Iregbulem joins Sierra Ventures to back founders at the earliest stages in AI Infrastructure, Physical AI, Vertical AI, and Frontier Technologies.
SAN MATEO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / October 14, 2026 / Sierra Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm that invests from inception to Series A, today announced that Nkechi Iregbulem has joined the firm as Head of Inception. At Sierra, she will back founders at the earliest stages in AI and hardtech, focusing on AI infrastructure, physical AI, vertical AI, and Frontier technologies.
Iregbulem was previously a Principal at MVP Ventures and a scout for Kleiner Perkins, Craft Ventures, and Wing VC. Her prior investments include Saronic, valued at $9.25 billion, and Neros, valued at $2.5 billion, as well as Furientis, Astrus, Odin Dynamics, and Transfyr.
"Nkechi has a track record of finding exceptional founders early and backing them before their first institutional round. She brings the conviction and founder relationships that the earliest stage demands, and she extends Sierra's more than 40 years of inception-to-Series A investing. We're thrilled to have her lead our inception practice," said Shomik Ghosh, Partner at Sierra Ventures.
"Sierra has backed category-defining companies for more than four decades, and Inception is about bringing that conviction to day zero," said Iregbulem. "I'm excited to partner with technically ambitious founders building at the bleeding edge of AI and Hardtech."
About Sierra Ventures
Sierra Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm for first-principles founders. It invests from inception to Series A in AI Infrastructure, Vertical AI, Physical Intelligence, and Frontier & Deep Tech. The firm has more than 40 years of inception-to-Series A investing, with 35 IPOs and hundreds of exits. Its enterprise network includes the CXO Advisory Board, the Annual CXO Summit, the AI Lab Forum, and the Engineering & Product Leaders Council. Sierra Ventures is based in San Mateo, California. Learn more at sierraventures.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Gill, MAG PR, lauren@mooringadvisorygroup.com
SOURCE: Sierra Ventures
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/banking-and-financial-services/sierra-ventures-hires-nkechi-iregbulem-as-head-of-inception-1236259
