What stage does Playground Global invest at?

Playground Global invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.

What is Playground Global's typical check size?

Playground Global typically writes checks of $1M – $20M.

Where is Playground Global located?

Playground Global is headquartered in Palo Alto, US.

Does Playground Global lead rounds?

Playground Global typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.

Playground Global

Venture capital

Palo Alto · Pre-Seed–Series A · 46 people tracked

Also known as PLAYGROUND GLOBAL, LLC

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Investment thesis

Playground Global focuses on deep science and engineering-driven startups at the frontier of computing and its adjacent fields. It backs next-generation compute innovations including quantum computing, AI acceleration, novel architectures, and advanced interconnects. The firm invests in automation technologies that deliver measurable ROI and help companies scale and compete. In energy, it targets technology enabling the energy transition across generation, storage, and infrastructure, emphasizing cleaner, more efficient, and scalable solutions. At the intersection of AI and synthetic biology, Playground supports platforms that accelerate drug development and enable next-generation therapies. Its overarching approach is turning breakthrough science into world-changing companies.

Invests inAI & Machine Learning Biotech Cleantech Climate Tech Deep Tech Energy Hardware Logistics & Supply Chain New Materials Quantum Computing Robotics Semiconductors Space TechGlobalPalo AltoUnited States

Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.

Stage

Pre-Seed–Series A

Check

$1M – $20M

Palo Alto, CA, US

Leads rounds

Follows

Instruments

Equity

Founded

2015

AUM

$1.2B

VC funds

Tracked investments

Team · 46 people

from the firm's website & public directories

Pat Gelsinger· General Partner· United Statesin

Pat Gelsinger is a General Partner at Playground Global, a deep tech venture capital firm with $1.2 billion in assets under management. He has more than 45 years of experience in Silicon Valley as a CEO, CTO, and technologist, with prior roles at Intel, EMC, and VMware and work on semiconductors, microprocessors, and industry standards. He serves as Executive Chair of xLight and sits on the board of Gloo.

p•••@playground.vcreveal

Andy Rubin· Managing Partner· San Francisco Bay Areain 𝕏

Bruce Leak· General Partner· San Francisco Bay Areain

Bruce Leak combines an inventor's pedigree—creator of Apple's QuickTime and WebTV co‑founder—with a groundskeeper mentorship style, guiding founders building in frontier areas like robotics, quantum computing and engineered biology.

b•••@playground.vcreveal

Jory Bell· General Partner· Palo Alto, Californiain 𝕏

Jory Bell leverages an MIT triple-major in physics and electrical engineering/computer science to evaluate deep-tech and biotech platforms and infrastructure, bridging robotics automation with engineered biology and space technologies.

j•••@playground.vcreveal

Laurie Yoler· Partner· San Francisco Bay Areain 𝕏

Laurie Yoler, a founding Tesla director and early Zoox board member, leverages experience commercializing autonomy and advocates Level 4 as a horizontal capability for shared, high-use fleets given sensor costs.

Matt Hershenon· General Partner· San Francisco Bay Areain

Matt Hershenon, Danger co‑founder behind the T‑Mobile Sidekick, uses rare mass‑market hardware‑software founder experience to act as technical co‑founder, offering startups an internal engineering team and modular hardware/AI platform.

Peter Barrett· General Partner· Palo Alto, Californiain

Peter Barrett, a founding partner, employs dozens of scientists and engineers to experimentally retire deep technical risk—building prototypes (e.g., ammonia-powered jet engines)—and holds 100+ patents with a >20% unicorn rate.

p•••@playground.vcreveal

Daniel Yum· Principal

d•••@playground.vcreveal

Rahul Meka· Principal· San Francisco Bay Areain

Rahul Meka joined Playground Global in 2023, where he invests in deep tech spanning decarbonization, automation, and AI. He previously worked at Magna International on electrification, mobility autonomy, manufacturing, and robotics, and later at Akasha Imaging (acquired by Intrinsic, an Alphabet company), working on computational imaging. He holds an MBA in Finance and Strategy from the University of Chicago, an MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University, and a B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science.

r•••@playground.vcreveal

Victoria Sun· Principal· San Francisco Bay Areain

Jon Carter· Venture Partner· Portola Valleyin

Jon Carter is a Venture Partner at Playground Global with a background in building leadership teams in the technology industry. Previously a Senior Partner at Egon Zehnder, he established the firm's Silicon Valley office and led its global Technology practice, advising companies including Alphabet, Intel, and Microsoft as well as startups on CEO and board recruitment. He holds degrees from Cambridge University and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Richard Peretz· Venture Partner· San Antonio, Texas

Richard Peretz is a venture partner at Playground Global focused on global operations, supply chain management, logistics, and last-mile solutions. He previously spent nearly 40 years at UPS, serving as Chief Financial Officer and, earlier, as International CFO (2002-2007) and head of the Mergers and Acquisitions department (2007-2015), where he completed over $3 billion in transactions. He holds an MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University and a BBA from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Sasha Ostojic· Venture Partner· Palo Altoin

Sasha Ostojic is a Venture Partner at Playground Global, where he advises portfolio companies on technology and business strategy. He previously served as CEO and VP of Engineering of Ultimate Technology, spent nearly a decade at Nvidia as Vice President of Software, and led the engineering team at Cruise Automation, the autonomous vehicle subsidiary of General Motors. Earlier in his career he worked as a software architect at General Electric on IBM's DirectTalk Voice Application platform.

Angela Lin· Executive Assistant

Austin Yu· Investor

Benjamin Kim· Partner· Stanford, Californiain

Ben Kim is a Partner at Playground Global, where he focuses on engineered biology and life sciences companies. Before joining Playground, he was a PhD graduate student and NSF Fellow at Stanford University, studying Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering.

b•••@playground.vcreveal

Brian Burton· Investor· San Francisco Bay Areain 𝕏

Caroline Little· Director Government Affairs· Northern Virginiain

Caroline Little is Director of Government Affairs at Playground Global, leading policy strategy, non-dilutive funding, and regulatory engagement for the firm and its portfolio companies. She previously held senior roles at the U.S. Department of Defense, including Senior Advisor for Strategic Engagement to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Financial Systems Analyst in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), and researcher for the PPBE Reform Commission, and worked on AI and technology strategy at the DoD Joint Artificial Intelligence Center and Chief Information Office. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Appalachian State University and began her career in Washington DC in the U.S. House of Representatives and at the Heritage Foundation.

Chika Nakasu· Executive Manager· San Francisco Bay Areain

Chika Nakasu joined Playground Global in 2018, where she supports the firm's General Partners. Before Playground, she held roles at SoftBank, Sony Electronics, Playstation, and J.P. Morgan. She holds a BA in Liberal Arts from Jyochi (Sophia) University.

Cici Tong· Assistant Controller

Clinton Lazzari· Operating Partner· Medford, Oregon

Clinton Lazzari is an operating partner at Playground Global who focuses on electronics engineering, product design, manufacturing operations, and program management, with over 20 years of experience shipping global products from architecture through manufacturing. He was previously a senior hardware engineer at Google, where he led consumer product designs to production and worked on the RF and digital systems for X Lab's Project Loon. As a consultant he has worked across medical devices, industrial tools, consumer electronics, robotics, and aerospace control systems.

Gael Huynh· Executive Assistant· Santa Clara, California, United Statesin

Gael Huynh joined Playground Global in 2022, where she provides administrative support to the firm's investment and operations teams and General Partners, and helps with planning and logistics for the firm's events. Before Playground, she held administrative roles at data.ai, Sovos Brands, and OneValley, supporting C-level executives.

Garrett Haddad· Operating Partner

Garrett Haddad is an Operating Partner at Playground Global, supporting the firm's deep tech portfolio, with more than 15 years of experience spanning investment banking, engineering, and military leadership. He previously spent eight years in investment banking advising companies on M&A, IPOs, and financing, most recently focusing on technology companies at Goldman Sachs. Earlier, he served as a Captain and Ranger-qualified Engineer Officer in the U.S. Army, holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and an engineering degree from West Point, and is a licensed Professional Engineer.

Greg Wilson· Chief Financial Officer· San Francisco, California, United Statesin

Greg Wilson joined Playground Global in 2018 as chief financial officer, where he oversees firm and fund operations, including the back office and the development of internal systems and processes. He previously worked at investment firms including Vector Capital, Pantera Capital, Serent Capital, and Social Capital. He holds a degree in Economics from the University of California San Diego.

Guocong Song· Data Scientist· Palo Alto, California, United Statesin

Hadley Wilkins· Operating Partner, Marketing

Jacqueline Tame· Operating Partner, External Affairs

Jasmine Jordan· Events Manager· San Francisco Bay Areain

Jasmine Jordan is the Events Manager at Playground Global, with over a decade of experience in event management and marketing. She previously worked as a Meeting Event Planner at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, where she organized events for executive leadership, and has created a women's empowerment series and ERG Heritage Month initiatives. She has planned hundreds of events across nonprofit, corporate, and community settings.

Jeff Freburg· Real Estate & Operations, Vice President· Redwood City, California, United Statesin

Jeff Freburg joined Playground Global in 2015, where he designed and built the firm's facility and oversees the day-to-day operation of its studio space while working with portfolio companies and tenants. He previously worked at Google, where he helped start and scale the company's culinary program, and at Square, where he set up culinary and facilities operations. He holds a degree from Michigan State University and studied culinary arts at the California Culinary Academy.

Jeff Merver· Head of IT & Infrastructure· Burlingame, California, United Statesin

Jeff Merver joined Playground Global in 2020 and manages the implementation and operations of the firm's technology infrastructure. He previously held roles at Leapset (a SYSCO company), castAR, and Essential, where he worked on DevOps, internal tooling, and network engineering. Outside of work he runs a professional wrestling promotion, West Coast Pro Wrestling.

Jim Vieceli· General Counsel

John Vormbaum· Principal Talent Partner

Justin Ernest· Associate· San Francisco, Californiain

j•••@playground.vcreveal

Kendra Perlitz· Chief Operating Officer· San Francisco, California, United Statesin

Kendra Perlitz is chief operating officer at Playground Global, where she leads capital formation and oversees firm operations, working with limited partners on early-stage investment strategy through fund commitments and co-investments. She was previously managing director of investor relations and operations at SVB Capital and vice president of capital formation and investor operations at Top Tier Capital Partners, with earlier roles at McKesson, iRhythm Technologies, and Hall Capital Partners. She holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and both a bachelor's degree and a master of education from Vanderbilt University.

Kim Watson· Finance Manager

Marissa Ramirez de Chanlatte· Investor· Los Altos, California, United Statesin

Marissa Ramirez de Chanlatte is a deep tech investor at Playground Global, where she invests across quantum computing, next-generation compute architectures, AI, and robotics and leads the firm's Genesis Fund. She previously worked in high performance computing and computational neutronics at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and in the Applied Numerical Algorithms Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and co-founded an AI startup where she served as COO. She holds a Ph.D. in Computational & Data Science, a Master's in Nuclear Engineering, and a Bachelor's in Pure Mathematics, all from UC Berkeley.

m•••@playground.vcreveal

Matt Hershenson· Venture Partner· San Francisco Bay Areain

Matt Hershenson is a Founding Partner at Playground Global. His engineering career began at Apple, where he worked in manufacturing engineering and on the PowerBook laptop line, after which he co-founded Danger in 2000, the company behind the T-Mobile Sidekick, which was later acquired by Microsoft. He subsequently served as a Partner in Hardware Engineering at Microsoft and as Director of Hardware on Google's Android team before helping start Playground in late 2014.

Michelle Wagner· Operating Partner, People and Talent

Nancy Ly· Associate, Finance & Administrator· San Francisco Bay Areain

Nate Chang· Operating Partner, Life Sciences· San Francisco Bay Areain

Nate Chang began his venture capital career as a Partner on Andreessen Horowitz's Corporate Development team within the a16z Bio group, where he advised portfolio companies on strategic plans including fundraising, capital markets readiness, M&A, and business development. Before a16z, he spent 14 years in healthcare investment banking covering life science companies at Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, and RBC Capital Markets, and earlier worked as a clinical research associate at Quintiles and in business development at Pharmaceutical Product Development. He holds an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and studied Molecular Biology and Applied Mechanics (Bioengineering) at UC San Diego.

Nicole Sonnert· Investor

n•••@playground.vcreveal

Rasheed Auguste· Senior Analyst· United Statesin

Rasheed Auguste invests in deep tech companies focused on industrial transformation, including materials, manufacturing, energy, and decarbonization. Before joining the firm, he worked at the US Department of Energy advising on risk strategy for first-of-a-kind energy demonstration projects, funding solicitations, and industry reports, and consulted for think tanks and philanthropies on energy policy. He holds a Master's and PhD in Nuclear Engineering and a Master's in Public Policy from UC Berkeley, and dual bachelor's degrees in Physics and Nuclear Science from MIT.

Richard Becker· Manager, Prototype and Lab Operationsin

Richard Becker joined Playground Global in 2016 and manages the firm's labs and machine shop. Before Playground, he worked at Tri-Fab Associates, Ron Nunes Enterprises, and Infinity Vacuum and Machine, specializing in multi-axis CNC machining, precision sheet metal fabrication, and welding. He holds an Associates Degree from Las Positas College.

Sarah Nelson· Senior Fund Accountant· San Francisco Bay Areain

Sarah Nelson joined Playground Global in 2025, where she handles fund financial reporting and supports audit and tax compliance. She previously worked at Deloitte in their investment management tax practice, focusing on tax compliance for venture capital clients. She holds a BS in Accounting and Information Systems from Santa Clara University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Steph Heath· People Partner· San Francisco Bay Areain

Steph Heath is the People Partner at Playground Global, where she leads internal People Operations and supports portfolio companies with their People and Talent needs, including a monthly newsletter and reusable tools, templates, and systems. She previously provided HR support to executives and teams at TikTok and Headspace across functions such as Engineering, Marketing, and Operations. She holds a degree in Sociology with a concentration in Interaction and Group Relations from CSU, Long Beach.

Vilma Roa· Receptionist· San Francisco Bay Areain

Vilma Roa has been with Playground Global since 2017, where she manages daily office operations including guest reception, new hire orientation and offboarding, and monthly expense reports and purchase orders. She previously worked as a receptionist at LinkedIn and Google, and as an Accounting Associate in the Office of Sponsored Research at Stanford University. She holds a BS in Graphic Communication from Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo.

What they invest in

from 52 of 74 portfolio companies

AI & Machine Learning ×33Deep Tech ×29Hardware ×19Biotech ×15Semiconductors ×11Medical Devices ×8Logistics & Supply Chain ×6Robotics ×6

HQs:United States×29Australia×3Canada×1Ireland×1

Investments · 74 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

Intel,intel.comin 𝕏NASDAQ: INTC

Intel designs and manufactures semiconductor processors for data center, consumer, and embedded applications, including Xeon server processors, Arc graphics processors, and mobile processors.

AI & Machine LearningHardwareSemiconductorsSanta Clara, US

Velo 3Dvelo3d.comin 𝕏NASDAQ: VELO

Velo3D manufactures metal additive manufacturing systems using laser powder bed fusion technology for industrial production.

Advanced ManufacturingDeep TechHardwareSanta Clara, US

Strohband Sven(Director)Benyamin Buller(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Erel Milshtein(Executive Officer)Ofer Shochet(Director)

19101910.aiin 𝕏✓ verified

1910 develops an AI platform that integrates multimodal data, frontier AI models, and high-throughput lab automation to accelerate drug discovery and development for pharmaceutical companies.

AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechHealthtechBoston, US

Jen Asher(Founder & CEO)in

1910 Genetics1910genetics.comin 𝕏✓ verified

1910 Genetics develops genetic engineering and biotechnology solutions, leveraging computational and biological approaches.

AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechCambridge, US

Samir Kumar(Director)Marc Foster(Director)Jennifer O. Nwankwo(Executive Officer, Director)Jory Bell(Director)

Amberamber.bio✓ verified

Amber Bio is a biotechnology company developing a novel RNA writing platform capable of multi-kilobase gene edits that can treat multiple mutations across patients with a single product.

AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep Tech

Jacob Borrajo, PhD(Founder and CEO)

D-Matrix AI Inference Accelerationd-matrix.aiin 𝕏✓ verified

d-Matrix develops AI compute hardware and platforms optimized for generative AI inference, designed to be faster, more energy-efficient, and more accessible than existing solutions.

AI & Machine LearningHardwareSemiconductors

Inscopixinscopix.com✓ verified

Inscopix develops advanced microscopy and neural circuit analysis technologies to understand brain function and disease mechanisms for neuroscience research.

AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechMedical DevicesMountain View, US

Kunal Ghosh(Founder & CEO)Abbas El Gamal(Co-founder & Director)Mark Schnitzer(Scientific Cofounder & Board Observer)

Manifoldmanifold.bioin✓ verified

Manifold Bio combines AI-guided protein design with high-throughput in vivo screening to engineer tissue-targeted biologics and deliver therapeutic payloads to specific organs.

AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep Tech

Gleb Kuznetsov(Co-Founder & CEO)inPierce Ogden(Co-Founder & CTO)in

PicoJoolpicojool.comin✓ verified

PicoJool designs and manufactures vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) optical connectivity solutions for AI data centers and hyperscale cloud systems.

Deep TechHardwareSemiconductors

RightHandrighthandrobotics.com✓ verified

RightHand Robotics develops an AI-powered robotic piece-picking platform for order fulfillment in e-commerce and supply chain operations.

AI & Machine LearningLogistics & Supply ChainRoboticsSomerville, US

Snowcap Computesnowcapcompute.comin✓ verified

Snowcap Compute develops superconducting computing platforms using Josephson Junctions to replace semiconductor transistors, delivering orders-of-magnitude greater energy efficiency for AI and high-performance computing workloads.

AI & Machine LearningDeep TechSemiconductorsSan Francisco, US

Anna Herr(Executive Officer)Quentin Herr(Executive Officer)Richard Hyman(Director)Michael Shamus Lafferty(Executive Officer, Director)Pat Gelsinger(Director)

xLightxlight.comin 𝕏✓ verified

xLight develops free-electron laser (FEL) technology and advanced accelerator systems.

Advanced ManufacturingDeep TechHardwareSemiconductors

Nicholas Kelez(Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer)

BoardPat Gelsinger(General Partner at Playground Global (investor/advisor))

Insamoinsamo.com

Insamo develops an automated platform for drug discovery that designs, synthesizes, and tests cyclic peptides at scale using machine learning and proprietary experimental data.

AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechChippendale, AU

Tim Craven(CEO)Toby Passioura(CSO)Glen McIntyre(COO)COREY GOODMAN(Director)TIMOTHY CRAVEN(Executive Officer, Director)MATT HERSHENSON(Director)

PartnerBenjamin Kim· led

Board seatMatt Hershenson· per SEC Form D

Knoxus.AI LtdSEC filingmedium confidence

Mountain View, US

Board seatSasha Ostojic· per SEC Form D · $12.5M raise · filed Feb 2026

Logistics ExchangeSEC filingmedium confidence

New York, US

Abhinav Prasad(Executive Officer, Director)

Board seatLaurie Yoler· per SEC Form D · $37M raise · filed Feb 2022

RapidSOSrapidsos.comin

RapidSOS operates a safety network that connects public safety agencies, enterprises, and consumer/corporate devices to provide critical context and pre-arrival intelligence to emergency responders and 911 dispatchers.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareGovTechNew York, US

Nicholas Horelik(Executive Officer)Dan Nova(Director)Matthew Bozik(Director)Michael Martin(Executive Officer, Director)

Board seatBruce Leak· per SEC Form D

Agility Roboticsagilityrobotics.comin 𝕏

Agility Robotics develops and deploys humanoid robots for warehouse automation and logistics operations.

AI & Machine LearningHardwareLogistics & Supply ChainRoboticsSalem, US

Jonathan Hurst(Co-founder & Chief Robot Officer)inDamion Shelton(Co-Founder & Chairman of the Board)inBruce Leak(Director)Matthew Ocko(Director)

PartnerBruce Leak· quoted

Alva

Delivers standardized uprates to existing nuclear reactors to unlock stranded energy capacity.

Alvaenergyalvaenergy.io

Alva develops solutions for delivering new nuclear power generation capacity on time and on budget, serving utilities and energy operators building utility-scale nuclear systems.

Deep TechEnergy

Michael AndersSimon Holmes à Court

BoardIsabelle Boemeke

Amber Bio

RNA editing platform enabling large, precise edits without altering DNA.

Anjunaanjuna.ioin 𝕏

Anjuna develops software for secure data sharing and confidential computing in cloud and AI environments.

AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingCybersecurityDeep TechEnterprise SoftwareSan Francisco, US

Ayal Yogev(Founder/CEO)inSteve Weis

Atomicatomic.aiin 𝕏

Atomic.ai combines machine learning and RNA biology to discover and develop RNA-based drugs.

AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep Tech

Atomic AI

Develops foundation models that predict RNA structure and biophysical properties to transform RNA drug discovery.

PartnerBenjamin Kim· led

Ayar Labsayarlabs.comin 𝕏

Ayar Labs develops co-packaged optics (CPO) technology for AI infrastructure, enabling optical connectivity between thousands of GPUs across data center racks.

AI & Machine LearningDeep TechHardwareSemiconductorsSan Jose, US

Mark Wade(Founder & CEO)in

Bodyportbodyport.comin 𝕏

Bodyport develops an FDA-cleared cardiac scale that non-invasively measures hemodynamic biomarkers through a patient's feet to detect early signs of worsening heart failure in a home setting.

Digital HealthHealthtechMedical DevicesWellness & FitnessSan Francisco, US

Corey Centen(Founder/CEO)inSarah Smith(Founder)in

Boxbotboxbot.ioin 𝕏

Boxbot provides automated, high-density storage systems for logistics operations, using AI-driven capabilities to optimize vehicle loading, cross-dock buffering, and item retrieval across last-mile delivery, air cargo, and industrial applications.

AI & Machine LearningLogistics & Supply ChainRobotics

Branchbranch.ioin

Branch is an AI-powered mobile measurement partner (MMP) and omnichannel linking platform that helps brands measure marketing impact and guide customers across apps, web, email, paid media, social, and connected TV.

AdTechAI & Machine LearningMarketing TechSaaS<UNKNOWN>, US

Mada Seghete(Founder)Mike Molinet(Founder)

Chargeloop

Increases mobile revenue through enterprise-grade deep links across all platforms.

Clarion

Develops a non-invasive electric deicing system allowing aircraft to deice themselves to prevent flight delays and improve sustainability.

Databricksdatabricks.comin 𝕏

Databricks provides a unified platform for data engineering, analytics, and artificial intelligence, enabling organizations to build and deploy data and AI applications on cloud infrastructure.

AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareSan Francisco, US

Ali Ghodsi(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Ion Stoica(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Matei Zaharia(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)David Conte(Executive Officer)Tram Phi(Executive Officer)

BoardPeter Sonsini(Director)

Deicedeice.comin 𝕏

De-Ice develops an electric heating technology for aircraft de-icing, eliminating chemical spraying and reducing departure delays.

CleantechClimate TechHardware

BoardJohn Owen(Co-founder and former CFO at JetBlue Airways)

Eeroeero.comin 𝕏

eero designs and manufactures Wi-Fi mesh networking systems for homes and businesses.

HardwareIoTSan Francisco, US

Nicholas S. Weaver(Executive Officer, Director)Robert Coneybeer(Director)Robert Hayes(Director)

Element Zeroelementzero.greenin

Element Zero develops zero-emission technology to produce green metals from iron ore and other ores using renewable energy and electrochemistry, eliminating carbon dioxide from metal production.

Advanced ManufacturingCleantechClimate TechPort Hedland, AU

Michael MastermanBart Kolodziejczyk

Fabricgetfabric.comin

Fabric operates automated fulfillment facilities for urban retail and on-demand commerce, helping retailers improve operational efficiency and sustainability.

E-commerceLogistics & Supply ChainPropTechRobotics

Ori Avraham(Co-founder, VP Product & Strategy)Shay Cohen(Co-founder, VP Engineering)Avi (Jack) Jacoby(CEO)

GigaCropgigacrop.comin

GigaCrop develops engineered crops with improved photosynthesis to increase agricultural yields for food, fiber, and fuel production.

AgTechAI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep Tech

Chris Eiben(Founder, CEO)in

Ideon

Uses cosmic-ray muon tomography to provide subsurface visibility for identifying resources needed for energy transformation.

Ideon Technologies Inc.ideon.aiin 𝕏

Ideon Technologies uses cosmic-ray muon tomography to create subsurface density maps for mining companies, enabling mineral deposit identification and characterization while reducing environmental impact and operational risk.

AgTechAI & Machine LearningClimate TechDeep TechSaskatchewan, CA

Infinimmuneinfinimmune.comin

Infinimmune discovers and develops antibody therapeutics using proprietary sequencing technology and AI-powered optimization.

AI & Machine LearningBiotechMedical Devices

Lassogenlassogen.comin 𝕏

Lassogen engineers lasso peptides as therapeutic scaffolds to create Lassotides, a new drug modality combining advantages of antibodies and small molecules for challenging diseases.

BiotechDeep TechSan Diego, US

Mark J Burk(Executive Officer)

Manifold Bio

Develops a high throughput in vivo platform testing hundreds of biologics in a single animal to power AI models for tissue-targeting medicines.

PartnerBenjamin Kim· led

Mosaic MLmosaicml.comin 𝕏

Nauto Connected Carnauto.comin 𝕏

Nauto provides an AI-enabled fleet and driver safety platform that uses real-time video analysis and machine learning to predict and prevent distracted driving and collisions for commercial fleets.

AI & Machine LearningHardwareIoTMobility & TransportationPalo Alto, US

Dr. Stefan Heck(CEO and Founder)Heck Stefan(Executive Officer, Director)

Nervana

AI platform that powered creation of custom deep learning applications.

NextSilnextsilicon.com

NextSilicon develops software-defined hardware architecture for high-performance computing in scientific research, enabling developers to accelerate existing code without rewrites or vendor lock-in.

AI & Machine LearningDeep TechHardwareSemiconductors

NVision

Develops quantum contrast agents that turn MRIs into sensitive metabolic imagers for early cancer detection.

Nvision Imagingnvision-imaging.comin 𝕏

NVision develops quantum computing and quantum-enhanced sensing platforms based on quantum spin control in organic molecules, with focus on healthcare applications including drug development and disease treatment.

AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechMedical DevicesQuantum Computing

Outpace

Develops a platform using protein switches to reprogram living cells for precise control of biological functions in next-generation cell therapies.

Outpace Biooutpacebio.comin

Outpace Bio develops engineered protein technologies and cell therapies to treat solid tumors, focusing on protein design and T cell engineering to improve cancer treatment efficacy and safety.

BiotechDeep TechMedical DevicesSeattle, US

Marc Lajoie(Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer)Scott Boyken(Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer)Stanley Riddell(Co-Founder and Scientific Advisor)Aaron Foster(Executive Officer)Charity Scripture(Executive Officer)Eric Soller(Executive Officer)

Owl Labsowllabs.comin 𝕏

Owl Labs provides hardware and software solutions for Microsoft Teams Rooms, enabling hybrid meeting experiences across small huddle rooms, medium conference spaces, and large event venues.

Enterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkHardwareSaaSSomerville, US

Mark Schnittman(Co-founder)Max Makeev(Co-founder)

BoardAntonio Rodriguez(Director)

Owllabsowllabs.euin 𝕏

Owl Labs builds remote collaboration hardware and software, specifically the Meeting Owl Pro—a 360-degree video conferencing device designed to improve video meeting experiences for hybrid and distributed teams.

Future of WorkHardwareSaaSIreland, IE

Frank Weishaupt(Chief Executive Officer)

Phasecraftphasecraft.io

Phasecraft develops quantum computing systems and software by combining quantum information theory, materials science, and engineering to advance practical quantum advantage.

AI & Machine LearningDeep TechQuantum Computing

Prof. Ashley Montanaro(Co-Founder & CEO)inProf. Toby Cubitt(Co-Founder, CTO & CSciO)inProf. John Morton(Co-Founder & Director)in

Playground

PowerLattice

Built the industry's first power delivery chiplet for breakthrough performance and efficiency in AI accelerators and data centers.

PowerLattice Technologies

Camas, US

SUJITH DERMAL(Executive Officer, Director)PENG ZOU(Executive Officer, Director)GANG GEN(Executive Officer, Director)

Powerlatticeincpowerlatticeinc.com

Powerlattice develops integrated voltage regulator (IVR) chiplets for power delivery in high-performance processors and AI systems.

AI & Machine LearningDeep TechSemiconductors

Sujith Dermal(Co-founder)Dr. ZouGang Ren(Engineering Lead)

PsiQuantum

Architecting a million qubit quantum computer with applications across pharma, materials, finance, and energy.

PsiQuantum Computingpsiquantum.comin 𝕏

PsiQuantum builds fault-tolerant quantum computers using photonic qubits and semiconductor manufacturing processes.

Deep TechHardwareQuantum ComputingSemiconductorsMoreton Bay, AU

Prof. Jeremy O'Brien(Co-founder & Executive Chairman)Prof. Terry Rudolph(Co-founder & Chief Architect)Dr. Pete Shadbolt(Co-founder & Chief Scientific Officer)Prof. Mark Thompson(Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer)Victor Peng(Chief Executive Officer)

Relativity Spacerelativityspace.comin 𝕏

Relativity Space develops Terran R, a reusable medium-to-heavy-lift rocket designed for efficiency and scalability, serving government entities, telecommunications companies, and commercial customers for space access missions.

Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningDeep TechDefense TechHardwareSpace TechLos Angeles, US

Tim Ellis(Founder/CEO)inEric Schmidt(CEO)Jordan Noone(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)

Robust AIrobust.aiin

Robust.AI develops AI and robotics technology with a focus on human-centered design.

AI & Machine LearningDeep TechLogistics & Supply ChainRoboticsVista, US

Anthony JulesinRodney BrooksinLeila TakayamaGabrielle Halbergin

Saltboxsaltbox.comin 𝕏

Saltbox provides logistics and fulfillment services to ecommerce merchants and entrepreneurs, offering warehousing and workspace solutions to simplify supply chain operations.

E-commerceLogistics & Supply ChainPropTech

Rows marked “SEC filing” are inferred from directors named on the company's SEC Form D — public regulatory data, not a portfolio list published by the firm.

Frequently asked questions

What stage does Playground Global invest at?: Playground Global invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
What is Playground Global's typical check size?: Playground Global typically writes checks of $1M – $20M.
What sectors does Playground Global focus on?: Playground Global focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Cleantech, Climate Tech, Deep Tech, Energy, Hardware, Logistics & Supply Chain, New Materials, Quantum Computing, Robotics, Semiconductors, Space Tech.
Where is Playground Global located?: Playground Global is headquartered in Palo Alto, US.
Does Playground Global lead rounds?: Playground Global typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.

Media · Podcasts & interviews

featuring the team

Keynote: Peter Barrett, Playground Global

Special Competitive Studies Project · Peter Barrett

Pat Gelsinger Announces He Is Joining Playground Global

Playground Global · Pat Gelsinger

Playground Global's Peter Barrett on quantum computing and tech's potential

CNBC Television · Peter Barrett

Playground Global's Peter Barrett on creating a quantum ecosystem in Australia

ShareCafe · Peter Barrett

Playground Global's Peter Barrett on Australia's High-Tech Future

Finance News Network · Peter Barrett

Peter Barrett, Playground Global VentureHouston 2023

HX Venture Fund · Peter Barrett

Co-investors · 67

Andreessen Horowitz

Andreessen Horowitz's Strategic Partnerships page describes collaborations that connect its portfolio companies with established institutions to help scale and deploy their technology.

Both backed · 5

Amber Databricks Skydio Ultima Genomics Unconventional AI

$500K – $50M

DCVC (Data Collective)

DCVC (Data Collective) is a venture capital firm that backs founders building companies which apply technology to major challenges across areas such as energy, biotech, agriculture, and machine learning.

Both backed · 4

Agility Robotics Anjuna DatabricksMosaic ML

$5M – $25M

FPV

FPV Ventures is an early-stage investment firm that backs mission-driven founders.

Both backed · 4

Databricks Manifold PsiQuantum Computing Strandtx

$100K – $5M

Khosla Ventures

Khosla Ventures is a venture capital firm known for backing bold, contrarian bets in world-class teams that can reshape entire industries.

Both backed · 2

Skydio Ultima Genomics

$5K – $50M

Greylock Partners

Greylock Partners is a venture capital firm that backs founders at the earliest stages, often as their first investor before a product exists.

Both backed · 2

Atomic Nauto Connected Car

$100K – $200M

Insight Partners

Insight Partners is a venture and growth-stage software investor featuring a large portfolio of technology companies across multiple sectors and regions.

Both backed · 2

Anjuna Databricks

$120M – $350M

Menlo Ventures

Menlo Ventures is a venture capital firm that backs transformative, early-stage technology companies reshaping how people live and work.

Both backed · 2

Eero RightHand

$1M – $20M

Tiger Global Management

Tiger Global is a research-driven investment firm that partners with innovative, high-quality companies over the long term across various stages of their lifecycle.

Both backed · 2

Databricks Relativity Space

$1M – $100M

75 & Sunny

75 & Sunny operates as both a venture fund and startup studio where Zillow co-founder Spencer Rascoff directly incubates companies like Queue while leveraging his media presence as a CNBC contributor and podcast host to give portfolio companies exposure that few small funds can match. The LA-based fund concentrates heavily on proptech and "future of living" investments while co-creating companies with unconventional capital structures like SPACs and fractional home-ownership models, drawing on Rascoff's experience navigating public markets.

Both backed · 2

Relativity Space Virta Health

$100K – $5M

M12 (Microsoft's Venture Fund)

M12 is Microsoft's corporate venture fund, backing early-stage technology startups and leveraging Microsoft's resources, connections, and customers to help them scale.

Both backed · 2

1910 Genetics D-Matrix AI Inference Acceleration

$100K – $10M

Toyota Ventures

Toyota Ventures is a venture capital firm headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area that makes early-stage investments in startups globally.

Both backed · 2

Boxbot Nauto Connected Car

Triatomic Capital

Triatomic Capital is a venture firm investing in what it calls 'century defining' themes across next-generation compute, automation, new materials, engineered biology, and new energy.

Both backed · 2

D-Matrix AI Inference Acceleration Manifold

$100K – $1M

▶55 more co-investors

SINEWAVE VENTURES Bessemer Venture Partners Index Ventures Founder Collective SV Angel Hardware Club AME Cloud Ventures Addition Bond Capital Management Intel Capital Entree Capital HOF Capital RA Capital Fifty Years Strawberry Creek Ventures venBio Partners Piva Capital Morpheus Ventures Kinnevik Better Ventures Central Llc Sozo Ventures Wilshire Lane Capital SQN Venture Partners, LLC General Catalyst GV (Google Ventures)Craft Ventures Foundation Capital Everywhere Ventures Kraken C2 Investments Cota Capital Bowery Capital Revolution Atlas Venture Uncorrelated Ventures Wildcat Venture Partners Spider Capital Founders' Co-op Walden International K2 Global Altimeter Capital 305 Ventures Smash Capital Think+ Ventures Management, Llc Stealth Capital Paladin Capital Group Kyber Knight Capital Schematic Ventures Autotech Ventures Rebel Fund Portal Ventures LionBird Parkwalk Advisors JetBlue Ventures Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund

Firms observed investing alongside Playground Global, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Playground Global's recorded portfolio.

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