Actively backing future-defining startups from Day Zero.

Fund 1

Our Origins

Fund 1 builds on the legacy of "Fund 0.0" - our partners’ personal investments in over 30 early-stage startups at the nexus of deep tech and frontier science. Rooted in the belief that transformative impact emerges from scientific depth, engineering rigor, and entrepreneurial courage, Fund 1 systematically backs founders tackling complex, high-impact challenges.

Our Thesis

We invest in startups from Pre-Seed to Series A, focusing on areas like space tech, synthetic biology, climate tech, robotics, AI/ML infrastructure, advanced materials, and other frontier technologies. Our approach is hands-on, partnering early with exceptional scientists, engineers, and domain experts to shape the future.

Call to Founders

We’re actively building our portfolio pipeline and seeking visionary founders pushing the boundaries of innovation. On this page, you’ll find a living list of themes we are actively looking to fund.

Requests For Startups

RFS highlights ideas we’re excited for founders to explore. They reflect just a portion of what we invest in—if one sparks your interest, treat it as a strong signal. That said, we welcome all bold ideas, whether or not they appear on this list. Click here to submit your pitch.

Quantum Systems with Commercial Potential

Quantum computing is nearing practical relevance, with advancing hardware, specialized algorithms demonstrating advantages, and early applications emerging in fields like chemistry and logistics. As the ecosystem matures, we see significant potential in targeted, application-driven quantum systems. We prioritize teams with a clear focus on technical performance, viable use cases, and robust integration strategies.
We seek to invest in companies developing:
• Application-specific quantum stacks
• Advanced control systems
• Error correction technologies
• Low-loss photonic interconnects
• Quantum-based sensing and cryptographic infrastructure

AI Deployed in Physical Environments

Large-scale AI has transformed text and code generation. The next frontier is its integration into physical systems, enabled by advances in planning, vision, and multi-modal reasoning. These breakthroughs allow intelligent agents to operate reliably in labs, warehouses, logistics hubs, and field environments.
We are investing in:
• Full-stack autonomy platforms for machines and agents that navigate, perform tasks, and adapt to uncertainty
• Robotics for factories and warehouses
• Drones and lab assistant systems
• Defense-oriented autonomous systems
• Edge AI chips, inference frameworks, and planning stacks optimized for low-power, real-time performance

Computing Infrastructure Beyond Moore’s Law

The demand for compute power in scientific workloads, AI inference, and complex modeling continues to surge, but traditional transistor density scaling is hitting its limits. As architecture takes center stage, we are backing teams innovating in processing, data movement, and hardware-software co-design.
We are investing in:
• Photonic and neuromorphic processors
• Analog accelerators3D packaging and chiplet ecosystems
• Custom silicon leveraging open architectures
• Compilers, simulators, and orchestration platforms for seamless heterogeneous compute deployment

Industrial-Grade Climate Solutions

Decarbonizing heavy industry demands hardware innovation beyond digital optimization. Emissions from cement, steel, freight, and process heat require novel approaches to energy storage, heat management, and large-scale decarbonization.
We are investing in:
• Long-duration energy storage (thermal, mechanical, or electrochemical)
• Electrification tools for high-temperature industrial processes
• CO₂ capture hardware optimized for industrial integration
• Fusion subsystems, including magnets, targets, and diagnostics

Programmable Biology and Bio-Manufacturing

Synthetic biology has entered its engineering era, with modular bioreactors, AI-designed enzymes, and cell-free systems enabling a programmable biology layer. This foundation is poised to transform pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, food, and materials.
We are investing in:
• Biofoundries for scalable biomanufacturing
• Continuous or cell-free biomanufacturing platforms
• Design tools for metabolic engineering
• Automation stacks for high-throughput wetlab operations

Orbital Infrastructure and Space Manufacturing

Transformed launch economics have unlocked viable business models for on-orbit manufacturing, logistics, refueling, repositioning, and return-to-Earth operations. We envision the space economy evolving into a robust industrial supply chain within the next decade.
We are investing in:
• In-orbit manufacturing of materials, optics, and biologics
• Autonomous servicing, docking, and inspection platforms
• Return logistics and recovery systems
• Lunar surface systems, including power, communications, and robotics

Advanced Materials with Commercial Path

The next wave of computing, energy, defense, and mobility hinges on advanced materials. Advances in chemistry, automation, and modeling have accelerated material discovery and characterization, but scaling and commercialization remain key challenges.
We are investing in:
• Solid-state batteries exceeding 400 Wh/kg energy density
• High-temperature ceramics and high-entropy alloys2D materials and metamaterials for RF, optics, or thermal management
• Materials informatics platforms integrating AI

Security for Critical and Embedded Systems

As physical systems like infrastructure, vehicles, medical devices, and defense systems go online, their attack surfaces expand. These systems rely on firmware, embedded software, and control logic that must remain secure in hostile or resource-constrained environments.
We are investing in:
• Post-quantum cryptographic modules
• Zero-trust architectures for embedded and industrial systems
• Secure boot, firmware validation, and lifecycle management tools
• Provenance and supply chain integrity solutions using sensor fusion or tag-based methods
• We prioritize lightweight, robust security solutions that operate

Automation for the Industrial Middle Market

While industrial automation funding has targeted top-tier manufacturers, the greater opportunity lies in mid-sized factories, logistics centers, and facilities with automation needs but limited capital expenditure or integration expertise.
We are investing in:
• Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) platforms for brownfield environments with usage-based pricing
• Modular workcells and flexible robotic platforms
• Orchestration software for rapid deployment

Infrastructure for Deeptech Development

Deeptech teams face slow, fragmented development environments with domain-specific, costly simulation tools, inconsistent lab automation, and ad-hoc manufacturing scale-up. Shared infrastructure that accelerates iteration and deployment presents a significant opportunity.
We are investing in:
• High-performance simulation tools for multiphysics, chemical, and biological applications
• Modular lab automation and orchestration platforms
• Cloud manufacturing and pilot access networks
• Version control, collaboration, and data tools tailored for scientific and engineering workflows.

If your work aligns with our focus areas or you’re pioneering something entirely new, we want to connect. Submit your pitch here. We review every submission and aim to respond promptly. Breakthrough ideas don’t always fit a predefined mold. What matters is a real problem, a thoughtful approach, and a team with the technical vision to build something lasting.