Why venture capital wants both automaker experience and start-up agility

Venture capital (VC) investment has become an essential component of the modern automotive manufacturer. Some have been at it longer than others: a recent example is Volvo Group Venture Capital’s investment in the Palo Alto-based Apex.AI, a developer of self-driving operating systems which it believes could put autonomous vehicles (AV) on the road faster. But Volvo is a relative latecomer to proceedings, launching its VC fund in 2018. GM ventures was founded in 2010, and BMW’s iVentures followed a year later in 2011.