Rajeev Madhavan built and took multiple EDA companies from scratch to IPO and exit, including Ambit Design and Magma Design Automation, before becoming a venture investor at Clear Ventures. He proactively uses Clear's AI tools to find domain experts inside big companies and persuades them to leave and start companies he can seed, rather than waiting for inbound deal flow.

• Strong focus on deep tech and hardware innovation, particularly regarding semiconductor advancements and chip manufacturing. He frequently highlights companies solving complex physical infrastructure problems, such as Avicena for their work on optical chip-to-chip interconnects and Atmosic for their energy-harvesting Bluetooth technology.
• Interest in the modernization of telecommunications and connectivity. This includes repeated attention to the massive potential of private 5G networks for enterprise use and the shift toward cloud-native platforms in the telco space, demonstrated by his enthusiasm for the team at Robin redefining the telco-cloud.
• Emphasis on next-generation enterprise infrastructure and cybersecurity tools. He closely follows trends in no-code DevOps orchestration through companies like Opsera and tracks the growth of AI-driven data security and governance solutions like those provided by Concentric.
• Commitment to backing technical founders and maintaining long-term industry relationships. He explicitly promotes initiatives designed to fund researchers and shows deep loyalty to partners he has worked with for decades, often celebrating specific milestones for portfolio founders in automation and deep tech like Kognitos and Frore.