Saint-Gobain NOVA has named Sven Harmsen as its new external venturing director. Harmsen will help drive Saint-Gobain NOVA’s broader growth strategy as well as the company’s strategy around engagement and investment in startups and their relationships with Saint-Gobain businesses.
With more than 15 years of experience in business development and investment in venture capital backed start-ups and large corporations, Harmsen’s expertise will help Saint-Gobain NOVA enhance its partnership activities with like-minded startups and grow the company’s investment portfolio.
“The diversity of Harmsen’s background as well as his deep knowledge of business development and strategic investment will help to enhance our overarching strategy to ensure we create an optimized, efficient plan for our path forward,” said Minas Apelian, vice president of R&D, Quality and External Venturing at Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed.
Prior to joining Saint-Gobain NOVA, Harmsen served as Investment Director at M Ventures, the global corporate venture arm of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. From M Ventures’ office in Cambridge, Mass., he established and led a global investment team focusing on strategic investments in the field of performance materials and built an international portfolio of strategic investments.
