David Goldschmidt, senior vice-president and managing director at Samsung Catalyst Fund, is one of the 100 leading corporate venturing professionals in our 2026 Powerlist.
The 12-member-strong Samsung Catalyst Fund operates under the Samsung Strategy and Innovation Center (SSIC) and is led by David “Dede” Goldschmidt. SCF is Samsung Electronics’ evergreen multi-stage venture capital fund that invests in deep tech AI infrastructure and particularly in semiconductor related startups.
Under Goldschmidt’s leadership, Samsung Catalyst’s portfolio has delivered multiple wins, including Nvidia’s $20bn non-exclusive license agreement with Groq, the AI inference chip, as well as Marvell’s acquisitions of Celestial AI (for up to $5.5bn) and XConn ($540m). More recently, Empower Semi has been acquired by Analog Devices ($1.5bn) and Teramount by Molex.
Samsung Catalyst is very actively deploying capital, as it led the $50m round for Normal Computing, a novel computing and AI design platform, and invested in AI hardware company Axelera’s $250m round, interconnect and networking companies Eliyan and UpScale AI and others.
Goldschmidt joined the Samsung Catalyst Fund in 2015 as managing director to run Israel and Europe investments. In early 2021, he was promoted to head of the fund and to lead global operations, a reflection of over two decades working in venture capital and executive corporate roles, from leading product development through to being an investment partner.
In terms of importance within corporate VC, the Samsung Catalyst Fund sits in the top tier for technical depth and global reach. It operates with exceptional domain authority from everything from semiconductors to manufacturing, which gives it privileged access to early-stage deep-tech opportunities and the ability to support portfolio companies beyond capital.
The Samsung Catalyst Fund is very respected for its disciplined approach to valuation and pragmatic assistance of portfolio companies, helping develop robust underlying business foundations, scalability and definitive solutions to major developing industries.
The GCV Powerlist represents the 100 individuals spearheading the future of the corporate venturing industry.
These individuals excel in terms of their venturing approach and structure, number and quality of portfolio companies and in their contributions to the corporate venturing profession.
Here’s a snapshot of their recent deals:
