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Who we are

Built to Revolutionize Physical Industries

Founded in 2023 in San Francisco, Nirman Ventures is a sector-specialist venture capital firm focused on the modernization of traditional industries through frontier technologies.

Our story

How We Got Here

Nirman Ventures was founded in San Francisco by Nikhil Choudhary around a simple belief: many of the world's largest industries remain underserved by technology and misunderstood by traditional venture capital.

The firm later brought together leaders including Gregg Wallace, with experience across HILTI Corporate Ventures, Building Ventures, and Bain & Company, and Mahadev Raman, whose engineering leadership at Arup spans more than four decades.

Fund I deployed across eight portfolio companies between October 2023 and January 2026, spanning AI for autonomy and robotics, infrastructure and energy, generative design, and labor matching. Fund II continues that strategy with a select group of limited partners.

Nirman Ventures San Francisco office
From the team

Partner Insights

Notes, market observations, and real-world insights from the team behind Nirman Fund II

  • "Physical industries remain largely under-digitized. The next generation of AI value will be created in the real world, not just on screens."

    Nikhil Choudhary Founder & Managing General Partner
  • "The best industrial technologies don't just create efficiency. They change how entire industries operate."

    Gregg Wallace Managing General Partner
  • "The next wave of value creation will come from modernizing industries that have historically been difficult to digitize."

    Mahadev Raman General Partner
What drives us

The Core Principles That Bind Nirman

Six pillars that shape how we invest, operate, and build long-term partnerships

Focus

Addressing the Biggest Challenges of the Physical World

We focus on industries where AI, robotics, automation, and infrastructure technologies can drive measurable operational change.

Value

Domain Expertise Beyond Capital

We support founders with sector insight, operational context, strategic introductions, and hands-on guidance built from real industry experience.

Knowledge

Built by Operators from Traditional Industries

Our team brings experience across engineering, infrastructure, energy, industrial systems, and venture investing.

Network

Leveraging Relationships to Accelerate Growth

We connect portfolio companies with founders, corporations, advisors, universities, and industry leaders across the Physical AI ecosystem.

Investment

High-Conviction Investing Backed by Industry Insight

We apply workflow-level diligence and operational validation to identify technologies positioned for long-term industrial adoption.

Impact

Backing Technologies That Shape the Future of Industry

We invest in founders modernizing the industries that build, move, and power the global economy.

Our Process

How We Invest

A repeatable four-step investment process built around proprietary sourcing, real-world diligence, transparent decision-making, and active post-investment involvement.

  1. Sourcing & Tracking

    Founder-centric proprietary sourcing through our networks in traditional industries, paired with disciplined tracking. We follow promising teams over years and revisit as they hit milestones.

  2. Rigor + Speed in Diligence

    Rotating 2-person deal teams provide fresh perspectives. Founder network validation forces real-world customer and advisor interactions, testing adoption potential and founder execution.

  3. Transparent Decision-Making

    Open challenge culture. GP consensus plus Advisory Partner oversight ensures balanced governance without slowing speed.

  4. Hands-On Involvement

    Institutional rigor with flexible terms. Active value creation through strategic introductions, talent recruitment, and preparation for next-round fundraising.

Investor voices

What Our LPs Say

Nirman had the Physical AI thesis early and had it for the right reasons. This isn't a software team chasing a trend, its sector depth is real.
Maria Atkinson Sustainability Business and Government Advisor · Founding CEO, Green Building Council of Australia
Nirman understands both the use cases and the real-world constraints technology faces in regulated, dynamic physical industries. Their framework for evaluating opportunities is genuinely differentiated from generalist venture firms.
Mahadev Raman Arup Fellow · Chairman, Arup Trustee Board
Nirman operates at a depth most generalist funds can't reach. The best startups in the space track them - and so do the corporate strategy teams at the leading incumbents.
Nikhil Kalghatgi Chief Financial Officer · KPFF Engineers
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Institutional interest around physical AI is growing quickly, but many of the best opportunities remain difficult to access. Position ahead of the curve with Nirman.

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