When Amulya Vishwanath enrolled in the UC Berkeley Haas Executive MBA program in 2023, she was a NVIDIA executive, helping to shape the company’s AI ecosystem.
“I realized that with all of the access I had to faculty and everything I had learned in my courses, on-campus student clubs and networking events that I could technically start something on my own,” said Vishwanath, EMBA 25, the first woman executive from NVIDIA to launch her own venture capital firm.
Techable VC closed its first deal earlier this year and has already invested in eight early-stage companies building the future of physical AI across robotics, materials science, and AI-enabled life sciences.
Those investments include Trener Robotics, a Berkeley SkyDeck startup building robotic skills for industrial and factory automation; Syncere, which makes robotic lamps for human chore assistance; AlphaZ, a robotics company focused on construction, security, and industrial inspection; and Andromeda Surgical, which is building an intelligent surgical navigation platform; and a stealth startup founded by University of California researchers developing a next-generation platform for diagnosing and treating brain diseases.
When evaluating founders, Vishwanath, who holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering with a focus on circuit design and microelectronics, said she looks for leaders capable of building civilization systems. Specifically, she weighs three things: deep, demonstrated experience in the problem space; the ability to attract top talent in an increasingly competitive hiring market; and the ability to lead through the technical, regulatory, and geopolitical complexity that defines frontier technologies.
“You can’t just have someone who can write code and build out a company,” she said. “The founders building the next generation of frontier technologies also need the judgment to navigate commercialization, regulation, talent, and long-term strategy.”
Leading though complexity
Vishwanath says the EMBA program broadened her perspective from building technology to building organizations, with several electives directly influencing how she approaches investing and company-building at Techable VC.: Associate Professor Abishek Nagaraj’s course on entrepreneurial strategy, and a course on law for executives and entrepreneurs taught by Berkeley Law Lecturer Ryan Stone, a senior director in corporate development for New Ventures & Strategy at semiconductor design software company Cadence Design Systems; and Distinguished Teaching Fellow Peter Goodson’s class on corporate turnarounds.
“Amulya brings the rare combination of deep technical expertise, operating experience, and strategic leadership that frontier technology investing demands,” said Goodson, who is also an early-stage partner at private equity firm CD&R. “I have seen firsthand her ability to think critically, lead through complexity, and make sound decisions under uncertainty.”
Beyond the classroom, Vishwanath became the first executive MBA student to serve as student VP of VC Treks for the MBA-student run Venture Capital Club, organizing student treks to three VC firms in Silicon Valley. She also served as student co-VP of Admissions for her cohort.
Supporting women investors
Venture capital remains one of technology’s least diverse professions, particularly at the investment decision-making level. Vishwanath hopes that by building Techable VC she can help broaden who gets to shape the future of frontier technology—not only as founders, but also as investors. “One of the most inspiring parts of Haas has been meeting so many remarkable women who are becoming exceptional founders, operators, and leaders,” she said. “I hope to see many of them become the next generation of venture investors as well.”
Vishwanath believes Techable VC’s advantage comes from a deep and diversified operating experience. During seven years at NVIDIA, she helped accelerate the adoption of foundational AI frameworks, supported the launch of developer products and AI models, and helped scale the company’s robotics strategy.
Having experienced multiple technology platform shifts, she now invests with an operator’s perspective, identifying founders building the next foundational systems for the physical AI era. “I had the pleasure of seeing Amulya’s impact firsthand at NVIDIA,” said Dion Harris, BA 97,(Economics), MBA 07, senior director of AI infrastructure at NVIDIA. “She brings deep technical expertise, strong business acumen, and relentless drive to every challenge. Whether translating complex AI technologies into customer value or leading cross-functional initiatives, she consistently delivers exceptional results.”
Experiencing Berkeley’s strength
Members of her UC Berkeley network are supporting her new venture as mentors and limited partners—a group that includes several Haas alumni, friends, and former colleagues. “One of the most rewarding parts of this journey has been experiencing the strength of the Berkeley community firsthand,” she said. “From assembling my legal counsel and accounting team, to a classmate who helped design Techable VC’s early logo, to making invaluable introductions, to welcoming some of my earliest limited partners from the Berkeley network, the community has been instrumental in turning an idea into a firm.”
Looking ahead, Vishwanath plans to build Techable VC into a specialist investment firm for civilization systems, along with her core team and key investors, backing founders developing the foundational technologies that will shape the next industrial era. With a growing network of founders, operators, and serial entrepreneurs, she plans to raise subsequent funds while expanding the firm’s ability to support frontier companies from their earliest stages through long-term growth.
“I’ve learned a tremendous amount through this journey, and I plan to stay a student throughout my career,” she said. “The Berkeley Haas Defining Leadership Principles continue to guide how I invest and how I support founders building the technologies of tomorrow.”
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