August 18, 2025 – Venture Forward Capital today announced that Pankaj Kedia, a globally recognized AI thought-leader, investor and advisor, has joined the firm as Partner. The addition of Kedia brings extensive early-stage AI experience, reinforces Venture Forward Capital’s position as a leading early-stage investor in AI-driven solutions, and strengthens the firm's ability to identify and support breakthrough technologies. 

As Founder and Managing Partner of 2468 Ventures, Kedia has established himself as a prominent figure in the AI investment ecosystem, with 150+ startup investments, 16+ VC fund investments, 13 exits over the past 13 quarters, and an enviable portfolio that includes 15 unicorns and investments in many of today's high-performing AI startups including Anduril, Anthropic, Canva, Cerebras, Coreweave, Figure AI, Groq, OpenAI, Replit, Shield AI, SpaceX, and Writer.

"Pankaj's exceptional track record as both an investor and technology innovator makes him an invaluable addition to our team," said Mike Schatzman, Founder & Managing Partner at Venture Forward Capital. "His deep expertise in AI investments and proven ability to identify transformative technologies aligns perfectly with our mission to back visionary founders. Our investors and portfolio companies will benefit tremendously from his insights and network as we continue building the next generation of AI-driven companies."

Kedia's three-decade career spans pivotal positions at Intel Corporation and Qualcomm, where he played instrumental roles in driving Internet growth with laptop PCs, establishing mobile Internet with smartphones, and capitalizing on cloud expansion with IOT and wearable devices. He is a sought-after Chief AI Officer and CXO Advisor to leading names across the professional services, healthcare, financial, enterprise, and technology sectors.

“Venture Forward Capital’s entrepreneur-first approach and focus on early-stage AI Vertical and Agentic solutions caught my attention,” said Pankaj Kedia, founder and managing partner at 2468 Ventures. “I am excited to join Mike, Ohad, and the team to spot the next generation of founders, support the next wave of transformative startups, and accelerate AI innovation in the industry. As an intrapreneur turned AI investor, I empathize with today’s founders and look forward to leveraging my experience in helping build exceptional businesses.”

The partnership comes as artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries and create unprecedented opportunities for early-stage investors. Kedia's recent awards – the Lifetime AI Innovation Award by TiE, the Global AI150 recognition by Constellation Research, and the CXO Innovators Circle by Bloomberg Tech – are a testament to his commitment and contributions as an investor, inventor, and intrapreneur.

Ohad Tzur, Managing Partner at Venture Forward Capital, who knows Kedia from their work together at the NuFund Venture Group and the San Diego ecosystem, emphasized the strategic value of his AI expertise. "Pankaj has unparalleled access to the most promising AI founders and an extraordinary ability to evaluate cutting-edge AI technologies," said Tzur. "His deep relationships within the AI ecosystem and his technical understanding of what makes AI companies successful will be instrumental in helping us identify and support the breakthrough AI startups of tomorrow."

Kedia is a lifelong learner with business and engineering degrees from Stanford, Wharton, University of Michigan, and the Indian Institute of Technology. He has worked in 25+ countries across 4 continents as a global citizen, has shipped products to 100+ countries, and is committed to using AI and technologies to positively impact the future. 

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About Venture Forward Capital

Venture Forward Capital is led by partners who've built and guided high-performing teams across diverse industries. More than investors, they're entrepreneurs who have launched and successfully exited companies. The firm focuses on early-stage investments, backing visionary founders with AI-driven solutions—whether they're repeat entrepreneurs with successful exits or first-time founders with proven startup success. For more information, visit www.ventureforwardcapital.com.

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