for reducing environmental impact, functional materials, and information communication technology (ICT).

As a key  part of the venturing and innovation effort, David and the team are responsible for establishing business concepts that align with Sumitomo Chemical Co’s strategic priorities, including strategic partnerships, investments, and the formation of new businesses and platforms that integrate and grow innovative technologies. CVI leverages its vast business and academic ecosystem of partners that, together, provide a culture of innovation and access to growth opportunities for Sumitomo and its affiliates.

Today, we will explore the true potential of venturing and innovation at CVI.

Next Generation Sustainable Technology Businesses at CVI:

You are literally standing at the dawn of the future of technology venturing and innovation management. Tell us about Corporate Venturing and Innovation, or CVI. I understand that your focus is on investing in new technology and sustainability as a core area at Sumitomo Chemical America.

Good morning. And thank you, Mary. As you accurately stated, CVI was established to validate and learn about new technologies, platforms, and business models. These new platforms and business models are based on new technologies and innovative solutions. As a venture and innovation group, we want to play a key role in evolving business models within specific Sumitomo Chemical business sectors.

There are five distinct core areas within Sumitomo Chemical America. CVI focuses on food, health care, reducing environmental impact, and information communication technology (ICT).

All areas tend to merge. Given our position, we operate independently but cooperatively with these business sectors, meaning that many of the decisions we undertake are often in coordination with these business sectors. Ultimately we find a good fit for businesses and technologies, which we either invest in or partner on a research and development basis.

We seek to understand the business sectors' needs and objectives and marry them with the startup businesses, which we identify. These startup businesses may ultimately provide the solutions which Sumitomo is seeking.

How did CVI evolve as a business area of Sumitomo Chemical America? What was the main intention to establish the business model?

I may refer to Sumitomo Chemical Company as SCC here and there. I can't personally say that they looked at existing blueprints of corporate peers who developed in-house corporate venture, corporate venture, and innovation or corporate venture capital groups. But it's safe to say that SCC saw either the need or the opportunity to establish such a group approximately four years ago. And it was done so originally in New York at the offices of SCAI.

And I believe the impetus behind the original formation of CVI was to build relationships with academia and the venture capital community. Both were perceived at the time. And still, today is fundamental gateways to startup companies, the startup universe.

And during the period since its founding, CVI has morphed and grown by headcount into a catalyst for potential breakthrough discoveries through a two-pronged process of scouting and active validation.

So let me add more detail. The scouting and active validation mean that we are looking for companies within the universe of startups that fit our interest areas. And we're looking to make direct investment and manage proof of concept studies. These studies often validate the underlying technology or concept. So while we maintain a somewhat rigid area focus, we endeavored to adhere to Sumitomo's corporate ethos, which is delivering solutions that impact both humanity and the environment. And I believe CVI is carrying that forward with respect to our interest in startup companies and potentially bringing them into one of the business sectors I mentioned earlier.

The validation and integration processes are fascinating. How did your career trajectory align with Sumitomo Chemical’s vision to identify and engage investments in promising startups and academic partnerships?

If we go back to the beginning of my professional career, which is well into its third decade, I started in a healthcare investment banking boutique. And from there, I took on business development and corporate business development roles. And along that career path, I was often engaging with venture capital firms. It cemented an interest in corporate venture capital. So naturally, I gravitated toward the opportunity to join CVI.

I maintain a vision for CVI, where it is today, and potentially evolved into the corporate venture capital group within Sumitomo, making direct equity investments in companies. CVI has to go through a functional process and evolution to substantiate that position as a corporate venture capital group, but back to my career.

In addition to the best investment banking and business development, I worked with several startup companies and often joined a startup company as one of the first employees.

And in my prior position within a sister company of Sumitomo Chemical, I was charged with leading M&A initiatives, as well as partnering with emerging companies in the life science space. And a significant percentage of those startups are born from research departments within universities. These institutions were often the source of business leads, which I'd evaluate for partnering purposes.

Taken as a whole, my business acumen and transaction experience provided the key ingredients to add value to CVI. And I'm grateful to those decision-makers who provided this opportunity.

You expanded CVI’S offices from Cambridge on the East Coast to Silicon Valley on the West Coast. What are the distinctive opportunities in the bicoastal markets?

There are distinct similarities and differences. They, they are identified as, as key life science hubs. The original members of CVI identified Boston in the Bay Area, as such, hubs. And I believe that they consisted of the optimal mix of academia, venture capital, and startup companies.

So from its origins in New York, roughly four years ago, it expanded into the Boston area. And about a year ago, CVI expanded to San Mateo, which adjacent to Silicon Valley's heart. So it was a natural expansion.

I have to point out that it was only made possible by Sumitomo Chemical and SCAI, who shared this vision. So while the geographic markets maintain similarities, there are distinct differences. For example, there's a higher concentration of later-stage technology-focused companies in Boston versus earlier stage healthcare and agricultural startups in California, Silicon Valley. The Bay area also has a higher concentration of venture capital firms who cover the areas of interest. Yet Boston has the advantage from its reputation in academia. When combined, we feel we are maximizing the reach into the world's most influential innovation cultures. Absolutely.

How do you determine the value of a startup or partnership in exploring or making equity investments?

So this is an area of distinction that I alluded to earlier.  At the moment, CVI is primarily scouting and actively managing the validation process.  Our valuation metrics are mainly strategically focused. We don't invest capital in the traditional sense as a corporate venture capital group would. Their measurement of success is more financial in terms of ROI.

Instead, we take a different approach. Our investment decisions are based on two core metrics. We look to answer the question, does the technology address an essential need within Sumitomo Chemical and its affiliates or a target market in which Sumitomo currently operates or is exploring an opportunity to enter.

Secondly, if we can validate a technology successfully, does it have long-term value potential as a new business within Sumitomo?

For clarification, when we use the term investment, we're speaking about allocating our budgeted cash for funding, proof of concept programs.

Thank you much for the clarification. What are the breakthrough attributes of the startups and academia partnerships that interest you in helping the company creating a sustainable future? 

Sure. Sustainability is at the crux of this new generation of businesses. Decisions throughout Sumitomo permeate from the company's executive levels down through the affiliates and more, related to CVI, because we looked through the lens of the existing infrastructure of Sumitomo businesses.

We're most interested in innovative technology platforms that deliver measurable efficiencies and opportunities for market expansion. For example, within Sumitomo, there may be a contract development, manufacturing business, or CD emo business, and it's concentrated in regenerative medicine with process know-how and physical assets.

We focus on exploring other match-ups and opportunities through our scouting activities in emerging spaces, such as alternative protein. We recognized certain similarities and points within the value chain that we could leverage.

If we could merge the two core technologies, one exists within our CDMO business and the other within companies that we've identified in the alternative protein space.

So, in theory, we believe we would benefit from technological efficiencies within these emerging companies and the economies of scale, which currently exist within our business. So this could potentially result in Sumitomo taking leadership or a future position within the supply chains or value chain of these two emerging industries. Thank you

When you initiate conversations with potential partners or startups, how do you position the value proposition of CVI to them?

That's an interesting question. Fortunately, I represent a company that has ab exceptionally long history of success and partnerships.

So in my view, and this is also broadly understood by a lot of our external stakeholders and potential partners, the innovative technologies will come to market by some means of investment or partnership.

SCAI and SCC have a particular way of approaching both methods or both avenues. It's also known that SCC has a lot to bring to the table. More specifically, Sumitomo is a network of nearly 200 businesses worldwide. Sumitomo knows the markets where their current technologies and products are commercialized. It has a track record of making investments by a [CapEx] and facilities acquisitions. And lastly, Sumitomo is probably known for its adherence to sustainability, whether in business or related to the environment.

So with that said, we're also known for our prudent risk-averse business style. So external stakeholders appreciate the level and extent of due diligence. And, and there is evidence existing evidence of the merits of that business style. So when we are actively pursuing partnerships where we're highlighting such value propositions.

Since the inception of CVI, this reputation is actively challenged. And I think in a positive sense, especially internally based on our commitment to innovation and keeping up with the pace of innovation, which arguably moves a bit faster than Sumitomo traditionally has.

Yes, and how do the best partnerships evolve, David?

We define the best partnerships probably a bit differently.  At the moment, our partnership roadmap is also well-defined. So, strictly speaking from a CVI perspective, we take the lead role in forming these partnerships by identifying an emerging company, its team, technology, and the merits of an investment in a proof of concept collaboration.

This partnership often involves three entities, CVI, a third-party innovator or an emerging company, and an affiliate of Sumitomo. And the latter is a key piece of this partnership because these affiliates provide the resources and know-how to facilitate the proof of concept activities. And this affiliate also represents a potential long-term development and commercial partner. So once a proof of concept study concludes and the outcome is understood, a decision is made in coordination with Sumitomo's leadership within SCC.

Decisions also include CVI and the affiliate to advance or consider advancing to a broader relationship that may expand into other business sectors within Sumitomo. So remember, we're seeking innovative technology platforms that span across areas of interest and multiple business sectors within Sumitomo.

Ultimately, our main concern is to figure out if we can create a new business or business model that can grow these technologies at scale within Sumitomo's existing infrastructure. And again, this requires a multifaceted partnership framework, and we believe CVI is becoming more adept at piecing these puzzle pieces together, measurable results.

The qualified startups must fit within CVI’S blueprint of four priority areas. Can you tell us about the main domains?  What makes you excited about projects that are currently underway in each of the domains?

Sure. So within our life science groups, prior to areas of agrochemicals food, animal nutrition, and health care are more defined areas of interests are alternative proteins, the microbiome alternative to antibiotics and natural product delivery platforms, whether it be delivering human therapeutics or delivering agrochemicals.

And each of these focused areas has direct applicability to existing Sumitomo businesses. Moreover, within these existing businesses, we've identified potential opportunities to expand. And so we're excited because these focus areas provide a plethora of emerging companies, startups from which we can select for proof of concept projects and potential future integration.

At present, we have two active collaborations involving natural product delivery platforms. And at the same time, we are rigorously evaluating technologies. For example, to modulate the microbiome in humans and livestock, an additional source of excitement is how we can now substantiate our value proposition to internal stakeholders.

These projects have significant crossover potential, meaning that not just one Sumitomo Chemical business could benefit but also multiple.

Each of the four domains have ties to the company’s focus on sustainability. Let's just take this a bit further. Can you please describe your work in reducing environmental impact? Tell us about sustainability and the circular economy, for instance, what is your view of plastic waste issues?

We are interested in natural product delivery, particularly this type of technology within agriculture. We actively scout for carbon-neutral technologies and natural product delivery that has a direct impact on carbon neutralization. I believe that we've evaluated technologies in relation to our products that work to sequester carbon.

You hear this terminology used quite often. When the technology is applied to natural product delivery, you can make more efficient use of carbon in the soil microbiome and other micro-nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus.

For example, we're also pursuing know-how and new technologies to reduce, reuse, and recycle and use end-of-life products such as plastic waste. So we have a strong vision for a more sustainable and circular value chain related to these technologies I mentioned. Right.

Thank you. So how does your focus on sustainability drive investments in startups that offer innovative solutions to climate change?

We ask many questions of emerging companies and within our team.  The primary question we seek to answer that relates to sustainability is explicit, can this technology achieve a closed-loop or circular system whereby we can help to reduce the effects of climate change?

It's a massive undertaking, no question, and there are multiple ways in which climate change is currently being addressed.

There are certainly ways to address climate change that are currently unknown to us. However, going back to the question we ask ourselves if we can answer yes, then the technology meets our preliminary mandate.

Secondarily, unrelated to my previous answer is, if a product or technology positively impacts soil health, then we believe it could have an equally positive impact on climate change downstream.

More specifically, from environmentally friendly grower practices, there's a terminology becoming more common: sustainable agriculture. So it extends from environmentally friendly grower practices to greater food consumption or reducing food waste to making more of the food available consumable.

Can you describe your work in health care? How have you observed biopharm’s digital transformation and in your opinion, is COVID-19 causing biopharma to face disruption that could impact traditional approaches. And if so, how?

The short answer to the second part of that question is absolutely yes. But I'll delve into the first question. So from the outset, digital technologies and buyer pharma were meant to drive significant transformations and help companies develop innovative products, services, and engage better with consumers and execute operations more effectively. I believe these innovations and transformations have lived up to the expectations.

For example, in research and development, I've noticed these technologies drastically improve productivity by applying AI and computational biology to drug discovery and screening. We not only see this in biopharma, but we see this in agriculture and food. I've seen significant leaps in traceability from a supply chain perspective, for example, blockchain or cold chain storage.  Cold chain storage, for example, has been at the forefront of discussions involving the distribution of the COVID-19 explanations. And in line with traceability is inventory control in terms of COVID-19 and its influence on biopharmas shift towards digitization.

I believe the pandemic created disruptive opportunities to address speed and information dissemination. I noticed several companies execute instant pivots away from drug or product discovery to vaccine development, most notably where those companies are developing auto-immune therapies or therapies to treat cancer. And in light of COVID-19, it immediately pivoted to vaccine development. This is in large part, given the digital technological backbone from which they were originally operating. And so this was, uh, clearly feasible given the significant computational ability of these platforms, telemedicine or digital health has also drastically changed how patients interact with their healthcare provider, if not entirely due to the risks posed by COVID. So beyond that, I'm very much interested in whether data science can play a significant role in helping speed up and improve the clinical trial process. Neither CVI nor Sumitomo are actively involved in this component of the regulatory process. But personally speaking, I'm interested in seeing how the clinical trial process evolves in light of digital advancements.

Absolutely. How is COVID-19 impacting your work?

If you asked me eight months ago, I'd say that I don't know how to answer that question. I'm still trying to figure it out. But we are well now into the impacts of COVID, and I think we can all agree that we see the light at the end of the tunnel. If anything, COVID-19 has impacted CVI's ability to interact in person with start-up companies.

As a Japanese organization and embodying our Japanese parent's culture, face-to-face interaction has always been a critical part of how we conduct business and make business decisions.

And a part of our evaluation is culture emanates from our senior executive and senior management teams. So we can get the truest sense of culture when we are often onsite or in face-to-face meetings.

And since we're not conducting business in that way, I think this is where the greatest impact from the COVID-19 has taken place. Apart from that, COVID-19 has made us appreciate the many adjustments not only we've had to make but our colleagues have had to make within Sumitomo. Also, adjustments are made within the companies we evaluate to engage with companies like ours and maintain progress in their early-stage development.

You have answered how COVID-19 is impacting the startups that you've been engaging. Do you have any insights about how they're coping?

 Sure. I've noticed two effects of the pandemic among startups. One is that they've slowed down the business's pace primarily to preserve cash, which is another way of saying, giving them a little bit more runway until they have to raise their next round of capital. And secondly, I've noticed that they also are narrowing their focus to optimize resources.

Often, startups will take a more holistic or broad view of how they can apply their know-how, inventions, or technology. Whereas in the age of COVID-19, they're much more laser-focused because their interest is in preserving cash. Also, the markets and the opportunities have become more truncated or narrowed in focus. So, in turn, the startup companies are reacting in the same way.

On the flip side, venture capital firms are also taking a more elongated approach to their due diligence to allow for "on the fly risk adjustments" as developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic unfold.

In general, the vast majority of startups we engage in are successfully emerging from the pandemic after making such changes. And there are four, I'd say we're all coping or have coats and adjusted quite well.

Thank you for those insights on health. So let's shift from health to food. Can you describe your focus on the food domain? How would you describe the food domain in relation to the key projects like agriculture data or genome editing?

 Sure. So within the food domain, CVI focuses on food safety, waste, and preservation technologies. And to date, we've engaged with several startups that are developing natural products.

Surface anti-microbials, such as nano-sensing technologies, detect airborne contaminants within the packing houses and food storage facilities. We're particularly interested in this area, given Pace International, a Sumitomo Chemical business. Pace International is considered a leader in the post-harvest product and technology space within agriculture.  

Pace has two core areas of its business. One is the development and commercialization of fungicides. And then secondly, wax coatings preserve food while on the shelf at the market.

Any startup company that can demonstrate a synergistic or symbiotic relationship to pace has a distinct advantage in garnering interest within CVI.

Thank you. I'd like to shift to the future of life sciences and understand how you see the future of life sciences. Are you selecting the latest technology startups with that, or that offer scientific breakthroughs, will CBI’s portfolio help revolutionize how medical treatments are discovered and developed and delivered?

So I see our most outstanding contribution in life sciences alongside our innovation partners in the realm of development and manufacturing. For more than a century, Sumitomo Chemical is a master of global infrastructure and multi-dimensional know-how, making it a highly attractive partner to startup companies.

So while these startup companies focus on the breakthrough science more in the discovery realm of things, we expect our collection of affiliate companies to provide the necessary support and value along the supply chain, given its existing infrastructure. I don't believe we will revolutionize science discovery per se. Still, we intend to play a key role in bringing to market revolutionary technologies again, on the backbone of what exists within Sumitomo's businesses today.

There is a growing emphasis on Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) among many industries. Yet the barriers women entrepreneurs, people of color, and others face in securing funding persist. Do you see a growth in equitable and sustainable investments in startups that are addressing DE&I?  

I do. But I'd like to touch on our experience with emerging companies that I believe have or do represent DE&I. We've met with a growing number of women, entrepreneurs, and scientists who are leading some of the most exciting and innovative startups in our areas of focus. And I've always felt investments are agnostic to gender race, frankly, because there are more diverse entrepreneurs today than ten years ago. I believe more investments and investment dollars will be directed towards these startups. And frankly, it's a welcome and an unavoidable fact.

How are you and your team and partners engaged in DE&I operationally?

Our CVI team and SCAI's Group Companies and management teams are highly diverse, especially as it relates to gender. And since we're an extension of Sumitomo Chemical, which has a strong emphasis on DE&I, we take this topic seriously.

So, for example, we just recently completed a talent inclusion survey in which we shared our views of DE&I and such views CVI specifically and our personal views on the subject. The survey was sent to all of CVI and our sister companies within the Americas region. I view this as CVI and Sumitomo's true commitment to DE&I in the workplace, as well as among its Japanese peer companies. And I believe CVI is setting a firm example.

As we celebrate women's social, economic, cultural, and political achievement in March, we are excited about SCAI's social media campaign on "30 Women of the year at Sumitomo Chemical Group Companies of the Americas". Do you have a gender-balanced team? Could you speak to me about the future representation of the diversity of your team? 

Before I answer your question directly, I think it's worth acknowledging a colleague, Angela Lee, and her team who have pushed forward this initiative of 30 Women of the Year. To me, Sumitomo Chemical America's presence on social media is remarkable. It is worth pointing out that there is a concerted effort and support behind initiatives like this related to our CVI team of 10 people. Four of my colleagues are women.

It's worth noting that my colleagues bring Ph.D.-level education and vast industry experience to our group. They have subject matter expertise within each of the areas of focus, including material science. I suspect that our group will continue to represent diverse backgrounds as it is highly plausible. CVI will be a microcosm of diversity, much like what Sumitomo Chemical Company strives to achieve.

Innovation is the future breakout value for companies.  How do you define innovation? How are you as a leader accelerating digital transformation and making decisions to transform society for the better?

I've often thought about innovation and how to define it. If I take my definition and combine it with those that I've read, I would say that innovation is the alchemy of old and new. Every breakthrough is based on a precedent, whether it be an existing innovation, invention process, or identify ways to improve upon what exists and following through with a marketable idea that delivers incremental value, I believe is the essence or definition of innovation.

How do you envision innovation setting the journey to the future and establishing tomorrow’s standards, David?

Personally speaking, innovation must drive the path forward towards tomorrow's standards. Innovation arguably is an integral part of our business growth historically, though internal R&D has driven Sumitomo into new markets with new technologies and products.

However, in some areas, external companies or third parties are innovating faster, cost-effectively, and even higher success rates. This is the new standard, I believe. But it's not a novel concept. If there are companies that we think can deliver such a value proposition, then we want to engage with them. Partnering or collaboration is at the heart of tomorrow's standard for Sumitomo, driven by the current generation of innovation or innovators.

CVI’s America’s headquarters, Sumitomo Chemical America, is a world leader in building a sustainable society through its group-wide integrated initiatives toward achieving a sustainable society. Would you care to comment?

I'll do my best. There are there others within the organization that could address this subject matter far more succinctly than I can. But Sumitomo has established a set of material issues linked to the sustainable development goals or SDGs. And the heart of this initiative is the commitment to establish a sustainable society while achieving sustained growth. Its initial priorities tie back to the four areas of value creation, which are reducing environmental impact, addressing food safety, healthcare, and ICT innovation.

How do you view competing in the age of innovation and new value creation in relation to enterprise resilience and future growth?

I view the current age of innovation, mainly when it comprises established companies and startups, as an open-source platform for collaboration. Open source is a known terminology initially applied in software development. But I think it's easily applicable in the areas in which we participate while you can't necessarily remove the competitive element.

I see a growing interest in access incubation and the scaling of innovative solutions. Hence, it is imperative to make it Open Source, allow for, and create the space for innovators, emerging companies, and discovery. This certainly wouldn't be possible without interest from both sides of the partnership between us, and our third-party partners and startups are making it easier for us. Startups are making it easier for established companies, such as ourselves, to identify where the innovation exists, and established companies are making it known. They want to invest and collaborate. So it's a perfect equation, and it's creating, I believe, resiliency in all areas of Sumitomo's businesses and the markets we serve in dual participation and collaboration.

Great insights, thank you. Do you envision CVI as the catalyst for building an innovation culture for the enterprise? By extension of the investments initiated and managed by CVI, you are in a unique position to build an innovation foundation for Sumitomo’s global network and personnel. How do you see that evolving?

I envisioned CVI as a vehicle to enhance existing innovation practices that already exist within Sumitomo. The foundation for innovation exists, and it is our objective to provide a gateway for Sumitomo into the appropriate external innovation ecosystems. Again, whether it's academia, or within the venture capital community, or it's within our peer group. That is why it's essential for CVI during its initial two years to establish such a healthy partner ecosystem that enables access to the innovators within our target areas of interest. And now we see the benefits of that early work by virtue of the collaborations which are underway.

Suppose any of these investments lead to integrating new or innovative technology or forming a new business within SCC. In that case, I can say that we were a catalyst for potential growth and value creation.

So as we wind down our interview, I would like to mention that your leadership continues to evolve an innovation footprint. You have an opportunity to establish a powerful impact by contributing broadly to society. Your work impacts your career path and the team's current and future work at CVI, supporting the strategic mandates at Sumitomo Chemical. Do you think of your work today as your legacy for tomorrow's leaders?

The short answer is yes. And I'll leave it at that because I still have a long way to go to cement or even begin to describe my legacy and indeed its impact on either CVI or Sumitomo. Again, I'm happy to be part of CVI and sharing the leadership in this effort on behalf of Sumitomo Chemical Company and Scott Mitchell.

Thank you, David, for your inspiring leadership and insights today.  It has been a fascinating narrative about investing and partnering in innovation and impacting the future through your work in supporting and growing sustainable technologies.  Much appreciated!

My pleasure Mary, thank you. Thank you for putting this together and thank you to my colleagues who worked with you along the way.

About David Perry 

David Perry, the senior director of the Corporate Venturing and Innovation, a core business unit of Sumitomo Chemical America, Inc., has over 20 years’ experience in the biopharmaceutical and chemical industries as a corporate business development professional, investment banker, and consultant.

David’s transaction experience has focused on M&A, start-up investments, in-/out-licensing, co-development, asset purchase, and divestment.

David has structured partnerships through the scientific, market, financial and strategic analysis of pharmaceutical and biotechnology programs and companies as well as strategic financing. 

David is dedicated to making strategic capital investments in emerging life science companies, including sectors such as biopharma, agriculture, food, and sustainability. As a key member of the senior management team, he is responsible for establishing business objectives and strategic priorities, including future investment areas that provide the greatest fit for Sumitomo’s affiliates.

About CVI

Corporate Venturing and Innovation (CVI) is a core business area of Sumitomo Chemical America. CVI supports three primary goals: 1) Realizing a sustainable society, 2) Playing a crucial role in the future sustainability of Sumitomo Chemical Company by identifying and cultivating innovative start-ups and disruptive technologies. 3) Making strategic equity investments in transformative start-ups.

CVI offices actively search and assess new innovative technologies for investment opportunities while partnering with academia and start-ups with two bi-coastal offices in the U.S. — in Cambridge, MA, and Silicon Valley, CA as well as in Cambridge, UK.

CVI is developing and maintaining partnerships for collaborative research in four main focus research areas: Food, Health Care, Reducing Environmental Impact, and Information Communication Technology (ICT).