Ex-Nvidia Leaders Built A 30,000-Person Network To Fund AI Startups

Most venture firms start with a pile of money. This one started with people, about 30,000 of them.

EverGreen is a network of former Nvidia workers. It has quietly become a new way into AI investing.

Built By The People Who Built The AI Stack

EverGreen launched in March 2026. It got wider notice after Business Insider profiled it in June.

Four former Nvidia leaders run it. They include Greg Estes and former general manager Jeff Brown.

Estes spent more than 15 years at Nvidia. Two other ex-product leaders, Devang Sachdev and Vishal Lulla, fill out the team.

The bench runs deep behind them. Advisers include former chip boss Brian Kelleher and ex-marketing chief Dan Vivoli.

The list goes on from there. Former GM Drew Henry and former VP Sheryl Huynh are on it too.

The pitch is access, not just cash. Founders get early money and hands-on technical help.

They also get intros to partners who can test their product. EverGreen even lines up design partners.

Those are big customers who try a product early. Think of the whole thing as a contacts list of AI insiders.

The group is careful on one point. It says it is not tied to Nvidia the company.

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Betting Around Nvidia, Not Against It

EverGreen doesn't work like a normal fund. There is no single pool of money.

It invests deal by deal instead. It also hasn't said how big its checks are.

The bet is narrow on purpose. EverGreen wants startups that help Nvidia, not rivals that fight it.

So far it has backed six startups. They share one trait: each fits around Nvidia's world.

One routes AI requests across different models. Another keeps data private during AI use.

A third is even computing in orbit. The names include Keiro Labs, Sophia Space, and Protopia AI.

Keiro Labs steers each request to the best model. Sophia Space wants to run AI up in space.

Protopia AI hides private data while models still use it. Three more fill out the list.

Peridio works on edge AI, Classie on AI security, and Row 64 on visual data.

The first public showcase ran on June 16. It put Keiro Labs front and center.

Greg Estes is busy elsewhere, too. He joined the venture firm Mayfield as an adviser in April.

Worth Noting

The missing piece is numbers. There is no fund size, no check range, and no returns yet.

For now there is just a network and a list of bets. The proof comes later.

It shows up when these startups ship products and win customers. Real sales will matter more than big names.

A 30,000-person rolodex is a head start, not a track record.

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