Most corporates struggle to move fast enough for AI and robotics. Toyota’s answer is corporate venture.

In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm and Jeppe Høier speak with Ro Gupta, CEO and Managing Director of Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth-stage venture fund focused on mobility, AI, automation and climate technology.

They discuss how Toyota uses CVC to identify frontier technologies, work with startups and think decades ahead.

Ro shares how Woven Capital functions as agile “speedboats” around Toyota’s industrial “supertanker”, scanning for strategic opportunities across AI, robotics, mobility, manufacturing and infrastructure.

Highlights

Why Toyota invests through both “inside-out” and “outside-in” models
How Woven evaluates AI, robotics and the future of labour
Why strategic engagement matters more than passive investing
How Toyota balances long-term thinking with venture-speed execution
Why Europe is becoming increasingly important for Toyota’s innovation strategy

Timestamps

(00:00) Ro Gupta’s founder background and move into Toyota
(04:00) Startup operators vs corporate insiders in CVC
(10:00) Toyota’s multi-fund venture strategy
(15:00) The “supertanker and speedboats” framework
(18:00) AI hype cycles and long-term industrial strategy
(23:00) AI, robotics and advanced manufacturing themes
(27:00) What Woven Capital looks for in startups
(30:00) What founders expect from CVC investors
(33:00) How Woven collaborates with traditional VCs
(35:00) Europe’s role in Toyota’s future strategy
(39:00) Toyota’s next 100-year opportunity
(44:00) The “build, move and connect” framework

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Ro Gupta, Woven Capital: How Toyota uses corporate venture to win in AI and robotics

EUVC

Ro Gupta, Woven Capital: How Toyota uses corporate venture to win in AI and robotics