Find out which startups are looking for strategic mobility investors at TC Sessions: Mobility

Scaling an autonomous vehicle or EV startup often requires dazzling amounts of capital that only hedge funds, strategic venture arms and institutional investors have the sense and money for.

Over the past two years, those capital needs have prompted dozens of mobility start-ups to turn to public markets or to entrenched hedge funds and venture capital from automakers and suppliers. Arrival, Canoo, Faraday Future, Lucid Group, Luminar Technologies and Nikola are just some of the companies that went public through mergers with special-purpose acquisitions, while Rivian and TuSimple followed the traditional IPO route. Other startups, perhaps not ready for that phase, turned to GM, Toyota’s Woven Capital and BMW Ventures – just to name a few – in an effort to forge partnerships that will help them scale.

But what are these strategic investors, hedge fund managers and institutional investors looking for? We want to find out during TechCrunch Sessions: Mobility on May 18-19, a two-day in-person event that – as in previous years – will bring together the best and brightest minds to discuss challenges and opportunities in the future of transportation.

We turn to some of the most active hedge fund, institutional and strategic investors in transportation to get answers.

With so many market variables at play – not the least of which is the ongoing global pandemic – we could all use a healthy dose of insight and perspective. Therefore, we are excited to announce that John Du (GM Ventures), Taylor Ogan (Snowbull Capital) and Trina Pelt (Intel Capital) will take the stage at TC Mobility for a panel discussion on strategic opportunities for startups.

John Du is a partner at GM Ventures, which has made investments in Envisics, GeoDigital and Nauto, to name a few. Du also serves as GM’s chief technologist for China. Before becoming a partner, Du was director of the China Science Lab, part of GM’s research and development organization, from its inception in 2009. He built a strong, innovative research team and led research and development in intelligent and connected vehicles, batteries, advanced materials and electrified power systems.

Taylor Ogan is the CEO of Snowbull Capital, a green and high-tech hedge fund that invests in companies focused on improving the environment through technological advancements and increasing urban efficiency. His areas of interest include AVs, AI, batteries and EVs.

Trina Van Pelt is the VP and senior managing director of Intel Capital and a voting member of the investment committee. Her areas of focus include growth and venture investments in intelligent edge, enterprise SaaS, AI and urban mobility.

Van Pelt, who currently serves on five boards of directors of growth-stage portfolio companies, has more than 25 years of experience in a wide variety of global technology acquisitions and investments.

Don’t miss this vital discussion as these expert VCs will reflect on how investment strategies have changed during the pandemic, how they are shifting today, and what transportation startups should prepare for in the capital markets in the future.

Breaking the hype, TC Session: Mobility 2022 goes beyond the headlines to discover how merging technology and transportation will impact a wide variety of industries, cities, and the people who work and live in them. Register today and reserve your seat before prices go up next week!

This post Find out which startups are looking for strategic mobility investors at TC Sessions: Mobility – TechCrunch

was original published at “https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/21/learn-what-startups-strategic-mobility-investors-are-seeking-at-tc-sessions-mobility/”