Prime Highlights
- Woven Capital has appointed Inga Goldbard as head of legal and Shun Tanaka as portfolio success manager.
- The appointments support the fund’s expansion and efforts to strengthen links between portfolio companies and Toyota.
Key Facts
- Woven Capital is Toyota’s $1.6 billion growth investment arm.
- The fund invests mainly in Series B to pre-IPO companies, with initial cheques of $10 million to $35 million.
Background
Woven Capital, the $1.6 billion growth investment arm of Toyota, has appointed Inga Goldbard as its head of legal. The fund has also named Shun Tanaka as portfolio success manager as it expands its investment operations.
Goldbard will work with Woven Capital’s investment and operations teams on legal matters covering investments, governance, risk management and portfolio support. The role is newly created.
She has experience advising companies at different stages, from formation to initial public offerings. She has also worked with venture capital and private equity firms on investments, acquisitions and exits.
Before joining Woven Capital, Goldbard served as general counsel at Google Ventures, where she supported a global investment team across multiple funds and markets. She previously worked at law firms Fenwick & West and WilmerHale.
Tanaka will focus on connecting Woven Capital’s portfolio companies with Toyota business units in Japan. His role will help create strategic partnerships between the startups and Toyota Group companies.
Tanaka has more than 15 years of experience in the semiconductor industry. His previous employers include Wolfspeed, Intel and Freescale Semiconductor.
The appointments come as Woven Capital enters a period of expansion. The fund announced a new $800 million investment fund last year and recently appointed Ro Gupta as managing director. Other senior appointments have also strengthened its investment and operating teams.
Woven Capital currently manages $1.6 billion across two $800 million funds. Each fund invests in about 20 companies, with initial investments generally ranging from $10 million to $35 million.
The fund mainly invests from Series B to pre-IPO stages. Around 80% of its portfolio companies have strategic partnerships with Toyota Group companies.
