Pat Gelsinger, previously CEO of Intel and VMware, has signed up for a number of new ventures.
He is joining venture capital firm Playground Global as general partner, and is also serving Christian technology platform Gloo as executive chair and head of technology.
At Playground, Gelsinger will invest alongside fellow general partners Peter Barrett, Jory Bell and Bruce Leak, take board seats, mentor CEOs and lend his technical and operational expertise across the portfolio.
Playground has more than $1,2-billion in assets under management. It is deploying capital from Fund III, a $410-million fund closed at the end of 2023, focused on Seed and Series A companies across next-gen compute, automation, energy transition, and engineered biology.
Gelsinger will also become a board member and executive chair of Playground portfolio company xLight, which is developing an extreme ultraviolet light source to improve precision and efficiency in the next generation of semiconductor manufacturing.
Another company in the Playground portfolio, PsiQuantum, is building what it believes to be the world’s first utility-scale, million-qubit quantum computer. Another, Strand Therapeutics is developing programmable mRNA therapies to target cells and enable more effective treatments for cancer and other diseases.
“Deep tech investments are the fuel of tomorrow’s economy and the fuel of US leadership,” says Gelsinger. “I couldn’t be more excited to partner with the Playground team and this next generation of brilliant founders and technologists as we invest in tomorrow. Together, we will improve the lives of all through the power of technology.”
Meanwhile, the Gloo appointment extends Gelsinger’s involvement with the platform, where he has been an investor and board member for 10 years. He will now also head Gloo’s product and engineering efforts, including Gloo AI.
“Technology has the power to connect, uplift and transform lives — but only when built with purpose,” says Gelsinger. “At Gloo, we are uniting innovation with faith principles to ensure technology serves people, strengthens communities, and becomes a force for good.”