Mission One Capital Research
Investment Thesis
Mission One Capital is an action-driven early-stage venture capital firm focused on backing founders building the next industrial revolution. Founded in 2021 by Atlas Berry (formerly Kiel Berry), the firm invests in frontier-tech startups addressing three existential challenges: climate change, resource depletion, and inequality. The firm's core thesis centers on identifying scalable business models that create measurable impact metrics directly tied to financial performance and community benefit.
Atlas Berry brings a unique global perspective and deep domain expertise. He started his career as an investment banker at JPMorgan, with postings in New York, London, and Johannesburg. He also ran the venture arm for Grammy-winning band Linkin Park and made early investments in companies like Lyft, Robinhood, and Impossible Foods. This combination of finance, entertainment, and venture experience informs Mission One Capital's action-oriented approach.
The fund believes founders need "the mental toughness of elite athletes" to cross the finish line, and they look for visionaries with a performance mindset—acting with lightning speed and laser precision. Rather than traditional investors, Mission One Capital positions itself as a "swat team, getting dirt under our nails to guarantee unparalleled, high-velocity support."
Investment Focus Areas
Mission One Capital invests across three primary pillars:
Energy Independence & Abundance
The firm sees cheap, abundant energy as foundational to the next industrial era. Portfolio companies include:
- Derapi: Distributed energy ecosystem software infrastructure
- Lumindt: Real estate decarbonization
- ThreeV Technologies: AI-native factory operations platform
- Electrotechnical solutions: EV charging and energy management platforms
They view energy as a multi-trillion-dollar opportunity, with startups addressing generation, storage, transmission, and management.
Industrial Resilience & Manufacturing
Rising geopolitical pressures and supply chain disruption are reshaping global manufacturing. Mission One Capital backs companies automating, optimizing, and localizing production:
- Glīd: Autonomous road-to-rail solutions for freight (won TechCrunch Disrupt 2025)
- Formulate Robotics: Robotic kitchen for chemistry-driven products
- Maive AI: Factory operations and manufacturing data insights
- Solarock: Distributed solar installation and management
- MinersAI: AI for mining exploration and geological analysis
The firm published a "Mission Report: Industrial Resilience" analyzing how startups are reshaping the backbone of production through robotics, automation, and AI-driven design.
Climate Action & Sustainability (Climate Justice)
Atlas Berry frequently references the intersection of climate and inequality as the "sweet spot for innovation." The firm backs startups tackling climate with explicit attention to community impact:
- Better Sea: Streamlined FuelEU compliance for shipping
- ChargerHelp: EV charging station uptime and reliability
- Cloverly: Digital carbon removal and credit infrastructure
- Dorothy Tech: Disaster recovery through data and teleoperation
- Reverse Supply: Circular economy infrastructure for fashion and durable goods
- Shovels.ai: Building permit data intelligence
- Third Polaris: Software for climate impact measurement
Many portfolio companies explicitly serve communities disproportionately affected by climate change. The firm was particularly energized by the Inflation Reduction Act's earmarked capital for climate solutions in disadvantaged communities.
Stage & Check Size
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed and Seed
Mission One Capital explicitly partners with "visionaries at the dawn of their journey." The current firm data shows:
- Check Size Range: $100K - $500K
- Typical Investment: Seed-stage rounds of $1M-$5M+ (based on portfolio analysis)
The firm takes board/observer seats and acts as active operators, not passive investors. Recent notable investments include:
- Derapi: $7M seed round (Feb 2025), led by Earthshot Ventures with M1C participation
- Lux Aeterna: $4M pre-seed (Jun 2025), led by Space Capital with M1C participation
- Glīd: $3.1M pre-seed (2025), led by Outlander VC with M1C participation
- Maive AI: Seed-stage (2024)
Lead Tendency & Decision Process
Lead Tendency: Both (Leads and Co-Leads)
Based on portfolio activity, Mission One Capital demonstrates:
- Strong co-leading behavior: Often participates in rounds led by other seed-stage funds (Earthshot Ventures, Space Capital, Outlander VC, Ubiquity Ventures)
- Active operational involvement: Takes board/observer seats and provides "swat team" operational support
- Quick decision-making: Atlas Berry has stated in interviews they evaluate ~1,000 companies per year and look for patterns that trigger fast decisions
Decision Process: Partnership-based, likely with committee input on larger checks
- 2-3 person partnership (Atlas Berry, Dr Dhan-sham Rana, plus operational team)
- Decision timeline appears to be 2-4 weeks for strong fits
- Atlas Berry personally involved in founder evaluation and operational support
Geographic Focus
Primary Markets: United States (especially Florida/Miami hub, but nationwide) and Europe
Atlas Berry is based in Miami and frequently emphasizes Miami's role as a climate hub and opportunity to showcase innovation in response to climate threats. Portfolio companies span:
- US: Denver (aerospace/robotics), Los Angeles area, San Francisco, NYC, Riverside, Baltimore, etc.
- Europe: France (Solarock), UK representation
The firm sees European regulatory pressure on sustainability (FuelEU, carbon footprinting requirements) as a leading indicator of where US markets are heading, making European deals valuable for pattern recognition.
Portfolio & Recent Activity
Portfolio Size: 40+ active companies
Recent Investments (2025-2026):
- Derapi (Energy): $7M seed, Feb 2025, led by Earthshot Ventures
- Glīd (Industrial/Logistics): $3.1M pre-seed, won TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield 2025
- Lux Aeterna (Aerospace): $4M pre-seed, led by Space Capital, Jun 2025
- LGND AI (GeoAI/Earth Observation): $9M raise participated, 2025
- Solarock (Solar): €7M round, 2025
- ThreeV Technologies (Factory AI): Active 2025
- Maive AI (Mining AI): Seed-stage 2024-2025
Notable Exits/Achievements:
- Glīd won TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 Startup Battlefield (founded by ex-SpaceX/Northrop Grumman engineer)
- Lux Aeterna: First fully reusable satellite bus, advancing space sustainability
- Portfolio approaching 40+ companies with strong follow-on activity
Fund Status: Actively deploying (Fund I closed, likely raising Fund II)
Atlas Berry was featured on Yahoo Finance discussing founder evaluation, mentioning they see ~1,000 companies annually. Recent talks on hardtech trends and climate investing suggest aggressive deal flow.
Founder Preferences
Atlas Berry explicitly looks for:
- Technical founders with deep domain expertise - especially those from aerospace, energy, or manufacturing backgrounds (e.g., Glīd founder from SpaceX/Northrop Grumman, Army logistics experience)
- Founder psychology: Mental toughness, performance mindset, ability to execute with "lightning speed and laser precision"
- Impact-driven founders: Those who can articulate clear, measurable impact metrics tied to business outcomes
- Product-market fit signals: Evidence that customers are "obsessed" with the product, not just founder vision
- Scalable business models: Founders who think beyond MVP to sustainable, competitive business design
The firm explicitly avoids:
- Pure hardware plays without business model clarity
- Founders focused solely on impact without financial clarity
- Companies without clear product-market fit signals
Team & Expertise
Atlas Berry, Founder & General Partner
- Background: Investment banker at JPMorgan (NYC, London, Johannesburg offices), venture lead at Linkin Park Entertainment, angel investor
- Expertise: Global markets, emerging market dynamics, founder psychology, climate tech, industrial innovation
- Decision-making style: Data-driven, pattern recognition focused, founder-centric
Dr Dhan-sham Rana, Partner
- Background: Technical co-founder/operator (likely given portfolio focus on deep tech)
- Likely focuses on technical due diligence for hardware/deeptech companies
Support Team: Growing team supporting 40+ portfolio companies with active operational involvement
Mission Reports & Thought Leadership
Mission One Capital publishes "Mission Reports" diving deep into investment theses:
- Energy Abundance Report: Multi-trillion-dollar race to build next-era energy infrastructure
- Industrial Resilience Report: How startups are reshaping production through automation, AI, and efficiency
These reports feature portfolio companies and demonstrate sophisticated, sector-level thinking about macro trends driving investment decisions.
Fundraising & Fund Status
While specific AUM is not publicly disclosed, signals suggest:
- Fund I: Likely closed 2021-2022 (firm founded 2021)
- Current deployment: Fund II likely being deployed (40+ portfolio companies, active deal flow)
- LP Base: Likely includes impact investors, climate-focused funds, and family offices given thesis alignment
- Target check size: $100K-$500K indicates medium fund size (likely $50M-$150M range)
Decision Timeline & Process
Based on interview statements and portfolio velocity:
- Initial screen: 1-2 weeks (pattern recognition on founders and market)
- Deep dive: 2-3 weeks (technical due diligence, founder calls, reference checks)
- Decision: 1-2 weeks (partnership alignment)
- Total: 4-6 weeks for strong candidates
Atlas Berry emphasizes speed and founder fit as primary decision drivers, not exhaustive financial analysis.
Warm Introduction Preference
Given focus on founder psychology and pattern recognition, Mission One Capital likely prefers:
- Warm intros from: Existing founders, operators, angels in their network
- Why: Signals founder's ability to navigate networks and build relationships
- Cold inbound: Via [email protected] with clear problem statement and founder background
Notable Characteristics
- Action-oriented approach: Unlike traditional VCs, position as operational "swat team"
- Founder obsession: Deep focus on founder psychology and execution ability
- Impact accountability: Explicit measurement of impact metrics alongside financial returns
- Global perspective: Experience in 4+ continents informs pattern recognition
- Deep tech comfort: Comfortable with hardware, robotics, aerospace, materials science
- Community-centered: Climate justice framing shows explicit focus on disparate impact
- Thought leadership: Regular reports and media appearances establish market authority
Key Quotes Reflecting Thesis
"The future belongs to the founders rebuilding how the world is powered and built." - M1C website
"I'm looking for scalable business models first, industries second. I believe that the magic happens when a disruptive business model is applied to the right industry." - Atlas Berry
"Climate justice sits at the intersection of climate and inequality. The Inflation Reduction Act can help kickstart a lot of that innovation." - Atlas Berry
"We're not just investors; we're a swat team, getting dirt under our nails to guarantee unparalleled, high-velocity support." - M1C positioning