Applied Ventures

Applied Ventures, LLC is the venture capital arm of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT), the semiconductor and display equipment maker. It was established in 2006 and is based at the parent's Santa Clara, California campus. The unit's page says it is stage agnostic, invests up to $100 million per year, and has backed more than 90 companies in 19 countries, with more than 10 portfolio IPOs. Its global head is Anand Kamannavar, and Applied Materials CTO Omkaram Nalamasu is listed as president.

The portfolio follows Applied's materials-to-systems view of computing. The site's portfolio filters cover advanced display, advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, AI and big data, semiconductor technology, life sciences and ESG. Recent deals include leading the Series A of 3D sensing company Summer Robotics in September 2025, investing in photonic computing startup Salience Labs in February 2025, and backing optical I/O developer Ayar Labs, along with OLED microdisplay, metasurface optics, GaN power and edge AI chip companies. Exits named by the unit include Enphase, Adesto, Twist Bioscience, Voltaix (acquired by Air Liquide), Digital Specialty Chemicals (acquired by Entegris), Adaptive3D (acquired by Desktop Metal), and Korean listings of Enjet and Point Engineering.

The strategic hook is access to Applied's labs and fabs. The unit says startups can validate high-performance devices and scale faster using Applied's materials engineering, semiconductor technology and global fab infrastructure, and it connects them with customers, supply chain partners and co-investors. It runs ASTRA (Applied Startup Technology and Research Accelerator) events in India, Singapore, Korea and Taiwan, offering consultation, joint development and investment. It also co-invests frequently with other strategic investors such as Microsoft's M12 and Arm.