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Top Aerospace & Defense Investors 2026

126 VC firms investing in aerospace & defense, ranked by portfolio depth and activity.

Updated October 5, 2026|Research by F4 Fund|Based on 2,227+ researched VC firms

Ranked by sector depth: the share of each firm's classified portfolio in this sector, its absolute count of investments here, and how recently it last invested. Firms need at least three portfolio companies in the sector to appear.

F4 Intelligence Brief
October 2026

F4 Fund tracks 126 VC firms that actively invest in aerospace & defense, with check sizes ranging from $10K – $340M (median: $2.8M). As of October 2026, 91% of these firms lead or co-lead rounds. Rankings are based on F4's proprietary analysis of 2,227+ researched VC firms. Ranked by how much of each firm's portfolio is actually in this sector, and how recently it invested.

126
Active Firms
Meet quality criteria
$2.8M
Median Check
91%
Lead Rounds
Lead or co-lead
51
Avg Portfolio
Companies per firm
5.4
Avg Team
Investment professionals
30%
Warm Intro
Prefer warm intros
All StagesPre-Seed(97)

Aerospace & Defense Investor Rankings

#FirmCheck SizePortfolioLeads?Last investedDecisionIntro
1
▶
E2MC Ventures

The space economy represents the next frontier for transformative economic opportunity and meaningful impact. We back pioneering founders building the technologies and services that enable humanity's expansion into space while creating value on Earth. We apply financial discipline (Wall Street cash-flow and intrinsic-value approach) to identify sustainable, scalable space businesses.

Miami
$1M – $5M31Leads
Aug 2026 · Active
~1 moReq'd
2
▶
Seraphim Capital

Space has a unique role in addressing the world's most pressing problems and represents a $trillion investment opportunity. We back visionary entrepreneurs transforming science fiction into science fact using space technology and space-based data to solve challenges in sustainability, connectivity, and digitalization at global scale.

London
$250K – $25M124Both
Sep 2026 · Active
~2 moOpen
3
▶
Helios Capital

Early-stage investments in commercial space, aerospace, and adjacent deeptech sectors represent transformational opportunities for humanity's future in space exploration and technology advancement.

New York
$25K – $1M31Both
Feb 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
4
▶
D3

Harness innovation to strengthen democracies around the world by backing founders building world-class, disruptive technologies for national security, with a focus on early-stage deep tech from Ukraine and its allies.

Kyiv
$500K – $1.5M22Both
~Sep 2026 · Active
N/AOpen
5
▶
Alpine Space Ventures

As space access becomes cheaper (largely due to SpaceX), a specialized supply chain will emerge around it, similar to automotive - components, satellite manufacturing, ground infrastructure, and data/service layers. We back teams delivering a 10x improvement in an existing addressable market as beneficiaries of, not competitors to, SpaceX's launch cost curve.

Munich
$5.4M – $22M7Leads
~Sep 2026 · Active
N/AN/A
6
▶
Washington Harbour Partners

Opportunistic investing in mission-critical, non-cyclical dual-use businesses, combining flexible capital with operating expertise from a network of national-security veterans to build scalable platforms aligned with strategic partner needs.

Arlington, VA
$5M – $200M36Leads
Jun 2026 · Active
N/AN/A
7
▶
Lockheed Martin Ventures

Invest in companies developing disruptive technologies in core defense business areas to build a pipeline that strengthens the defense industrial base. Over 60 portfolio companies have become Lockheed Martin suppliers, receiving $750M+ in contracts.

Bethesda, MD
$500K – $5M32Both
~Jul 2026 · Active
3+ moReq'd
8
▶
Silent Ventures
#97 · Emerging 100 · 2026

Exceptional founders building unrivaled aerospace, defense, and national security companies. Silent Ventures takes a contrarian bet on defense tech at the earliest stages — concept, pre-seed, and seed — when most institutional capital is unavailable. The firm believes the next generation of great defense companies will be built by mission-driven startup founders combining private-sector speed with national security urgency.

Dallas
$1.5M – $3M34Leads
Mar 2026 · Active
~1 moOpen
9
▶
Space Capital
#68 · Top 100 · 2026

Space-based technologies — GPS, GEOINT, and SatCom — are the invisible backbone of the global economy. Space Capital invests at the intersection of space technology and global markets, backing founders building the infrastructure, distribution platforms, and applications that will generate the next wave of trillion-dollar outcomes.

New York
$250K – $3M40Leads
Oct 2025 · Active
N/AOpen
10
▶
IceNine

Invest in early-stage companies building transformative solutions in fintech, healthcare technology, and enterprise software with experienced, technical founders who have deep domain expertise.

United States
$250K – $2M20Both
May 2026 · Active
~2 moOpen
11
▶
Interlagos

The biggest venture returns of the next decade will come from applied science and advanced manufacturing companies in space, defense, robotics, energy, and biotech, businesses that are hard to build without rare operational and engineering know-how.

El Segundo, CA
$5M – $50M9Leads
Jun 2026 · Active
N/AReq'd
12
▶
Black Flag

Be the first check in for founders building America's next era of critical technologies. Invest in audacious founders across Defense, Aerospace, Energy, AI, Manufacturing, Cybersecurity, and Health+Bio solving problems critical to national security and American technological leadership. Provide capital ($250K-$1M), unmatched government access, mentor network, and go-to-market acceleration.

San Diego
$250K – $1M22Leads
~Aug 2026 · Active
~1 moOpen
13
▶
AIN Ventures

Founders with military backgrounds and demonstrated grit combined with differentiated dual-use technology create exceptional venture opportunities. We focus on pre-seed and seed-stage companies solving meaningful problems that make the country and allies safer while having strong commercial applications.

New York
$250K – $3M46Leads
Jun 2026 · Active
~2 wksReq'd
14
▶
Decisive Point
#90 · Emerging 100 · 2026

Amplify founder impact through capital paired with deep expertise in government market access, federal R&D funding capture, and government contracting strategy. Focus on dual-use technologies addressing national security, defense, energy, and infrastructure challenges.

Beacon, NY
$500K – $10M22Leads
Aug 2026 · Active
~2 moReq'd
15
▶
Type One Ventures
#42 · Emerging 100 · 2026

We invest in startups building the technologies, infrastructure, and services that will be integral as we progress towards a Type I Civilization on the Kardashev Scale. Humanity is at ~Type 0.73 civilization and estimated to reach Type I in ~100 years. We fund moonshot technologies solving fundamental problems in space, robotics, AI, and human longevity.

San Francisco
$500K – $20M38Leads
Jun 2026 · Active
~1 moOpen
16
▶
Harpoon Ventures

Technology will define geopolitics. We invest in the Freedom Stack—foundational technologies critical to American national security and technological leadership. We partner with mission-driven founders building capabilities essential to American prosperity and strategic advantage.

San Diego
$500K – $5M49Leads
Jul 2026 · Active
~2 wksReq'd
17
▶
Speciale Invest

We back bold, early-stage founders building disruptive innovations deeply rooted in science, engineering, and technology, across Novel Energy & Planetary Health, Human Longevity & Synthetic Biology, Beyond Earth & Space Tech, Advanced Manufacturing, and AI Led Software. We prioritize exponential over incremental change and are often the first institutional check.

Chennai
$800K – $1.2M29Leads
Aug 2026 · Active
N/AOpen
18
▶
Prime Movers Lab
#47 · Emerging 100 · 2026

Prime Movers Lab partners with serial entrepreneurs building breakthrough scientific companies that tackle the world's biggest problems. We believe the best venture partners provide operational excellence, technical expertise, and hands-on support—not just capital. We invest in companies reinventing energy, transportation, infrastructure, manufacturing, human augmentation, and agriculture.

Jackson, Wyoming
$2M – $30M35Leads
Jul 2026 · Active
~1 moReq'd
19
▶
Airbus Ventures

Back deeptech entrepreneurs with deep technical expertise, integrity-driven vision, and complex problem-solving capabilities working at intersections of space, autonomous mobility, advanced materials, quantum computing, and climate technology. Use aerospace systems lens to identify dual-use deep-science technologies with extraordinary technical leadership and first-principles engineering expertise capable of unlocking entirely new economies.

Menlo Park
$100K – $10M22Both
Feb 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
20
▶
Mana Ventures
#17 · Emerging 100 · 2026

Mana Ventures backs technologies that redefine industries and founders that shape the future, concentrating on deep tech and frontier AI: robotics and autonomy, space and defense, AI compute infrastructure and semiconductors, biotech and healthcare AI, and energy/advanced materials.

South San Francisco, CA
$10K – $250K37Follows
Aug 2026 · Active
~2 wksReq'd
21
▶
NATO Innovation Fund

NIF invests in cutting-edge science and engineering startups that strengthen the defence, security, and resilience of NATO Allied nations. Backed by 24 sovereign governments, NIF provides deep tech founders with unprecedented access to government procurement markets across 24 countries, connectivity to ~90 NATO-affiliated test centres, and 6,000+ Allied scientists. NIF leads initial investments with up to €15M and maintains substantial follow-on reserves.

Amsterdam
$1M – $16.5M26Leads
Jul 2026 · Active
3+ moOpen
22
▶
Join Capital

Resilience is the foundation of prosperity, security, and progress. We invest in early-stage deep tech with real IP across industry, enterprise, and defence that keeps economies running and nations strong.

Berlin
$1M – $5M8Both
Sep 2026 · Active
N/AN/A
23
▶
Dolby Family Ventures

Fund visionary entrepreneurs solving humanity's most intractable, long-horizon science and engineering problems, taking a poly-solution approach that backs many independent bets on the same hard problem (especially Alzheimer's disease and depression) rather than a single best guess, judged on both societal and financial impact.

San Francisco
$2M – $7M97Both
Aug 2026 · Active
N/AN/A
24
▶
Shield Capital
#33 · Emerging 100 · 2026

Investing in entrepreneurs building technologies that matter at the convergence of commercial technology and national security, across artificial intelligence, autonomy, cybersecurity, and space.

San Francisco
$1M – $15M42Leads
Aug 2026 · Active
N/AReq'd
25
▶
Air Street Capital

We invest exclusively in AI-first companies where advances in artificial intelligence are the primary driver of product capability, competitive advantage, and long-term value creation. We are deeply coupled to the frontier of AI research and industry, enabling us to identify emerging technical inflection points and structural shifts early.

London
$1M – $300M31Leads
Jun 2026 · Active
~1 moOpen
26
▶
In-Q-Tel (IQT)

Transformative national security solutions emerge from early-stage private-sector startups developing frontier technologies. IQT identifies, evaluates, and leverages innovations to accelerate government adoption while enhancing commercial success. As of May 2026, IQT is emphasizing mission investing through fewer larger bets in autonomy, contested logistics, critical infrastructure, and technologies that can move to mission use quickly.

Washington
$250K – $3M43Leads
Jul 2026 · Active
~1 moOpen
27
▶
IIMA Ventures

Backing fearless founders building disruptive, IP-driven deep-tech, digitalization, and climate-tech solutions from India, for the world, at the earliest and highest-risk stages.

Ahmedabad
$100K – $500K30Both
Aug 2026 · Active
N/AOpen
28
▶
Promus Ventures

Back ambitious DeepTech founders tackling complex problems to advance daily lives across the world. Focus on People, Product, and Potential — investing in large, mature industries (space, manufacturing, mobility, health, energy) that need foundational technology transformations. Physical AI is a core conviction: hardware and software systems that act in the physical world. Invest early (Pre-Seed/Seed) and stay long-term through IPOs and acquisitions.

Chicago
$500K – $5M70Both
Sep 2026 · Active
N/AN/A
29
▶
UP Partners

The next two decades will see dramatic changes in mobility across ground, air, sea, and space. We invest in entrepreneurs building frontier technologies that make movement cleaner, faster, safer, and lower-cost, leveraging our extensive relationships with global companies.

Santa Monica
$1M – $10M34Both
Jul 2026 · Active
~1 wkOpen
30
▶
7percent Ventures

Back determined founders with uncommon insights solving the world's biggest problems through transformative deeptech. Focus on moonshots: multi-billion-dollar, step-change opportunities across Future Compute (quantum, alternative architectures), Defense & Dual-Use (aerospace, strategic tech), Smart Planet (robotics, climate, materials), and Humantech (AR/VR, interfaces). Frame investments through free-world resilience lens, prioritizing Western technological independence. Support founders through capital, operational guidance, technical expertise, and extensive networks.

London
$250K – $2M25Leads
Apr 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
31
▶
Eclipse Ventures
#28 · Biotech 50 · 2026

Digital transformation is everywhere except where it matters. The world's essential physical industries—manufacturing, supply chain, transportation, healthcare infrastructure, and energy—have failed to keep pace with technological innovation. These industries are ripe for transformation through digitization, automation, and physical AI. We partner with experienced operators and technical founders to rebuild critical infrastructure.

Palo Alto
$250K – $25M25Leads
~Sep 2026 · Active
~1 moOpen
32
▶
Freedom Fund

Backing audacious founders building transformational, field-proven solutions that enhance resilience, strengthen security, and save lives in an increasingly volatile world, with focus on robotics, communications, sensors and components, and autonomous systems.

Seattle
$100K – $300K9Follows
Apr 2026 · Active
N/AN/A
33
▶
Founders Fund
#9 · Top 100 · 2026

Back revolutionary technologies and visionary founders who think in first principles. We invest across all stages when conviction exists, providing patient capital and board-level partnership to founders building consequential companies that reshape industries.

San Francisco
$500K – $50M37Leads
Aug 2026 · Active
~2 wksReq'd
34
▶
Caruso Ventures

Back highly effective CEOs building tech-enabled companies that solve hard infrastructure problems. Deep tech (quantum, space) offers generational returns with long deployment cycles suitable for patient capital.

Boulder, Colorado
$500K – $2.5M17Leads
Apr 2026 · Active
~2 moOpen
35
▶
Broom Ventures

Backs extraordinary pre-seed and seed technology founders, with hands-on technical, operational, finance, and leadership support delivered with a collaborative co-founder attitude.

San Francisco
$250K – $750K42Follows
Jun 2026 · Active
~1 moN/A
36
▶
Alumni Ventures

We democratize venture capital by providing individual accredited investors with professional-grade access to elite venture opportunities. We leverage our massive 850,000+ community network and 11,000+ investors to create unique value for founders, sourcing and diligencing deals alongside top-tier VCs (a16z, Sequoia, Khosla) without leading rounds. Our network is our competitive advantage—it compounds value for all stakeholders.

Manchester, NH
$250K – $5M63Follows
Aug 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
37
▶
Overmatch Ventures

Backing founders solving America's defining challenges in deep tech, defense, and space to restore and sustain American technological and industrial competitiveness.

Austin
$1M – $15M23Both
Feb 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
38
▶
Ravelin

Investing in founders building critical software that addresses the decay of Western infrastructure, institutions, and industrial base. Ravelin backs software-defined transformation of aerospace, defense, manufacturing, energy, and industrial sectors.

San Francisco
$100K – $500K27Follows
~Oct 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
39
▶
Leblon Capital

We back the boldest, most ambitious founders that seem unlikely to succeed, investing our own capital with no fund clock so we can remain invested indefinitely.

Munich
$150K – $10M110Follows
May 2026 · Active
N/AN/A
40
▶
AeroX Ventures

We invest in foundational technologies that strengthen both commercial leadership and national security capabilities. We back technical founders building dual-use innovations at the intersection of Aerospace, Defense, and Deep Tech. Portfolio companies demonstrate strong technical validation and capital efficiency, often bootstrapping to meaningful revenue before institutional investment.

Winston-Salem, North Carolina
$250K – $3M15Leads
Mar 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
41
▶
Massive

Investing in inevitable deep tech. Back visionary founders building transformational companies in domains where technological disruption is predetermined, not probable. Focus on early scale inflection points where companies move from potential to proven commercial viability.

Golden, CO
$500K – $3M24Both
Mar 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
42
▶
First In

Security technology is a necessity independent of economic cycles. We back technical experts who have seen over the horizon as security practitioners across commercial, military, or intelligence sectors. We invest in entrepreneurs who are on a mission to secure our freedom.

Washington
$500K – $5M33Leads
Aug 2026 · Active
~2 moOpen
43
▶
Caffeinated Capital
#66 · Top 100 · 2026

Support founders pursuing their life's work with an alternative to the hype cycle: the luxury of long-term thinking. We support founders building category-defining companies across all sectors that will last for lifetimes.

San Francisco
$1M – $5M19Leads
Jul 2026 · Active
N/AN/A
44
▶
Forward Deployed VC

Backs mission-critical technology companies in Defense, Energy, Industrials, and AI — specifically applied AI solving tangible physical problems. Invests from a network of 150+ operators from Palantir, Anduril, and SpaceX.

San Francisco
$100K – $5M23Follows
Apr 2026 · Active
~1 moReq'd
45
▶
Vanedge Capital

Deep technology and hard tech company investing at inflection points. Partner with technical founders building infrastructure-level solutions for global scale. Founded 2010 on belief that next generation of transformative companies require deep technical expertise, not just capital.

Vancouver
$1M – $15M42Both
~Jul 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
46
▶
Geodesic Capital

We invest in multi-stage, globally minded founders and help them succeed in the critical Japanese market. Geodesic bridges Silicon Valley and Japan, providing both financial capital and an unmatched operational platform — including the annual Geodesic Forum, a dedicated Japan team, and deep LP relationships with major Japanese corporations — to accelerate portfolio company growth into Japan and Asia.

Silicon Valley
$5M – $50M75Both
~Jul 2026 · Active
N/AN/A
47
▶
CAS Star

Originator of China's "hard tech" (硬科技) investment category: back deep, long-R&D-cycle science and engineering breakthroughs out of the Chinese Academy of Sciences network and top universities, from lab/PI stage through IPO, combining capital with an incubation platform and post-investment services.

Xi'an
$300K – $20M78Both
Aug 2026 · Active
N/AOpen
48
▶
Voyager

The world is transitioning from finite fuels and brittle processes to one powered by efficiency, automation, and machine intelligence. We invest in frontier technologies that are cheaper and higher-performing than fossil alternatives, building the foundational infrastructure for durable economic growth and abundance at global scale.

San Francisco
$500K – $5M15Leads
Jun 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
49
▶
Scout Ventures

Scout invests in frontier technologies built by founders from military, intelligence, and national research labs. The team provides capital, operational partnership, government network access, and non-dilutive capital leverage. Focus on dual-use technologies with both commercial and defense applications.

Austin
$500K – $5M32Leads
Jun 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
50
▶
XYZ Venture Capital
#46 · Emerging 100 · 2026

Great companies aren't born, they're made. XYZ invests in early-stage founders with exceptional execution capability, deep domain expertise, or lived experience insights. They specialize in helping founders navigate the earliest stages by providing capital plus strategic operational support.

San Francisco
$10K – $5M34Leads
Jun 2026 · Active
~2 wksReq'd
51
▶
9Yards Capital

Back technical founders building critical infrastructure for foundational industries. Pair growth-stage capital with deep regulatory expertise and government/industry connectivity to create defensible advantages in overlooked, essential sectors.

San Francisco
$3M – $10M36Both
Jun 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
52
▶
Quiet Capital
#23 · Emerging 100 · 2026

Back founder-operators with deep industry experience and prior successful exits. Invest from position of operational insight rather than pure financial engineering. Focus on companies showing early traction and founder-market fit across consumer, fintech, enterprise software, and automation.

San Francisco
$100K – $25M121Leads
~Sep 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
53
▶
137 Ventures

137 Ventures provides structured liquidity — equity loans against shareholder stakes, direct secondary purchases, and anchoring company-organized tender offers — to the founders, executives, and early employees of category-defining private technology companies. The firm supports generational companies through decade-long private lifecycles with flexible, founder-friendly capital structures.

San Francisco
$25M – $150M67Both
Jun 2026 · Active
N/AN/A
54
▶
Stage 1 Ventures

Invest in disruptive deep tech and science companies transforming global industries, bridging the capital gap for early-stage entrepreneurs with a capital-efficient model spanning seed option-bets through growth-equity leads.

Coconut Grove, FL
$500K – $10M61Both
Jul 2026 · Active
N/AN/A
55
▶
Narya
#94 · Emerging 100 · 2026

Back founders building durable, foundational companies in large, important markets where a durable company needs to be built and no one has built it yet, avoiding incremental technology plays.

Cincinnati
$10M – $25M18Both
Jun 2026 · Active
N/AN/A
56
▶
Cosmic Venture Partners

Early-stage, operator-led firm investing in next-generation consumer platforms, products, and services. We combine fintech, entertainment, and Wall Street expertise to provide hands-on operational support beyond capital.

Austin
$100K – $5M31Both
Jul 2026 · Active
~2 wksReq'd
57
▶
Plum Alley Investments

Frontier technologies and medical breakthroughs offer the best opportunities to address fundamental human and environmental challenges. Diversity of founder backgrounds drives innovation and superior returns. Founders with domain expertise, technical credentials, and distinctive visions solve the world's biggest problems.

New York
$750K – $3M31Both
Sep 2026 · Active
~1 moReq'd
58
▶
Initialized Capital
#77 · Top 100 · 2026

Passion and vision matter more than pedigree. We seek founders with grit, audacity, and a spark of rebellion—regardless of background. We invest early, before success is inevitable, and support founders from 0-to-1 through Series A.

San Francisco
$250K – $2M191Leads
Aug 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
59
▶
DCVC
#67 · Top 100 · 2026

We back entrepreneurs using computational approaches (AI, simulation) to solve trillion-dollar problems in climate, health, industrial transformation, and national security. Deep tech requires patient capital and scientific rigor.

San Francisco
$5M – $25M33Leads
Aug 2026 · Active
~2 moReq'd
60
▶
Expansion Venture Capital

Entrepreneurs, not VCs, build great companies. We invest early in great & passionate entrepreneurs and serve as long-term partners. Available 24/7 to help founders with mentorship, product-market fit, fundraising, business development, customer acquisition, talent sourcing, and strategic partnerships.

New York
$250K – $1M33Leads
~Sep 2026 · Active
~1 wkOpen
61
▶
Point72 Ventures

Point72 Ventures backs ambitious founders building for big outcomes across critical domains. Going deep, not wide—the firm focuses on specialized investment theses in AI, Consumer, and Defense Tech, bringing deep sector insights, partnership, and hands-on support from seed to pre-IPO.

New York
$250K – $50M205Both
Sep 2026 · Active
~2 wksReq'd
62
▶
Material Impact Fund

Material science and deep tech innovations drive outsized returns while solving urgent human problems. We back inception-stage founders turning lab breakthroughs into commercial products that make the world cleaner, more productive, and healthier.

Boston
$100K – $10M36Leads
Sep 2026 · Active
~1 moOpen
63
▶
Konvoy

Konvoy invests in thesis-driven companies building the future of interactive entertainment, critical infrastructure, and deep tech. We combine deep gaming expertise with cross-sector innovation vision to identify platforms and technologies shaping the future.

$500K – $5M25Leads
Jun 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
64
▶
8VC
#46 · Top 100 · 2026

Partner with elite founders building transformational technologies that create lasting economic and societal value. Focus on Smart Enterprise across five sectors: Logistics, Life Sciences, Healthcare, IT Infrastructure, and Government/Defense. Invest in platforms that enable human experts to solve non-linear problems through data integration and network effects.

Austin
$500K – $50M36Leads
Jul 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
65
▶
MVP Ventures
#75 · Emerging 100 · 2026

Partner with elite, early-stage teams building differentiated and defensible technology. Provide Most Value Per dollar on founders' cap tables through capital and operational support.

Menlo Park
$1M – $3M38Leads
Aug 2026 · Active
~1 moOpen
66
▶
HCVC

We back founders on a mission to industrialize scientific and technological progress. Hardtech startups solve difficult technological problems using interdisciplinary mixes of technology and engineering. We provide patient, supportive capital and community to help founders navigate R&D cycles and build technically defensible products.

Paris
$100K – $2.5M30Leads
Feb 2026 · Active
~2 moOpen
67
▶
Dorm Room Fund

Write the first check for founders still in school or just out, backing the builder before the idea or product is settled.

$90K – $500K319Both
Sep 2026 · Active
N/AN/A
68
▶
Global Brain

Broad-spectrum deep-tech and technology investor with particular conviction in AI, climate tech, and healthcare, pairing capital with hands-on operational support and open-innovation partnerships between startups and major Japanese corporations.

Tokyo
$2M – $340M40Both
Aug 2026 · Active
~1 moN/A
69
▶
K5 Global
#11 · Emerging 100 · 2026

K5 Global backs category-defining companies from inception to IPO. The firm leverages exceptional networks across media, entertainment, politics, finance, and technology to provide strategic value beyond capital. We believe the best companies are built by founders who can access world-class talent, capital, and strategic relationships.

Los Angeles
$1M – $3M42Leads
Sep 2026 · Active
~1 moOpen
70
▶
Pax Ventures

Pax Technica: The next era of American global leadership will emerge from physical-world technological superiority — reinventing defense, energy, manufacturing, aerospace, and critical infrastructure. Backs mission-driven founders tackling the hardest industrial-scale problems.

Menlo Park
$1M – $4M18Leads
~May 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
71
▶
Divergent Capital

We back deeply technical founders solving hard problems with innovative technologies. Combining capital with go-to-market expertise and structured fellowships, we partner with founders who have authentic personal connections to their problems and bring novel technological approaches to market.

New York
$250K – $1M48Leads
Jul 2026 · Active
~2 wksReq'd
72
▶
Elad Gil

Invest in market-creating companies with exceptional founders and large addressable markets. Prioritize market size and dynamics, then evaluate product-market fit through personal usage test. Focus on founder quality and execution capability over other factors.

San Francisco
$250K – $50M45Leads
Aug 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
73
▶
v1.vc

Patient, long-term capital partners to the most ambitious founders. Help founders navigate from v1 (seed) to s-1 (Series A+). We believe the best companies are built by ambitious founders who need patient capital, operational expertise, and partnership from experienced operators.

Boulder, CO
$500K – $3M28Leads
~Apr 2026 · Active
~1 moOpen
74
▶
Construct Capital

Foundational industries (manufacturing, logistics, defense, energy) have been neglected for decades. Tech founders can unlock trillions in value by applying software, AI, automation, and cloud infrastructure to transform these sectors. This is the largest venture opportunity: tripling the Industrials market cap from $3.7T to $55T by 2050.

Washington
$2M – $6M27Leads
Jun 2026 · Active
~1 moOpen
75
▶
Riceberg Ventures

We back mission-driven founders building breakthrough technologies to solve humanitys most complex, large-scale challenges. Like an iceberg, the most valuable invention is frequently invisible; we look past surface-level applications for deep, foundational innovation.

Zurich
$250K – $1M18Follows
Mar 2026 · Active
N/AN/A
76
▶
Mark VC

Mark VC takes a deeply founder-centric approach, building '360-degree behavioral maps' of founders through extensive personal reference calls. They invest across industries but focus on security & defense, healthcare, consumer, and enterprise software. They strive to be the most valuable investor on the cap table through hands-on coaching and operational support.

Austin
$500K – $5M27Both
Jun 2026 · Active
~2 moReq'd
77
▶
Andreessen Horowitz
#2 · Top 100 · 2026

Backing the builders of the next layer of computing across AI infrastructure, defense, biotech, and American dynamism. Former 'Software is Eating the World' thesis evolved to 'AI is Eating Software'. Partners with technical founders building foundation models, cloud systems, and infrastructure for the AI era.

Menlo Park
$1M – $200M53Both
Aug 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
78
▶
Kindred Ventures

Kindred backs visionary and relentless founders building the future using technology and science at the earliest stages, often helping form companies before they exist. With Kindred Ventures IV and Kindred Selector II, the firm is emphasizing the novel intelligence frontier: AGI-capable models and harnesses that extend human capabilities, new AI-native consumer and enterprise experiences, physical AI, compute, infrastructure, energy, science, outer space, and inner space.

San Francisco
$500K – $5M61Leads
Sep 2026 · Active
~2 wksReq'd
79
▶
5Y Capital

5Y Capital seeks out, supports, and inspires lonely entrepreneurs, providing support from spirit to all business operations, believing that when founders others see as crazy are trusted, the world becomes a different place.

Shanghai
$1M – $50M62Both
Sep 2026 · Active
N/AReq'd
80
▶
Trousdale Ventures

We invest in mission-driven companies that dare to tackle impossible challenges, striving to transform industries and create lasting societal impact. We seek founders with audacity to dream big, resilience to persevere, and potential to build forever companies that shape human history.

Los Angeles
$5M – $25M30Leads
Feb 2026 · Active
~1 moOpen
81
▶
Moonshots Capital

Back extraordinary leadership teams—founders exceptional at building and exiting businesses with leadership styles that military-trained partners can uniquely mentor, support, and supercharge. Particular conviction in military veteran founders (30%+ of AUM) who demonstrate proven track record, drive, mission-orientation, teamwork, strategic excellence, growth mindset, and integrity.

Austin
$1M – $10M105Leads
Jun 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
82
▶
Toyota Ventures

Toyota's early-stage venture arm backing deep tech and climate tech founders in AI, robotics, computing, aerospace, mobility, energy and carbon capture.

San Francisco
$1M – $10M96Both
Aug 2026 · Active
N/AOpen
83
▶
Red Beard Ventures

Drive mass adoption of crypto and Web3 through investments in companies with strong tokenomics and utility design. Leverage ecosystem of 3,000+ LPs and 25,000+ gaming community to provide portfolio companies instant network effects and user acquisition.

Brooklyn
$100K – $1M117Leads
Jun 2026 · Active
~2 wksReq'd
84
▶
Garage Capital

The best companies are built by founders for founders. Garage invests at the earliest stages in high-potential Canadian and YC startups, providing capital plus experienced operational advice from GPs who have built, scaled, and sold venture-backed companies. The goal is to make world-class early-stage capital accessible within Canada so founders don't need to go to Silicon Valley.

Kitchener, ON, Canada
$1M – $5M46Both
Jun 2026 · Active
~1 moOpen
85
▶
Friends & Family Capital
#14 · Emerging 100 · 2026

Generational companies need world-class finance functions and operations during critical growth phases. We back founders who recognize step-function technological change creating new market opportunities, and support them with hands-on finance, operations, and fundraising expertise from seed through IPO.

Menlo Park
$250K – $50M22Both
Jan 2026 · Active
~1 moReq'd
86
▶
Scribble Ventures

AI companies are built differently. We back the world's best AI native founders and help them reshape our world for the better. We go wide on product and deep on GTM.

San Francisco
$300K – $1.5M121Leads
~Oct 2026 · Active
~1 wkOpen
87
▶
Manta Ray

Back mission-driven founders addressing significant global challenges through leading-edge technology. Provide flexible and patient capital, leveraging our time, resources, and networks to support portfolio company success. Focus on founders with authentic social and environmental missions alongside commercial viability.

London
$250K – $3M67Both
May 2026 · Active
~1 moOpen
88
▶
Lifeline Ventures

We invest in ambitious and determined teams that can one day become industry leaders, partnering with founders from the very beginning and supporting them throughout their growth with global operating experience.

Helsinki
$100K – $3M137Both
Jul 2026 · Active
N/AOpen
89
▶
Riot Ventures
#24 · Emerging 100 · 2026

Modernize critical industries through deep technology. We are dedicated to backing ambitious, technically sophisticated founders solving hard problems in traditionally underserved sectors. We provide capital, operational guidance, board partnership, and network access—supporting companies from pre-seed through growth stages.

$500K – $100M28Leads
Sep 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
90
▶
Soma Capital

Soma invests in technical founders building innovative companies across all sectors. We believe in building deep friendships day 1 with brilliant superhumans pushing humanity forward. Our founder-first approach emphasizes non-dilutive capital, founder autonomy, and access to Fortune 500 networks for customer development.

San Francisco
$100K – $2M33Leads
May 2026 · Active
~1 wkOpen
91
▶
Balnord

We back the technological platforms of tomorrow — the picks and shovels of Europe's reindustrialisation. High-conviction early-stage investor in frontier and dual-use technology from space and healthcare to industrial resilience, rooted in the Baltic Sea Region, backing founders from pre-seed to exit and beyond.

Gdańsk, Poland
$500K – $3M45Leads
Apr 2026 · Active
N/AOpen
92
▶
Panache Ventures

Exceptional companies are built by founders with deep conviction, strong technical foundations, and the courage to tackle meaningful problems. Panache backs visionary founders from day one, providing capital alongside hands-on operational support and nationwide founder networks.

Montreal
$500K – $3M83Leads
May 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
93
▶
Silicon Roundabout

We back 'sub-0.1% of the population' type exceptional founders building fundamental, infrastructure-level technologies in critical sectors (computing, defence, energy) reshaping our world. Community-driven approach provides proprietary deal flow and deep technical credibility. Focus on first cheques in pre-seed/seed with hands-on mentorship and network access.

$150K – $8.7M29Leads
Apr 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
94
▶
Nomads

Back outlier founders with unconventional ambition and deep-rooted urgency operating outside conventional wisdom. We believe the best companies are built by rare entrepreneurs who can filter out 95% of typical VC advice and construct exceptional talent and culture.

$500K – $50M70Leads
Jun 2026 · Active
~2 wksReq'd
95
▶
Vsquared Ventures

Backs transformative deep-tech entrepreneurs pursuing technically ambitious, capital-intensive breakthroughs years before markets validate them, providing capital plus hands-on partnership to help scale.

Munich
$540K – $5.4M35Both
Feb 2026 · Active
~2 moReq'd
96
▶
Humba Ventures

We invest in hard tech and hard sectors—companies building solutions to difficult, underexplored problems that others won't. Unlocking society's potential depends on founders willing to build what others won't. We're hyper curious, drawn to difficult and underexplored areas.

San Francisco
$250K – $1M39Leads
May 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
97
▶
The Venture Collective (TVC)

Permanent balance-sheet investor backing highly defensible, category-defining, mission-driven companies solving the world's biggest problems. Focus on founders transforming legacy industries with emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

New York
$100K – $2M53Leads
Apr 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
98
▶
Cantos
#57 · Emerging 100 · 2026

We invest in people who will transform the physical world. Near frontier technology solving climate change, disease, armed conflict, poverty, and existential risks. Technical founders building capital-intensive, long-horizon companies.

San Francisco
$400K – $1.5M42Leads
Dec 2025 · Active
~1 moReq'd
99
▶
Tribe Capital

Apply AI and data science to identify and invest in N-of-1 companies with 10-100x potential. Back founders who expand individual freedom and decentralize power. Invest in companies that embody principles from the Bill of Rights (voice, fair process, proportionality, user power) and Bitcoin whitepaper (trust-minimized, verifiable, aligned incentives, open access).

Menlo Park
$500K – $5M60Leads
Mar 2026 · Active
~1 wkOpen
100
▶
Fifty Years

We back founders using technology to solve the world's biggest problems. We believe capitalism can be a force for good when companies are built to be both massively profitable AND create positive impact. The best entrepreneurs are determined, passionate, smart, creative, and can inspire thousands of talented people.

San Francisco
$250K – $2M26Leads
Apr 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
101
▶
Robinhood Ventures

Robinhood Ventures exists to open access to private markets historically reserved for institutions and wealthy individuals. Through publicly-traded closed-end funds (RVI, and RVII in registration), retail investors gain exposure to a concentrated portfolio of Frontier Companies -- private, growth- and late-stage businesses operating at the cutting edge of AI, fintech, aerospace, and enterprise software -- without accreditation or net-worth requirements.

Menlo Park
$10M – $75M28Follows
Apr 2026 · Active
N/AN/A
102
▶
General Catalyst
#17 · Top 100 · 2026

We back founders venturing beyond to build transformational companies that create positive, enduring change. Applied AI and global resilience are fundamental forces reshaping industries.

$2M – $50M51Leads
May 2026 · Active
N/AN/A
103
▶
Draper Associates

Invest in bold, visionary founders building transformational businesses long before the world believes in them. We back founders solving impossible-seeming problems across frontier sectors: AI/robotics, crypto, biotech, aerospace, and unconventional ideas.

San Mateo, CA
$500K – $30M31Leads
Apr 2026 · Active
~1 wkOpen
104
▶
Long Journey Ventures
#35 · Emerging 100 · 2026

We are second believers in the magically weird. We back founders at concept stage who are building unconventional solutions with bold personalities that challenge the status quo. We provide capital, community, and genuine support—acting as a bubbe to our founders.

San Francisco
$500K – $2M68Leads
Apr 2026 · Active
~1 moOpen
105
▶
Abstract Ventures
#28 · Emerging 100 · 2026

Backing transformative founders building exceptional companies across all sectors

San Francisco
$100K – $1M276Both
Jun 2026 · Active
N/AN/A
106
▶
Entrepreneur First

It matters not only which companies get started, but who starts them. EF identifies exceptional individual talent before a company, co-founder, or idea exists, and builds the company from Day Zero through cohort-based co-founder matching, an equity-free grant phase, and up to $250K in formation capital (via SAFE) once a team passes its Investment Committee.

London
$250K – $5M78Leads
May 2026 · Active
N/AOpen
107
▶
Rosecliff Ventures
#78 · Emerging 100 · 2026

Rosecliff's Frontier Technology Thesis focuses on AI, aerospace, defense, energy resilience, and space infrastructure.

New York
$500K – $10M107Both
Mar 2026 · Active
~2 moOpen
108
▶
Shrug Capital

Identifying culturally resonant, consumer-focused companies with differentiated products and founder teams that will capture global attention. We invest across technology, consumer behavior, entertainment, and culture—seeking to spot emerging trends before they reach mainstream awareness. We operate as a partnership combining rigorous deal selection with exceptional founder support, creative marketing, and deep understanding of consumer psychology.

San Francisco
$500K – $2M127Both
May 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
109
▶
Aera VC

Investing in breakthrough deep technologies that address humanity's greatest challenges. We allocate ~80% to climate solutions (carbon-negative materials, renewable energy, climate adaptation) and ~20% to frontier tech (aerospace, robotics, advanced materials, biotech). We operate as a venture-and-philanthropy platform backed by the Fukutake family, blending profit-seeking with impact objectives.

Singapore
$500K – $20M33Leads
Jan 2026 · Active
~1 moOpen
110
▶
Pathbreaker Ventures

Pathbreaker invests in specialized engineering and product leaders solving critical global problems through emerging technologies (hardware and software). The fund believes AI, robotics, and computer vision will transform traditional industries over the coming decades. Pathbreaker focuses on companies tackling $100B+ problems at inception and pre-seed stages.

San Francisco
$250K – $2M54Leads
Apr 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
111
▶
NP-Hard Ventures

Europe must own and build its own technological infrastructure. We back product-obsessed technical founders solving the hardest foundational problems in robotics, deep tech, computational infrastructure, and defense. Technological innovation is essential to European sovereignty, prosperity, and resilience.

$250K – $550K34Both
Mar 2026 · Active
~2 wksReq'd
112
▶
Wave Function Ventures

Deep tech hardware companies in aerospace, defense, energy, robotics, and industrial manufacturing represent the next generation of durable, high-return ventures. The fund backs founders at the earliest stage — sometimes pre-incorporation — who are building hardware solutions to the world's most important problems, leveraging government contracts and non-dilutive funding alongside venture capital.

Los Angeles
$150K – $750K12Leads
Oct 2025 · Active
~1 moOpen
113
▶
Inertia Ventures

Inertia invests in AI-native companies built to become core infrastructure for legacy industries, especially platforms operating in regulated, context-heavy, and physical-world workflows where durable data, compliance, audit trails, or embodied operations create compounding advantages.

New York
$2M – $15M74Leads
Oct 2025 · Active
~2 wksReq'd
114
▶
Buckley Ventures

Concentrated, conviction-driven investments in exceptional founders solving significant problems at scale. Focus on enterprise software, infrastructure, and frontier technology. Belief in founder-market fit, technical excellence, and builders of category-defining companies.

San Francisco
$2M – $32M28Leads
Feb 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
115
▶
Partners Resolute

Invest in people and products that leverage technological breakthroughs or superior user experience to radically change the status quo. Focus on structurally sound, strategically defensible business models that create and capture new markets. True partnership approach: value-add extends beyond capital to include strategic guidance, operational expertise, and network introductions.

$250K – $8M57Leads
Jan 2026 · Active
~2 wksOpen
116
▶
Vibe Capital

Investing in the picks and shovels of volatility caused by convergent forces (AI, Web3, Deep Science) intersecting with demographic shifts and climate change. We seek to create venture-scale returns by backing bold founders building more equitable, beneficial, transparent, and accessible structures.

New York
$250K – $500K26Both
Dec 2025 · Active
~2 moOpen
117
▶
Spacecadet Ventures

Founders building the possibly impossible deserve capital plus marketing support. Great technology combined with exceptional storytelling and narrative development creates world-changing moonshots. We provide both the capital and the story-telling expertise to help founders achieve escape velocity.

New York
$250K – $1M99Leads
Dec 2025 · Active
~2 wksOpen
118
▶
Yes VC

We invest in category-defining companies at Pre-Seed and Seed stages founded by entrepreneurs with authentic passion. Focus on founders working in climate, food, healthcare, AI automation, and frontier technologies. Philosophy: when the world says No, go toward the Yes as hard as you can.

$30K – $1.5M46Both
Dec 2025 · Active
~2 wksOpen
119
▶
Gula Tech Adventures

Gula Tech Adventures invests in startups solving critical cybersecurity and national security problems, with a focus on founders who combine deep technical expertise, business acumen, and mission alignment. Rather than a traditional VC, Gula Tech operates as a self-funded, impact-focused family office enabling long-term patient capital. The firm evaluates opportunities equally on three dimensions: the problem being solved, deal fundamentals, and team quality. Ron and Cyndi's success building Tenable enables hands-on mentorship, technical due diligence, and access to government and critical infrastructure networks.

Ellicott City, Maryland
$100K – $10M34Both
Nov 2025 · Active
~2 wksReq'd
120
▶
Space.VC

Exceptional entrepreneurs building critical national security, space, and industrial infrastructure at day zero deserve capital and strategic support from founders who've scaled before. We provide capital, industry network introductions, capital connections to Series A leads, and ecosystem access.

Austin
$100K – $1M10Leads
Jul 2025 · Active
~1 wkReq'd
121
▶
Outlander VC

Category-agnostic, radically founder-first investor using the 38-point Outlander Founder Framework (vision, intelligence, character, execution) to back 'oddball, unknown, under-networked, underrepresented' founders at Day Zero before product or revenue exists. Current thesis excitement: Defense Tech, Physical AI/Robotics, and Future of Commerce + Work.

New York
$500K – $2M34Leads
Oct 2025 · Active
~2 wksOpen
122
▶
DiamondStream Partners

Identify rough-diamond mobility and aerospace businesses with solid prospects in existing markets and upside from new technology trends, and help them become fully cut gems.

Seattle
$10M – $50M9Leads
May 2024
N/AReq'd
123
▶
Calm Ventures
#79 · Emerging 100 · 2026

Help builders create disruptive companies by pairing capital with a 6,000+ member network of value-add founders, operators, and specialists who accelerate time-to-market and amplify global impact.

Los Angeles
$1.5M – $25M35Follows
Jan 2025 · Slowing
~1 moOpen
124
▶
Trucks Venture Capital

Trucks funds entrepreneurs building the future of transportation across three mandates: decarbonized, safer, and more accessible. They back seed/pre-seed companies across autonomous vehicles, EVs, aviation, micromobility, aerospace, maritime, and logistics — any transportation sector at the frontier.

San Francisco
$500K – $2M63Leads
Mar 2021 · Active
~1 moN/A
125
▶
Batshit Crazy Ventures

Support unconventional, bold founder-led companies solving real problems at the earliest stages. We provide capital, operational mentorship, and resources to pre-revenue and pre-seed startups that traditional investors overlook.

Boulder, Colorado
$100K – $1M23Both
Jun 2021 · Between
~2 wksReq'd
126
▶
Batch Ventures

Specialized, community-driven funds indexed into proven networks (Y Combinator, CTOs and VPs of Engineering) to deliver diversification, domain expertise and direct founder impact.

San Francisco
$100K – $200K135N/A—N/AN/A

Investment Patterns

Check Size Distribution

<$500K
9 (7%)
$500K-$1M
15 (12%)
$1M-$2M
26 (21%)
$2M-$5M
28 (22%)
$5M-$10M
16 (13%)
$10M+
32 (25%)

Stage Coverage

What other stages do these firms also invest in?

Pre-Seed
77%
Seed
97%
Series A
74%
Series B
26%
Growth
16%
series_c
9%

Sector Overlap

What other sectors do these firms also invest in?

Aerospace Defense
94%
Robotics Automation
75%
Developer Tools Infra
68%
Climate Clean Energy
65%
Semiconductors Hardware
54%
Healthcare Digital
53%
Biotech Life Sciences
52%
Enterprise Software
52%

Frequently Asked Questions

Q

How many Aerospace & Defense investors does F4 track in 2026?

F4 Fund tracks 126 VC firms that actively invest in aerospace & defense. Ranked by sector depth: the share of each firm's classified portfolio in this sector, its absolute count of investments here, and how recently it last invested. Firms need at least three portfolio companies in the sector to appear.

Q

What is the typical check size for aerospace & defense investors?

Based on F4's analysis, the median check size for aerospace & defense investors is $2.8M, with a full range from $10K – $340M. The distribution breaks down as: 9 firms in the <$500K range, 15 firms in the $500K-$1M range, 26 firms in the $1M-$2M range, 28 firms in the $2M-$5M range, 16 firms in the $5M-$10M range, 32 firms in the $10M+ range.

Q

Do aerospace & defense investors lead rounds?

Among the 126 firms tracked, 91% lead or co-lead rounds, and 8% typically follow. Founders seeking a lead investor should filter for firms marked "Leads" or "Both" in the rankings table above. Lead investors typically set deal terms and anchor the round.

Q

What should I look for in a aerospace & defense investor?

The best aerospace & defense investors combine domain expertise with an active portfolio in the space. Among these firms, 30% prefer warm introductions, and the average firm has 51 portfolio companies. Look for firms whose check size matches your raise, whose stage preference aligns with yours, and who have a track record of supporting companies in your sector through multiple growth phases.

Q

How often is this aerospace & defense investor data updated?

Firm profiles are continuously updated through F4's research pipeline, which combines LLM-powered web research, portfolio analysis, and transcript extraction. The ranking data refreshes every 12 hours. Editorial analysis is reviewed weekly. Individual firm profiles are re-researched on a 30-day cycle or when new information surfaces.

Related Investor Categories

Investors on this page also frequently invest in these sectors

Robotics & Automation75%›
Developer Tools & Infrastructure68%›
Climate & Sustainability65%›
Semiconductors & Hardware54%›
Healthcare & Digital Health53%›
Biotech & Life Sciences52%›