Adit Singh, one of the original investors in AI-chip maker Cerebras, has taken on a new role as infrastructure partner at Mayfield, a venture firm around since the late 1960s. His focus will be hardware, infrastructure software, cybersecurity, and physical AI as Mayfield leans further into semiconductor and AI investments. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/early-cerebras-investor-adit-singh-joins-mayfield-as-infrastructure-partner/))
From Foundation Capital to Mayfield
Singh was part of Foundation Capital when he co-founded one of the earliest funding rounds for Cerebras, a company that has since grown into a $50 billion public business. When Cerebras went public this May, Foundation held a roughly 7% stake, making it one of the top shareholders. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/early-cerebras-investor-adit-singh-joins-mayfield-as-infrastructure-partner/))
After leaving Foundation, Singh co-founded Neotribe Ventures in 2017, then spent several years at early-stage firm Cota Capital. Now, with Mayfield, he’s returning to his roots in investing in foundational tech infrastructure—particularly hardware and semiconductors. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/early-cerebras-investor-adit-singh-joins-mayfield-as-infrastructure-partner/))
Why Infrastructure, Why Now?
Singh cites the steep rise in “mega-seed” deal sizes as a key reason for the shift. Traditional seed-stage investors often get priced out of deals where checks reach tens of millions; Mayfield’s $3 billion in assets under management gives it room to write seed-stage checks up to $20 million. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/early-cerebras-investor-adit-singh-joins-mayfield-as-infrastructure-partner/))
Mayfield’s current portfolio under Singh will include companies working in semiconductors, hardware, infrastructure software, cybersecurity, and physical AI. Singh noted that Mayfield’s semiconductor bets—like those on Upscale AI (recently valued at $2 billion) and Lumilens (which raised $700 million at a $5.5 billion valuation)—were especially compelling draws. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/early-cerebras-investor-adit-singh-joins-mayfield-as-infrastructure-partner/))
Mayfield managing partner Navin Chaddha shared that while he and Singh have crossed paths frequently over their careers—sitting together on startup boards, including for Upscale AI and AI unicorn Velaura AI—the timing only recently aligned for Singh to join. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/early-cerebras-investor-adit-singh-joins-mayfield-as-infrastructure-partner/))
Singh, trained in electrical engineering, says his “secret sauce” is a deep technical lens: evaluating workloads from the application level down to individual transistors. That fluency was crucial when he spotted the potential in Cerebras years ago. Mayfield hopes he’ll bring the same to its upcoming infrastructure investments. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/early-cerebras-investor-adit-singh-joins-mayfield-as-infrastructure-partner/))
This role marks both a personal and industry-wide inflection: Singh returning to infrastructure at a time when AI, chips, and cloud systems demand ever more specialized investment. With Singh on board, Mayfield doubles down on the building blocks of modern tech.
