Seligman Ventures doubles capital to $1 billion as AI boom revives hardware bets

Seligman Ventures has doubled its deployable capital to $1 billion, following a successful launch a year ago with $500 million. The venture arm of Seligman Investments, launched in February 2026, has since invested over $300 million across 14 investments in AI hardware, connectivity, and cybersecurity. The expansion reflects renewed investor interest in capital-intensive hardware, with venture investment in U.S. and Canadian startups reaching a record $392 billion in the first half of 2026, with semiconductor startups receiving $10.7 billion.

Seligman Ventures' managing partner, Umesh Padval, said the firm is pursuing a barbell strategy, pairing early-stage bets with late-stage and pre-IPO checks. The capital increase is also part of a broader push by public-market managers to reach technology companies earlier, as startups stay private for longer.

Brief written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.