Plug and Play Turns 20: New Book Tells the Story of the Global Innovation Powerhouse

From Unicorns to Universities, AI to Governments, and Silicon Valley to 60+ Global Locations: The Making of the Ultimate Innovation Platform

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Plug and Play’s 20-year journey from a small Silicon Valley office to a global innovation powerhouse is now chronicled in a new book “20 Years,” celebrating the founders and partners the company has connected along the way. Plug and Play uniquely combines a startup accelerator, open innovation partnerships, a global VC platform, and exposure to more than 25 industry verticals to create an innovation ecosystem in unmatched scale and impact. 

Milestones detailed in “20 Years”:

• More than $1 billion in assets under management across its global portfolio
• More than 550 partners within the Fortune 1000
• Global coverage with more than 60 offices across five continents
• More than 2,500 startup portfolio investments

Plug and Play manages a diversified portfolio of investment funds spanning early-to-growth-stage companies, including its GVA and Scale funds, as well as sector-focused funds in supply chain, sustainability, financial services, and regional innovation funds focused on Europe, Japan, and North America.

“Having started as a Silicon Valley real estate entrepreneur, I bought what became known as the ‘Lucky Building’ due to early tenants such as Google and PayPal,” said Saeed Amidi, founder and CEO of Plug and Play. “I talked with Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Peter Thiel during these early days as they discussed the platforms they were building to change the world. That exposure to entrepreneurial energy was a core reason I started Plug and Play, which provides funding, industry connections, and resources to help startups stand out and scale. Our book celebrates the journey, vision, and, most importantly, our people.”

The book offers an in-depth look at how much Plug and Play has transformed in the last five years, including:

• An expanded partner profile, including corporations as well as city and state governments, federal entities, foundations, economic development corporations (EDCs), and universities
• Growth from 10 U.S. locations to more than 20
• The launch of AI Centers of Excellence, global hubs bringing together leaders from the Plug and Play ecosystem to accelerate and discuss AI adoption through talent development and partnerships

“After 20 years, the last five have seen rapid change and transformation due to AI,” said Amidi. “Through our AI Centers of Excellence, we’re connecting executives, founders, and global leaders to better understand and adopt AI technology. All our initiatives set the stage for the next 20 years, as we prime our startups and partners to shape the future of technology.”

Additionally, the new book details Plug and Play’s unicorn success stories, which include PayPal, LendingClub, Dropbox, SoundHound, Rappi, N26, and Turing, among many others.

Jonathan Siddharth, co-founder and CEO of Turing, shared: “One of the people who was supportive throughout our entire journey was Saeed and Plug and Play. If you’re running a startup, two things I’d recommend: Try to get Plug and Play on the cap table, and specifically, try to have Saeed involved in some capacity.”

Download the free book at this link, and a limited number of physical copies will be distributed to media.

About Plug and Play
Plug and Play is the leading innovation platform, connecting startups, corporations, venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we’re present in 60+ locations across 25+ industries. We offer corporate innovation programs, helping our partners in every stage of their innovation journey, from education to execution. We also run startup acceleration programs and have built an in-house VC where we’ve invested in hundreds of successful companies, including Dropbox, Guardant Health, Honey, LendingClub, N26, PayPal, and Rappi. For more information, visit Plug and Play.

Plug and Play Press Contact
Jacky Tsang
Senior Communications & PR Associate
[email protected]

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SOURCE Plug and Play