Goodyear Ventures

What Goodyear Ventures does

Goodyear Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: GT), established in 2020 to invest in startups developing emerging mobility technologies. The fund makes minority equity investments in seed-to-growth-stage companies across autonomous vehicles (Gatik, Starship Technologies, Helm.ai), EV infrastructure (AmpUp, Revel, Nova Labs/Helium), EV services (Zypp Electric, Recurrent, Spiffy, CorrActions), fleet management, robotics (Formant), and sensing technology (Tactile Mobility, Ottometric). In 2024-2025, the fund shifted its emphasis deeper into sustainability and material science, seeking breakthrough solutions in advanced materials that improve performance, reduce environmental impact, and enhance cost efficiency.

The fund operates as a strategic complement to Goodyear's tire and mobility business rather than a purely financial vehicle. Portfolio companies gain access to Goodyear's manufacturing capabilities, global distribution network, and industry expertise beyond capital, including co-development arrangements such as airless tires developed for Starship Technologies' delivery robots and smart tire testing on Gatik's automated trucks. The fund maintains a lean team of 1-10 employees including a Managing Director (Aleda Schaffer), Principal (Chris Varley), and Senior Corporate Venture Capital Associate (Chitti Raju), headquartered in Akron, Ohio alongside Goodyear's global headquarters, with innovation centers spanning San Francisco, Colmar-Berg (Luxembourg), and Shanghai.

Goodyear Ventures' revenue model follows standard corporate VC mechanics: returns are generated through equity appreciation and exits, with no disclosed management fees or external limited partners. The fund is funded directly by its parent company. Two portfolio exits have been recorded to date: Autofleet was acquired by Element Fleet Management, and Envoy was acquired by Blink Charging's subsidiary Blink Mobility. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed separately, consistent with the fund's role as a strategic cost-center within Goodyear's broader innovation budget.

Name

Goodyear Ventures

Legal name

Goodyear Ventures

Website

https://goodyearventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Goodyear Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, investing minority equity in seed-to-growth-stage startups developing sustainable material science and emerging mobility technologies since 2020.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital / Mobility Investing

NAICS

Tire Manufacturing (32621)

SIC

Tires & Inner Tubes (3011)

akta.pro primary industry

Tires Manufacturing (IMACAIAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Tire Repair Materials (Patches, Plugs, Cements) Manufacturing (IMANAKAL)

Keywords

• Venture capital investing
• Mobility technology
• Corporate venture capital
• Material science investing
• Sustainable mobility

Headquarters

HQ city

Akron

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Corporate Venture Capital Returns: Goodyear Ventures generates returns through equity investments in mobility startups. The fund provides capital to early and growth-stage companies in exchange for equity stakes, with the goal of both financial returns and strategic value for Goodyear's core business.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Goodyear Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. It makes equity investments in seed-to-growth-stage startups developing breakthrough solutions in mobility technology and sustainable material science, including autonomous vehicles, EV infrastructure, delivery robotics, fleet management, and advanced materials.

Product overview

Goodyear Ventures is a corporate venture capital fund (not a product company) that has been investing in the future of mobility since 2020. The fund focuses on startups developing breakthrough solutions in sustainable material science, including advanced materials that improve performance, reduce environmental impact, enhance cost efficiency, ensure supply security, and support compliance. The portfolio includes companies across autonomous vehicles (Gatik, Starship Technologies, Helm.ai), EV infrastructure (AmpUp, Revel, Nova Labs/Helium), EV services (Zypp Electric, Recurrent, Spiffy, CorrActions), fleet management (Autofleet - acquired), and sensing technology (Tactile Mobility, Formant).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Goodyear Ventures Portfolio Corporate venture capital fund that invests in startups developing breakthrough solutions in material science and mobility technology, focusing on sustainable materials, advanced materials, cost reduction, performance improvement, and supply security.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Drive TLVminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoodyear joined forces with Drive TLV to explore advanced mobility solutions with Israeli startups, indicating a strategic partnership for startup sourcing and collaboration.
• Element Fleet ManagementminorOthersAutofleet, a Goodyear Ventures portfolio company, was acquired by Element Fleet Management, demonstrating successful exit outcomes for the portfolio.
• Blink ChargingminorOthersEnvoy, a Goodyear Ventures portfolio company, was acquired by Blink Charging's wholly owned subsidiary, demonstrating another successful portfolio exit.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Toyota Ventures: Corporate VC arm of Toyota focused on autonomy, robotics, climate, and frontier technology. Closely comparable in thematic focus (autonomous mobility, AI, sustainability) and operational model as a strategic CVC, though with a larger fund and team.
• BMW i Ventures: BMW Group's corporate venture capital arm investing in mobility, transportation, and sustainability. Comparable as a premium automotive OEM CVC with similar investment stages and thematic focus on future mobility and sustainable materials.
• Bosch Ventures: CVC arm of Bosch, a major automotive supplier with deep exposure to mobility sensors, automation, and EV technology. Comparable strategic mandate around autonomous and connected mobility, with overlapping interest in sensing and AI portfolio companies.
• Porsche Ventures: Porsche's CVC arm investing in mobility, automotive tech, and sustainability. Already a co-investment partner (Tactile Mobility) and direct comparable as a premium automotive CVC with overlapping portfolio interest in virtual sensing and mobility software.
• Continental Corporate Ventures: CVC arm of Continental AG, a major automotive supplier with deep tire and mobility technology exposure. Comparable as a tier-1 automotive/tire strategic investor focused on next-generation mobility, with similar co-investment and partnership dynamics.
• Hyundai CRADLE: Hyundai Motor Group's corporate venturing and innovation arm covering mobility, EV, and smart cities. Comparable as an automotive OEM CVC with similar focus on autonomous driving, EV infrastructure, and urban mobility startups.
• Bridgestone Ventures: Corporate VC arm of Bridgestone, the world's largest tire manufacturer. Direct competitor in the tire industry CVC space with overlapping focus on sustainable materials, autonomous mobility, and connected vehicle technology; same parent-company strategic dynamics.
• Volvo Cars Tech Fund: Volvo Cars' strategic venture fund investing in automotive tech, autonomy, and sustainability. Comparable as a premium automotive OEM CVC with similar stage focus and thematic overlap in autonomous and electric mobility.
• Michelin Ventures (Michelin Innovation Lab): Corporate venture capital arm of Michelin, the other global tier-1 tire manufacturer. Most directly comparable peer — same industry vertical (tire/mobility), similar strategic mandate around sustainable materials and future mobility, and competing for many of the same portfolio companies as Goodyear Ventures.

Broad incumbents

• Shell Ventures: CVC arm of Shell focused on energy transition, mobility, and advanced materials. Comparable as a corporate strategic investor with significant exposure to sustainable materials and future mobility, though operating from an energy (rather than tire) parent perspective.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/goodyear-ventures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments17 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Goodyear Ventures