Seligman Ventures, the venture capital arm of Silicon Valley-based Seligman Investments, has doubled its deployable capital from US$500 million to US$1 billion less than one year after its launch. The announcement, led by Chief Investment Officer Paul Wick, signals conviction in the pace of innovation across AI infrastructure, modern data centers, and cybersecurity. Seligman Ventures said the additional capital will support larger investments, more portfolio companies, and continued backing through multiple stages of growth.
Capital Expansion and Momentum
Seligman Ventures launched in February 2026 with US$500 million in deployable capital and an initial plan to make six to eight investments during its first 12 months. Led by Managing Partners Umesh Padval and Ashish Kakran, along with CFO and Operating Partner Eddie Ackerman, the firm has already backed more than 14 companies. Its investment activity spans AI infrastructure, modern data center hardware, and cybersecurity, reflecting the pace of innovation and the depth of emerging technical opportunities.
Portfolio and Sector Focus
The portfolio includes SambaNova, Lumilens, Eliyan, Upscale, Velaura AI, Cognichip, EPIC Microsystems, and Exaforce, among others. These companies address challenges spanning AI inference, optical connectivity, high-speed interconnects, ultra-low-power AI compute, and Physical AI for robotics and autonomous systems. Seligman Ventures has also secured six board of director seats and three board observer seats across its portfolio, reflecting an active partnership model with technical founders.
Physical AI and Cybersecurity
The firm is paying close attention to emerging infrastructure requirements for Physical AI, where highly efficient compute must operate under different power and thermal constraints. It also sees cybersecurity becoming increasingly important as AI applications move into production and as enterprises adopt AI more broadly. Securing AI agents and providing guardrails for agentic workflows are critical pain points that Seligman Ventures considers central to safe enterprise deployment.
Leadership Perspective
Umesh Padval, Managing Partner at Seligman Ventures, said the opportunities across compute, networking, connectivity, power, thermal management, cybersecurity, and AI software infrastructure have exceeded the firm's expectations. He attributed the momentum to a thesis-driven approach, operating experience, technical knowledge, a CXO network, and the ability to make investment decisions quickly. Padval added that the larger capital base allows the firm to invest in category-defining startups while supporting current portfolio companies.
A Broader Technology Platform
Seligman Ventures operates as part of Seligman's broader technology investing platform, which spans public and private markets. Seligman manages approximately US$48 billion of public and private market technology and healthcare investments across mutual funds, hedge funds, and separately managed accounts. The venture unit extends the firm's ability to partner with innovative companies from the startup phase through public listings.
Seligman Investments Leadership
Paul Wick, Chief Investment Officer of Seligman Investments, said increasing the venture capital allocation reflects confidence in the team and the portfolio constructed to date. He noted that Seligman Ventures extends the firm's long-standing technology investing platform by enabling partnerships from the startup phase to the public markets. Wick added that deep technology research across private and public markets offers a differentiated perspective for founders as the technology landscape evolves.
The decision to double deployable capital to US$1 billion positions Seligman Ventures to capture a wider share of the accelerating AI infrastructure opportunity. The firm has moved quickly from launch to a portfolio of more than 14 companies with active board involvement. Its combination of public market expertise and early stage venture investing offers a differentiated platform for founders addressing the next generation of AI, data center, and security challenges.