Honda looks to Canada for VC investments

Courtesy of our friends at the CVCA, word has come to us that Honda Corp. has a captive “VC” group called Honda Strategic Venturing, perhaps in the mold of Intel Capital et al. Our trade commission in Silicon Valley is also trying to build some bridges between these types of corporate “VC” vehicles and Canadian venture-backed firms. An effort that’s much appreciated!

According to Nick Sugimoto, Principal of Honda Strategic Venturing, HSV’s areas of interest, and current portfolio of five investments, include:

– communications (wireless; in-vehicle networks; human-machine interface)

– robotics(sensors, gyros, radars; actuators, motors; image processing, voice recognition)

– alternative energy (battery, capacitator, biofuel, photovoltaic energy)

– advanced materials (high performance materials: coating, fabric, rubber, structure, nanosynthesis; functional materials: catalysts, membranes, electrodes)

Honda Strategic Venturing is prepared to invest up to USD$1 mm into early-stage companies in Canada and up to USD$10 mm into later stage companies and to (as with Intel’s VC group, Motorola’s, etc.) introduce Canadian technology companies to Honda’s R and D laboratories. Here is their overview.

Sounds like a great opportunity. We’d be happy to help out if you’ve got a story that might fit their investment criteria.

MRM