As corporate venture capital (CVC) matures into a critical growth engine for large enterprises, a new wave of female investors and operators are stepping into senior roles across the U.S. East Coast.
Here are 13 standout women who are reshaping the Corporate Venture Capital landscape, sector by sector.
Alison Perez
Senior Investment & Portfolio Manager – Lockheed Martin Ventures (Washington, D.C.)
A former engineer at Lockheed Martin, Perez now leads investments in space, AI, and advanced materials. She manages a portion of the firm’s $200M evergreen fund, with a focus on human-machine teaming and defense tech. “Representation matters,” she says, emphasizing the importance of visibility for women entering male-dominated sectors like aerospace.
Shalei Holway
Head of Portfolio Development – RTX Ventures (New York)
After a government stint with the U.S. Department of Defense, Holway transitioned to RTX Ventures, focusing on cybersecurity, AI, and propulsion. She’s building scalable support infrastructure for founders and internal stakeholders at RTX. “We’re not just capital providers — we’re growth partners,” she says.
Gabby Munoz
Global Head of M&A and Venture Investments – Fitch Group (New York)
With roots in investment banking and operating experience at an e-commerce startup, Munoz now leads strategic investments for Fitch. She sees credit intelligence and financial information services as ripe for disruption — and stresses the importance of aligning CVC with core corporate strategy.
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Sara Olson
Senior Director, Crop Science Venture Investments – Leaps by Bayer (Boston)
Olson drives investments at the frontier of agtech, food systems, and consumer health. She previously worked at FMC Ventures and was recognized as a GCV Rising Star 2025 for her efforts in crop traits, automation, and epigenetics.
Rachel Zabronsky
Principal – PayPal Ventures (New York)
Zabronsky transitioned from B2B marketing into CVC through PayPal’s internal tech leadership program. Now a principal, she’s focused on AI-driven fintech, consumer loyalty, and backing underrepresented founders via PayPal’s $100M diversity fund.
Lauren Wisniewski
Senior Manager – New Incubation Ventures, Estée Lauder (New York)
Wisniewski brings capital and operational expertise to early-stage beauty tech and DTC brands. Since joining in 2021, she’s led investments in brands like KIKI World, Vyrao, and Melt Season — shaping Estée Lauder’s next-gen portfolio.
Tassbieh Hassan
Manager of Portfolio Development – Salesforce Ventures (New York)
A former IBM engineer with patents to her name, Hassan now works with AI startups like Anthropic and ElevenLabs. She connects CEOs and enterprise CIOs, helping early-stage companies scale inside Salesforce’s ecosystem.
Hanqing Li
Investment Director – MSD Global Health Innovation Fund (New York)
Li specializes in AI-enabled drug discovery, with investments in BigHat Biosciences and Variational AI. She values MSD’s diverse team, citing its “eclectic mix” as key to evaluating healthcare deals across the value chain.
Eve Burton
Chairwoman – HearstLab (New York)
A longtime Hearst executive and First Amendment lawyer, Burton has helped deploy $85M into women-led startups through HearstLab — supported by a 200-woman executive network. Her portfolio spans B2B SaaS, health, and media.
Luba Safran
VC Lead – Mondelēz SnackFutures Ventures (New York)
Safran previously led investments at AB InBev’s ZX Ventures. At Mondelēz, she backs next-gen snack brands and food tech, building innovation pipelines aligned with the company’s global reach.
Annie Weissbach
Senior Associate – Echo Health Ventures (Boston)
Weissbach brings a background in public health and investment banking to her role at Echo Health Ventures. She supports investments in value-based care and digital health, and is a board observer for companies like Heartbeat Health and Wildflower.
Ankita Singh
Investment Director – Bosch Ventures (Cambridge, MA)
A former strategy consultant, Singh joined Bosch in 2023 to support deep tech diligence across verticals. Bosch Ventures maintains a 60+ company global portfolio, with Singh focused on marrying market insight and technical potential.
Jenna Kurath
VP, Startup Partnerships & Head of SportsTech – Comcast (Philadelphia)
Kurath leads Comcast NBCU SportsTech, a startup accelerator focused on sports innovation, from fan engagement to athlete performance. She bridges Fortune 500 reach with startup agility, guiding 10 portfolio companies per cohort.
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