ZF uses investment arm to reach future talent

Players old and new are investing heavily to prepare for the future of mobility, but exactly what that trend entails, and over which timeframe, remains undeniably vague. Bringing new start-ups or unfamiliar technologies into the fold can provide a welcome boost to developments, but it is also risky business.

Thus, many of the automotive industry’s household names have established standalone corporate investment firms to pursue new – and potentially lucrative – ventures, without exposing the core business to significant risk.

In October 2016, Tier 1 supplier ZF formed Zukunft Ventures, a wholly owned corporate private equity unit. It joins