Playground Global
Palo Alto · 12 people tracked
Investment thesis
Hands-on, deeply technical investors collaborate with founders of hard-science, frontier-tech companies—writing proprietary roadmaps via top-tier domain scientists across quantum, particle physics, engineered biology, and advanced robotics.
Team · 12 people
from the firm's website
Benjamin Kim holds a Stanford PhD and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and has sourced and led investments in next-generation biology companies emphasizing computational design, immune-system engineering, and novel modalities.
Bruce Leak is an operator-turned-investor who built QuickTime and WebTV, and acts as a technically fluent partner to founders tackling the improbable-to-impossible in quantum computing and advanced robotics.
Jory Bell pairs hardware pedigree—designing Apple laptops, founding the world's smallest Windows PC and deploying autonomous deep-sea robots at MIT—with a focus on advanced manufacturing, aerospace and engineered biology.
Pat Gelsinger brings 45+ years as Intel CTO/CEO and VMware CEO and acts as a hands-on technical partner with an end-to-end compute-stack perspective who translates device-level breakthroughs into market advantage.
Peter Barrett, an engineer with 100+ patents who codes daily, leads 30+ scientists and engineers underwriting physics‑grounded plans for deep‑tech bets like PsiQuantum and Element Zero and manages over $1B.
Daniel Yum blends active software engineering, hands-on architecture reviews and technical mentorship for portfolio companies with expertise in software, automation and AI/ML, drawing on Makani and Intel systems experience.
Rahul Meka is a mechanical engineer–turned deep-tech investor who couples electrification and robotics expertise with research-driven, physics-first diligence to underwrite technical risk and import mature technologies into agriculture, construction, manufacturing.
Jon Carter, a venture investor who founded Egon Zehnder’s Silicon Valley office and led global executive search, brings deep CEO-and-board expertise to early-stage investing and has motorcycled across six continents.
Laurie Yoler offers unusually long board-level experience—from founding Tesla board member (2003–2006) and advisor through 2013—to serving on 20+ public, private, and nonprofit boards, making governance a core focus.
Matt Hershenson, co‑founder of Danger and former Director of Hardware for Android, leads deep‑tech semiconductor investments and directly helps portfolio companies solve hardware challenges in manufacturing and systems integration.
Richard Peretz, former UPS CFO who helped lead the 1999 record-setting IPO, brings decades of Fortune‑100 operational and board governance experience guiding deep‑tech founders on supply‑chain, logistics and last‑mile scaling.
Sasha Ostojic is operator-first with nearly 25 years of hands-on technical leadership—voice-tech founder/CEO, VP engineering at NVIDIA and Cruise, and later a venture partner—plus deep Serbian and Balkan ties.
What they invest in
from 43 of 44 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×27Deep Tech ×22Hardware ×16Biotech ×12Semiconductors ×10Medical Devices ×7Logistics & Supply Chain ×5Robotics ×5
HQs:United States×17Australia×3Canada×1Ireland×1
Investments · 44 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBiotechCambridge, US
Samir O. Kumar(Director)Marc O. Foster(Director)Jennifer O. Nwankwo(Executive Officer, Director)Jory O. Bell(Director)
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)in
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)
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
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)
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)
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
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 TechSemiconductors
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)
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
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
Infinimmune discovers and develops antibody therapeutics using proprietary sequencing technology and AI-powered optimization.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechMedical Devices
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)
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
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)
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 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 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)
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)
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 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)
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)
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 A. Noone(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Timothy A. Ellis(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
Sizable Energy develops offshore pumped hydro energy storage technology that uses reservoirs and reversible pump-turbines to store energy at sea.
CleantechEnergyHardware
Strand is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing programmable mRNA therapeutics for cancers and autoimmune diseases.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechMedical DevicesBoston, US
Jacob Becraft(CEO, Co-Founder)Tasuku Kitada(President, Head of R&D, Co-founder)Ron Weiss(Scientific Co-founder)Darrell J. Irvine(Scientific Co-founder)Prashant Nambiar(Chief Scientific Officer)Ethan Cash(Senior Vice President, Head of Portfolio Management and Program Development)
Synthetic Design Lab develops engineered therapeutic platforms and AI-driven antibody design technologies for precision medicine and cancer immunotherapy.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechMedical Devices
Dr. Chen(Founder)Dr. Baliga(Co-founder)Dr. Leabman
Ultima Genomics develops genomic sequencing technology to scale omics information for advances in biology and human health improvements.
BiotechDeep TechHealthtechMedical Devices
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)
Vertical Semiconductor develops vertical gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors for next-generation power electronics applications.
Deep TechHardwareSemiconductors
Cynthia Liao(CEO & Co-founder)inDr. Joshua Perozek(CTO & Co-founder)inProf. Tomas Palacios(Advisor & Co-founder)in
Virta Health offers a personalized nutrition program and digital health platform to help people reverse type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Digital HealthHealthtech
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))
Frequently asked questions
- What sectors does Playground Global focus on?
- Playground Global focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Deep Tech, Hardware, Robotics, Semiconductors.
- 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.
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