This year marks the 10th anniversary of HPE’s Pathfinder program, a milestone that underscores HPE's commitment to driving innovation and fostering transformative solutions. Since its inception in 2015, Pathfinder has played a critical role in identifying and investing in category-leading startups that align with HPE’s strategy. Over the past decade, the program has made 50 strategic investments — deploying $400 million to date — while supporting 14 companies that have achieved successful exits and 13 that have reached unicorn status.

As technology landscapes have evolved, so has Pathfinder. In 2021, the program expanded its efforts to accelerate HPE’s edge-to-cloud strategy, making targeted investments to solve critical customer challenges across edge, cloud, and data domains (including BigID and vFunction). Pathfinder has also deepened its focus on AI, sustainability, data services, and observability—key areas shaping the future of enterprise technology.

Pathfinder not only invests in category-defining startups but also serves as a strategic advisor, tracking emerging technology trends and sharing insights with HPE leadership. Through executive briefings, industry events, and direct engagements, we provide a lens into the startup ecosystem — helping HPE anticipate disruptions, capitalize on innovation, and stay ahead in an ever-changing digital landscape.

A Decade of Impact: Key Highlights

From AI breakthroughs to strategic acquisitions, Pathfinder has helped drive industry-defining innovation. Some of the most notable milestones include:

• Strengthening HPE’s Portfolio: Pathfinder investments Pachyderm and OpsRamp were acquired by HPE in 2023, demonstrating Pathfinder’s integral role in shaping HPE’s growth.

• Advancing AI with Aleph Alpha: Our 2023 investment in Aleph Alpha is helping accelerate AI innovation, supporting the company’s mission to deliver enterprise AI solutions that prioritize data sovereignty, security, and regulatory compliance.

• Major Portfolio Exits: In 2024, Arcion (acquired by Databricks, TruEra (acquired by Snowflake, and Rockset (acquired by OpenAI) joined the ranks of Pathfinder-backed companies with successful exits.

• Long-Term Strategic Partnerships: Since 2017, Cohesity has grown into the largest data protection software provider, building a strong joint partnership with HPE to deliver best-in-class enterprise data security solutions.

Looking Ahead

As Pathfinder enters its next decade, the program remains committed to tracking emerging trends, investing in visionary startups, and creating transformative solutions that shape the future of enterprise technology. The past ten years have been an exciting journey, and we look forward to continuing our mission of bringing startup innovation to the enterprise.

If you like this article consider subscribing to our bi-monthly newsletter to get information about our portfolio, solutions, and insights delivered to your inbox.