We demonstrate a general approach for growing vertically aligned, single-crystalline nanowires of any material on arbitrary substrates by using plasma-sputtered Au/Pd thin films as a catalyst through the vapor-liquid-solid process. The high-energy sputtered Au/Pd atoms form a reactive interface with the substrate forming nanoclusters which get embedded in the substrate, thus providing mechanical stability for vertically aligned nanowire growth. We demonstrate that our approach for vertically aligned nanowire growth is generic and can be extended to various complex substrates such as conducting indium tin oxide.