# 3M Ventures

3M Ventures is a Venture Capital based in Saint Paul, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Venture Capital
- **Headquarters:** Saint Paul, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** 3M Center 223-6N-11, Saint Paul, MN 55144-1000, United States
- **Founded:** 1931
- **Assets under management:** 13852 (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** www.3m.com

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The 3M Employee Retirement Income Plan was established in 1931 as a defined benefit vehicle for the parent company's workforce. 3M Ventures operates as its dedicated early-stage investment program. The program pursues seed through growth equity in sectors that overlap with 3M's materials, electronics and healthcare businesses. It has taken minority positions in twelve active startups, including JetZero in aerospace, Evoloh in green hydrogen, Morphotonics in advanced manufacturing and TaKaDu in industrial water systems. Geographic coverage spans the United States, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Finland and Israel. Deal structures are direct minority investments rather than fund commitments. The parent plan reports $13.85 billion in assets. 3M Ventures maintains relationships with Launch Minnesota and participates in Global Corporate Venturing and the Counter Club. In 2024 it engaged MetLife as annuity provider for plan participants. 3M Ventures sits inside the corporate parent rather than as an independent family office or multi-strategy manager, giving it direct access to 3M's operating divisions for due diligence and pilot deployments.

## Sectors

- Venture (General)
- Early Stage
- ClimateTech
- Advanced Materials
- Digital Health

## People

- Benjamin D. Wright — VP / Director
- Chelsea Plant — Investment Manager
- Daniel Seo — Investment Manager

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at 3M Ventures?

Benjamin D. Wright serves as VP and Director. Chelsea Plant and Daniel Seo act as Investment Managers with sector focus on deep tech and climatetech.

### Does 3M Ventures participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

The unit executes direct minority investments in startups. No fund-of-funds commitments appear in the record.

### What investment stages does 3M Ventures typically target?

Activity centers on seed through expansion rounds. Portfolio companies are described as early-stage startups.

### Which sectors does 3M Ventures explicitly prioritize?

Investments align with 3M's core areas: advanced materials, climate technology, digital health, semiconductors and industrial automation.

### How is 3M Ventures related to 3M Company?

3M Ventures functions as the corporate venture capital arm of 3M Company and draws from the associated employee retirement plan.

### Where does the underlying capital originate?

Capital is sourced from the 3M Employee Retirement Income Plan, a defined benefit pension established in 1931.

## Related profiles

- [BMW Pension Fund](https://altss.com/profile/bmw-pension-fund-germany)
- [GlaxoSmithKline Group Pension Fund](https://altss.com/profile/glaxosmithkline)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/3m-ventures

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