R7 Partners | Investment Thesis & Preferences

01Investment Thesis

Intelligence is coming into the physical world through AI and robotics applied to atoms rather than bits. We back capex-heavy, long-horizon bets in hard-to-abate decarbonization sectors and hardware-heavy industrial systems that many traditional early-stage funds avoid.

Exclusion Criteria

Pure software/SaaS (unless infrastructure), consumer apps, cryptocurrency, businesses without physical components

02Investment Team

TE

Tyler Engh

Founder & General Partner

TW

Trey Ward

Partner

WU

Will Urban

Partner

WG

Will George

Partner

RP

Rich Padula

Venture Partner

AJ

Ali Javidan

Venture Partner

SH

Steven Hong

Venture Partner

03F4 Research Brief

R7 Partners Research

Investment Thesis

R7 Partners is a specialized hardtech venture capital fund focused on early-stage companies building hardware-heavy industrial systems and physical technologies. The fund believes that intelligence is coming into the physical world through AI and robotics applied to atoms rather than bits. They operate with the conviction that the next wave of transformative innovation will occur in capital-intensive, technically difficult industries that many traditional VCs avoid.

Their thesis specifically targets companies operating at the intersection of physical manufacturing, robotics, AI, and emerging technologies that solve fundamental problems in industries like energy, transportation, agriculture, manufacturing, and environmental monitoring.

Stage Focus

R7 Partners is an early-stage specialist, focusing primarily on:

Pre-Seed: $100K-$500K for founders with compelling visions
Seed: $250K-$2.5M for teams building initial prototypes and achieving early technical milestones
Series A: Up to $5M for proven teams with validated technology and initial traction

They occasionally make follow-on investments in successful portfolio companies transitioning to growth stages, as evidenced by portfolio companies like Bloom Energy (now public) and Amyris (public IPO), which they backed early and maintained relationships through growth.

Check Size and Investment Strategy

R7 Partners' typical investment range is $100,000 to $5,000,000, with most investments concentrated in the $250K-$2.5M range for early-stage companies. The fund operates as a lean, operator-led team that maintains direct founder relationships and provides significant operational support beyond capital.

Their decision-making process emphasizes partnership over passive investing. The team is highly engaged with founders, providing strategic guidance on product development, manufacturing partnerships, and market validation. This hands-on approach is evident in their deep involvement across portfolio companies at various stages of technical development.

Recent Activity and Fund Status

R7 Partners is actively deploying capital with recent investments including:

2025: Samara Aerospace (satellite technology), Future Fields (biomanufacturing), Everest Collective (CEO operating system), Inevitable (AI farm productivity)
2024: Allia Health (mental health control center), Eztia (advanced materials), Greenrock (autonomous mining drones), Hexium (carbon-free energy), Polyphron (neural treatments), Pila Energy (smart batteries), Moddule (global freight)
2023: Ammobia (clean ammonia production), Apoha (sensory intelligence), Cascade Bio (chemical production), Hedgehog (robotic farms), Happy Droid (humanoid robots), Reshape (lab automation)
2022: Ramper (blockchain authentication)
2021: Range Energy (electric trailers), Bedrock (ocean mapping), Xwing (autonomous cargo), Overflow (philanthropy fintech), Roam Robotics (exoskeletons), Foxtrot, Light Field Lab (holograms)
2019: Inevitable, Xwing
2017: AEye (LiDAR), Airy3D (3D vision), Pivot (breathalyzer), Light Field Lab

Notable acquisitions in portfolio include Xwing (autonomous cargo flights) and Ramper (blockchain), demonstrating successful exits. Several portfolio companies have achieved IPO status, including Bloom Energy and Amyris.

Portfolio Highlights and Sector Coverage

R7's portfolio spans multiple deep-tech and hardtech sectors:

Autonomous Transportation & Logistics:

Xwing (autonomous cargo flights)
Range Energy (intelligent electric trailers)
Moddule (global freight infrastructure)

Robotics & Automation:

Roam Robotics (exoskeletons for human augmentation)
Reshape Biotech (lab automation robots for microbiologists)
Greenrock (autonomous heavy-lift drones for mining)
Hedgehog (robotic farms for protein production)
Happy Droid (humanoid robots)

Energy & Climate:

Bloom Energy (solid oxide fuel cells, IPO)
Ammobia (clean ammonia production)
Hexium (carbon-free energy, isotope enrichment)
Pila Energy (smart battery backups)
Range Energy (electric vehicle intelligence)

Biotech & Life Sciences:

Reshape Biotech (lab automation)
Allia Health (mental health platforms)
Polyphron (spinal and neural treatments)
More Labs (science-backed supplements)
Future Fields (biomanufacturing without animals)
Amyris (synthetic biology, IPO)

Advanced Materials & Chemistry:

Cascade Bio (eco-friendly chemical production)
Eztia (advanced materials for cooling)
Ammobia (clean ammonia)

Sensing & Perception:

AEye (LiDAR perception)
Airy3D (3D vision technology)
Bedrock (ocean mapping sensors)
Oculii (AI radar perception, acquired)
Apoha (sensory intelligence)

Spatial Computing & Displays:

Light Field Lab (holographic displays, no headgear)

Agriculture & Food:

Inevitable (AI farm productivity)
Hedgehog (robotic farms)
Soil Action (real-time soil intelligence)

Other Emerging Technologies:

Samara Aerospace (satellite performance)
Overflow (philanthropy fintech platform)
Everest Collective (CEO operating system)
Ramper (blockchain authentication, acquired)

Team and Leadership

R7 Partners operates as a lean, operator-focused team:

Core Investors & Operations:

Tyler Engh: Founder and General Partner, leading the firm's overall strategy and founder relationships
Trey Ward: Partner, focuses on investment sourcing and portfolio support
Will Urban: Partner, technical diligence specialist
Will George: Partner, leads relationship capital program and team/planet-focused initiatives
Mackey Saturday: Operations and investor relations
Grace Coletta: Team and operational support
Caroline Linton: Investor relations and LP management
Liz Njeri: Operations

Venture Partners:

Rich Padula: Domain expert from Syclo (former CEO/Founder), brings enterprise software experience
Ali Javidan: Technical advisor
Steven Hong: Industry specialist
Al Carmona: Investment advisor
Greg Zanghi: Portfolio advisor

The team's composition reflects R7's deep commitment to operational support. Beyond capital provision, they bring technical expertise, industry connections, and manufacturing relationships to help portfolio companies scale physical products.

Geographic Focus

R7 Partners operates from dual headquarters in Chicago, Illinois and New York, New York. This geographic positioning provides access to both Midwest manufacturing expertise and East Coast institutional networks. While headquartered in these cities, their portfolio spans North America with notable concentration in the US, though they maintain selective international exposure.

Decision Process and Timeline

R7 operates with a partnership structure where decisions are made collectively by the core team. Given their early-stage focus and deep engagement with founders, decision timelines typically range from 2-8 weeks depending on technical complexity, market validation needs, and existing relationships. The fund values founder-fund fit and prefers warm introductions or existing network relationships.

Typical Involvement and Support

Beyond providing capital, R7 Partners typically provides:

Board seats for many seed and series A investments
Technical and manufacturing expertise drawing on team's hardtech background
Founder relationship support through dedicated partner involvement
Manufacturing and supply chain partnerships leveraging existing portfolio relationships
Customer and partner introductions within their portfolio ecosystem
Strategic guidance on product-market fit, technical validation, and scaling manufacturing

Their involvement model emphasizes being "relationship capital" partners rather than passive investors.

Founder Preferences

R7 Partners seeks founders who:

Have deep technical expertise in their domain
Are building solutions to fundamental, atom-level problems
Demonstrate exceptional determination and resilience ("daring entrepreneurs")
Come from relevant industry backgrounds (manufacturing, engineering, supply chain)
Show ability to attract and lead technical teams
Are comfortable with multi-year development cycles and capital-intensive journeys
Value partnership over minimal investor involvement

Investment Restrictions

R7 explicitly avoids:

Pure software and SaaS solutions (outside the infrastructure context)
Consumer apps and social platforms
Cryptocurrency plays (aside from technical infrastructure)
Businesses without significant physical/hardware components
Companies not aligned with their hardtech thesis

Recent News and Activity

As of late 2025, R7 Partners remains actively deploying from current funds with steady deal flow in hardtech sectors. Recent activity shows continued focus on robotics (Greenrock, Happy Droid, Roam), climate technology (Hexium, Ammobia), advanced biotech (Reshape, Future Fields), and emerging hardware opportunities. The fund maintains strong portfolio momentum with multiple companies achieving growth-stage funding and several portfolio exits.