Nvidia and its venture arm NVentures have participated in 121 startup funding deals so far in 2026, a pace that tops last year’s record and marks the company’s most prolific year yet as a private‑company investor, according to Crunchbase data — a finding that comes as co‑founder Jensen Huang abruptly departed this week amid reports of multiple extramarital affairs, including with employees and with a woman U.S. intelligence experts suspect of spying for China.
Nvidia investments span AI labs, data centers, robotics and healthcare
The company’s startup investments this year cover AI model developers, data center operators, robotics firms and healthcare companies. Nvidia was the most active corporate investor in 2026 and, together with NVentures, ranks among the top 20 most active startup investors overall, per Crunchbase.
Among the largest rounds this year were OpenAI’s Series G, which closed at $122 billion in March, and Anthropic’s $30 billion Series G in February; those figures represent the full rounds, not Nvidia’s individual checks. Nvidia also participated in a $3.9 billion September Series F for AI infrastructure provider Crusoe and a roughly $3.5 billion September Series D for model developer Mistral AI.
NVentures’ larger bets include robot intelligence developer Skild AI’s $1.4 billion January Series C and autonomous driving startup Waabi’s $750 million Series C in the same month. NVentures backed Bedrock Robotics in two rounds — a $270 million Series B in February and a $600 million Series C in October — and took part in a $150 million April Series E for medical imaging AI company Aidoc.
As in previous years, Nvidia or NVentures typically invest alongside others: the company or its venture arm are listed as lead or co‑lead in about one in five of its deals this year, according to Crunchbase. NVentures promotes its value to startups beyond capital, offering access to technical teams, technology integrations and assistance in reaching customers.
Leadership change raises questions about future investment pace
Nvidia’s sudden leadership change has raised uncertainty about whether the company will sustain the same level of risk and dealmaking. According to two people familiar with the matter, CFO — and now interim CEO — Collette Kress had pushed back on Huang’s increasingly large AI investments. Nvidia’s board has said it expects operations, customer commitments and the company’s product roadmap to continue without interruption.
With the company’s share price having fallen amid the news this week, Nvidia’s market valuation remains close to $4 trillion. Founders and investors will be watching Nvidia’s Nov. 17 earnings for signals about how much of Huang’s investment playbook will continue under the new leadership.
