Playground Global
SEC exempt reporting adviser (venture capital exemption).
- Website
- https://www.playground.vc
- HQ
- CA
Playground Global invests at the earliest stages of company formation, backing technical founders working at the intersection of AI, engineered biology, next-gen compute, and hard science. Its team includes General Partners Bruce Leak, Peter Barrett, Jory Bell, and Pat Gelsinger. Portfolio companies include 1910 Genetics, Agility Robotics, d-Matrix, and PsiQuantum.
01 · Says / Does
| Tag | Says | Does | Historically (to 2020) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stages | Pre-seed | Not enough dated deals | Series A, Seed, Series B, Growth |
| Sectors | AI infra, Energy, Robotics, Semiconductors, Quantum, Synthetic biology | Not enough dated deals | Hardware, Robotics, AI applications, Healthtech |
| Regions | Not stated | Not enough dated deals | CA |
Says: what the firm's funds state. Does: from 0 dated deals in the last 24 months.
Historical focus (through 2020), derived from historical deal data.
| Year | Deals | Top sectors |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 6 | Hardware, AI applications, Media |
| 2016 | 12 | Hardware, Healthtech, Aerospace and defense |
| 2017 | 14 | AI applications, Robotics, Hardware |
| 2018 | 15 | Hardware, Robotics, Ecommerce |
| 2019 | 8 | AI applications, Hardware, Robotics |
| 2020 | 7 | Hardware, Healthtech, Logistics |
Stage mix over time
- Pre-seed
- Seed
- Series A
- Series B
- Growth
| Year | Pre-seed | Seed | Series A | Series B | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 3 |
| 2017 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
02 · Fund history
| Fund | Year | Size | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playground Genesis, L.P. Playground invests at the earliest stages of company formation in deep tech, backing technical founders working on AI, engineered biology, next-gen compute, hard science, automation, and energy transition. Inferred from the firm's website | 2025 | $50M (Form D) | Open, writing first checks |
| Playground Helix, L.P. Playground invests at the earliest stages of company formation in deep tech, backing technical founders working on AI, engineered biology, next-gen compute, hard science, automation, and energy transition. Inferred from the firm's website | 2025 | $5M (Form D) | Open, writing first checks |
| Playground Ventures IV, L.P. | 2024 | $475M (Form D) | Open, writing first checks |
| Playground Leader Fund, L.P. Playground invests at the earliest stages of company formation in deep tech, backing technical founders working on AI, engineered biology, next-gen compute, hard science, automation, and energy transition. Inferred from the firm's website | approx. 2022 | $200M (Form D) | Late investment period |
| Playground Ventures Affiliates III, L.P. Playground invests at the earliest stages of company formation in deep tech, backing technical founders working on AI, engineered biology, next-gen compute, hard science, automation, and energy transition. Inferred from the firm's website | approx. 2022 | $5M (Form D) | Late investment period |
| Playground Acquire, L.P. Playground invests at the earliest stages of company formation in deep tech, backing technical founders working on AI, engineered biology, next-gen compute, hard science, automation, and energy transition. Inferred from the firm's website | 2022 | $30.71M to $30.79M (Form D and SEC adviser filing) | Late investment period |
| Playground Ventures III, L.P. Playground invests at the earliest stages of company formation in deep tech, backing technical founders working on AI, engineered biology, next-gen compute, hard science, automation, and energy transition. Inferred from the firm's website | approx. 2022 | $500M (Form D) | Late investment period |
| Playground Genomics, L.P. | 2021 | $15.1M to $16.97M (Form D and SEC adviser filing) | Follow-ons only |
| Playground Compute, L.P. | 2021 | $10M to $30M (Form D) | Follow-ons only |
03 · People across funds
- Bruce Leak, General Partner
Playground Genesis, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Helix, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Ventures IV, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Leader Fund, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Ventures Affiliates III, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Acquire, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Ventures III, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Genomics, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Compute, L.P. (Named on Form D)
- Jory Bell, General Partner
Playground Genesis, L.P. (Team); Playground Helix, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Ventures IV, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Leader Fund, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures Affiliates III, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Acquire, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures III, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Genomics, L.P. (Team); Playground Compute, L.P. (Team)
- Laurie Yoler, Venture Partner
Playground Genesis, L.P. (Team); Playground Helix, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures IV, L.P. (Team); Playground Leader Fund, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures Affiliates III, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Acquire, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures III, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Genomics, L.P. (Team); Playground Compute, L.P. (Team)
- Matt Hershenson, Venture Partner
Playground Genesis, L.P. (Team); Playground Helix, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures IV, L.P. (Team); Playground Leader Fund, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures Affiliates III, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Acquire, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Ventures III, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Genomics, L.P. (Team); Playground Compute, L.P. (Named on Form D)
- Pat Gelsinger, General Partner
Playground Genesis, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Helix, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures IV, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Leader Fund, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures Affiliates III, L.P. (Team); Playground Acquire, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures III, L.P. (Team); Playground Genomics, L.P. (Team); Playground Compute, L.P. (Team)
- Peter Barrett, General Partner
Playground Genesis, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Helix, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Ventures IV, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Leader Fund, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures Affiliates III, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Acquire, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Ventures III, L.P. (Named on Form D); Playground Genomics, L.P. (Team); Playground Compute, L.P. (Named on Form D)
- Austin Yu, Senior Associate
Playground Genesis, L.P. (Team); Playground Helix, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures IV, L.P. (Team); Playground Leader Fund, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures Affiliates III, L.P. (Team); Playground Acquire, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures III, L.P. (Team); Playground Genomics, L.P. (Team); Playground Compute, L.P. (Team)
- Benjamin Kim, Partner
Playground Genesis, L.P. (Team); Playground Helix, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures IV, L.P. (Team); Playground Leader Fund, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures Affiliates III, L.P. (Team); Playground Acquire, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures III, L.P. (Team); Playground Genomics, L.P. (Team); Playground Compute, L.P. (Team)
- Daniel Yum, Partner
Playground Genesis, L.P. (Team); Playground Helix, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures IV, L.P. (Team); Playground Leader Fund, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures Affiliates III, L.P. (Team); Playground Acquire, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures III, L.P. (Team); Playground Genomics, L.P. (Team); Playground Compute, L.P. (Team)
- Marissa Ramirez de Chanlatte, Principal
Playground Genesis, L.P. (Team); Playground Helix, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures IV, L.P. (Team); Playground Leader Fund, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures Affiliates III, L.P. (Team); Playground Acquire, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures III, L.P. (Team); Playground Genomics, L.P. (Team); Playground Compute, L.P. (Team)
- Nicole Sonnert, Senior Associate
Playground Genesis, L.P. (Team); Playground Helix, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures IV, L.P. (Team); Playground Leader Fund, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures Affiliates III, L.P. (Team); Playground Acquire, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures III, L.P. (Team); Playground Genomics, L.P. (Team); Playground Compute, L.P. (Team)
- Rahul Meka, Partner
Playground Genesis, L.P. (Team); Playground Helix, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures IV, L.P. (Team); Playground Leader Fund, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures Affiliates III, L.P. (Team); Playground Acquire, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures III, L.P. (Team); Playground Genomics, L.P. (Team); Playground Compute, L.P. (Team)
- Rasheed Auguste, Investor
Playground Genesis, L.P. (Team); Playground Helix, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures IV, L.P. (Team); Playground Leader Fund, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures Affiliates III, L.P. (Team); Playground Acquire, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures III, L.P. (Team); Playground Genomics, L.P. (Team); Playground Compute, L.P. (Team)
- Richard Peretz, Venture Partner
Playground Genesis, L.P. (Team); Playground Helix, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures IV, L.P. (Team); Playground Leader Fund, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures Affiliates III, L.P. (Team); Playground Acquire, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures III, L.P. (Team); Playground Genomics, L.P. (Team); Playground Compute, L.P. (Team)
- Sasha Ostojic, Venture Partner
Playground Genesis, L.P. (Team); Playground Helix, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures IV, L.P. (Team); Playground Leader Fund, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures Affiliates III, L.P. (Team); Playground Acquire, L.P. (Team); Playground Ventures III, L.P. (Team); Playground Genomics, L.P. (Team); Playground Compute, L.P. (Team)
04 · Recent deals
No dated deals found yet.
05 · Latest from the firm
No news from the firm's website yet.
06 · Sources
- https://www.playground.vc
- https://www.playground.vc/portfolio
- https://www.playground.vc/people
- https://www.playground.vc/news
- https://www.playground.vc/
Fund dates and sizes are from SEC Form D filings.
Last verified: Oct 28, 2026