U.S.-based venture capital firm, 500 Global has appointed Saskia Howard as Head of Strategic Relations.
Howard, most recently Director of External Relations at SoftBank Investment Advisers, joins 500 Global as the firm continues to scale globally and identify new opportunities across markets and product solutions.
As 500 Global expands its investments to include later stages, Howard will collaborate with global asset allocators to drive key strategic initiatives.
“Saskia has an impressive track record of building and scaling global funds and strategic initiatives; her unique experience and perspective will help us accelerate our global growth strategy,” said Courtney Powell, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner at 500 Global. “We are thrilled to welcome Saskia to the team and look forward to partnering with her on many key initiatives.”
“I was drawn to 500 Global because of the firm’s outstanding credentials, which include investing in 51 unicorns, and the opportunity to reinvest as its companies mature and scale,” said Howard. “As a firm investing at different stages of a company’s growth, 500 Global has unique offerings that allow it to unlock long-term value. I’m excited to be joining the team and can’t wait to further our mission of uplifting people and economies around the world through entrepreneurship.”
Howard joined SoftBank in the early stages of the SoftBank Vision Fund, where she partnered with the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and leadership team on strategy and execution to help build one of the world’s largest regulated asset managers for technology investments.
Before SoftBank, Howard was Director of Institutional Client Coverage at UBS Asset Management, responsible for some of the firm’s highest profile sovereign and institutional relationships across Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
On the other hand, 500 Global has a track record of boosting the growth of startup companies. The VC has backed over 5,000 founders representing more than 2,600 companies operating in 81 countries and has invested in 51 companies valued at over $1 billion, as well as 140+ companies valued at over $100 million — including private, public and exited companies.
