F4 Champions · Season 1
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Join the open accelerator where your standing changes with what you ship. Enrollment closes August 2.
F4 Champions · Season 1
You're researching investors. We want to see what you're building.
Join the open accelerator where your standing changes with what you ship. Enrollment closes August 2.
35 VC firms investing in aerospace & defense at the Growth stage.
F4 Fund tracks 35 VC firms that actively invest in aerospace & defense at the Growth stage, with check sizes ranging from $200K – $500M (median: $25.1M – $25.1M). As of July 2026, and 89% lead or co-lead rounds. Rankings are based on F4's proprietary analysis of 1,521+ researched VC firms, scored by data completeness, portfolio depth, investment recency, and stage alignment.
| # | Firm | Check Size | Portfolio | Leads? | Activity | Decision | Intro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ▶ 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 – $50M | 204 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 2 | ▶ Initialized Capital 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 – $2M | 185 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 3 | ▶ Digital Transformation Capital Partners DTCP is a multi-strategy sector specialist with €4.5bn AUM across digital infrastructure (data centers, mobile towers, fiber networks), enterprise SaaS (Series B+, $3M-$100M ARR, $5M-$50M checks), and European defence/dual-use technology. Founded in 2015 from Deutsche Telekom's M&A office; anchor LPs include Deutsche Telekom and SoftBank. Uses proprietary Flightpath data model (40+ SaaS KPIs) for Growth investments. Hamburg | $5M – $50M | 40 | Leads | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 4 | ▶ 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 – $50M | 39 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 5 | ▶ 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 – $150M | 56 | Both | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 6 | ▶ Lightspeed Venture Partners We partner with bold builders of category-defining companies from Seed to Series F and beyond. Depth of commitment, depth of relationships, and depth of belief distinguish us. Complete immersion, authentic partnership, and unwavering conviction through market cycles. | $1M – $300M | 51 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 7 | ▶ Founders Fund 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 – $50M | 33 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 8 | ▶ Red Swan Ventures Thematic-driven investor backing ambitious founders building for big outcomes across critical domains. Core conviction: defensible businesses create competitive advantages by transforming data challenges and market opportunities into sustainable value. We Go Deep, Not Wide. Focus on AI (defensible AI turns data challenges into advantages), Consumer (vision and strategy to break through attention economy), and Defense Tech (modern solutions for global stability). Active operational partnership beyond capital provision. | $250K – $100M | 65 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 9 | ▶ 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 – $25M | 30 | Both | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
| 10 | ▶ 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 – $50M | 75 | Both | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 11 | ▶ 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 – $8M | 57 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 12 | ▶ General Catalyst 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 – $50M | 38 | Leads | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 13 | ▶ Centre Street Partners Partner with technical operators and SMB owners to execute technology-led middle-market buyouts. Capture outsized economic value from AI at the ownership layer of services providers rather than pure-play tech. New York | $5M – $50M | 24 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Req'd |
| 14 | ▶ Robostrategy Embodied artificial intelligence and robotics represent the most significant technological frontier and capital deployment opportunity. We invest in companies advancing humanoid robotics, general-purpose physical intelligence, medical robotics, industrial automation, and defense/autonomous systems. The future of intelligence is in motion. San Juan | $1M – $150M | 13 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Req'd |
| 15 | ▶ Upfront Ventures Early investors and long-term partners. We back exceptional founders solving real problems across sectors. When you hit a bump in the road, we're there solving problems alongside you with operational expertise and network leverage. | $1M – $15M | 46 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 16 | ▶ Intel Capital Scalable, defensible innovation at the intersection of software, hardware, and intelligence. Champion founders driving the next wave of technological innovation across Cloud, Devices, Frontier, and Silicon domains. Breakthrough technologies emerge from convergence of multiple domains. Santa Clara, California | $1M – $50M | 31 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 17 | ▶ Tesi Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) is a state-owned investment company that helps Finland's most promising companies grow bigger. Tesi invests on market terms as a minority co-investor alongside private capital in Finnish startups, scale-ups, and industrial projects, as well as in VC and PE funds. Its mandate is both financial returns and economic impact — driving growth, jobs, and renewal in the Finnish economy. Helsinki | $1M – $30M | 31 | Follows | Active | 3+ mo | Open |
| 18 | ▶ Sands Capital Long-term, concentrated investment in high-quality innovative growth businesses across public equity, venture capital, and growth equity. Applies six investment criteria universally: sustainable above-average earnings growth, leadership in a promising business space, significant competitive advantages, clear mission, financial strength, and rational valuation. Integrates public and private market insights for superior sourcing and diligence. Arlington, VA | $10M – $150M | 40 | Leads | Active | ~2 mo | Req'd |
| 19 | ▶ Smash Capital World-class founders building generational brands in enterprise software, consumer internet, fintech, and AI. We offer unparalleled brand-building and media expertise drawn from decades operating multi-billion-dollar global franchises at Disney and beyond. Los Angeles | $10M – $100M | 34 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 20 | ▶ 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 – $5M | 58 | Follows | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 21 | ▶ K5 Global 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 – $3M | 34 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 22 | ▶ Caffeinated Capital 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 – $5M | 18 | Leads | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 23 | ▶ SpeedInvest Backs globally ambitious technology companies from pre-seed and seed through selected growth rounds using specialist EMEA sector teams and a platform model for capital, customers, talent, follow-on investors, and operational support. Vienna | $250K – $30M | 49 | Leads | Active | N/A | Open |
| 24 | ▶ IVP We supercharge growth in breakout companies, converting momentum into market dominance. We invest exclusively at Series B and beyond in companies that have achieved product-market fit and are ready to scale from millions to hundreds of millions in revenue. San Francisco | $1M – $25M | 31 | Leads | Active | ~2 mo | Req'd |
| 25 | ▶ Battery Ventures Battery Ventures operates as a stage-agnostic firm backing technology-driven category leaders across all growth stages from seed to buyout. The firm believes the best tech investments span the entire founder journey, and they practice collaborative, research-focused investing with embedded operational support through their Portfolio Services platform. They seek technical founders with deep domain expertise and experienced operators building in four core sectors: Application Software, Infrastructure Software, Consumer, and Industrial Tech + Life Science Tools. Boston | $1M – $500M | 23 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 26 | ▶ Redalpine Redalpine backs companies at the convergence of software and science — where rigorous engineering meets scientific breakthroughs. Half the team are scientists, half are operators, enabling them to engage deeply with highly technical founders and support them hands-on from day one through to exit. Primary focus areas: frontier science and biotech, digital health, AI and automation, fintech, synthetic biology, and climate tech. Zug | $500K – $5M | 40 | Leads | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 27 | ▶ Banner VC Accelerating the GDP of America by investing in early-stage private companies revolutionizing critical industries — aerospace, AI infrastructure, hardware, autonomous robotics, and healthcare. Banner VC backs American industrial reindustrialization with founders building foundational infrastructure for the economy. Austin | $5M – $50M | 6 | Leads | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 28 | ▶ Riot Ventures 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 – $100M | 26 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 29 | ▶ Rosecliff Ventures Rosecliff's Frontier Technology Thesis focuses on AI, aerospace, defense, energy resilience, and space infrastructure. New York | $500K – $10M | 23 | Both | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
| 30 | ▶ CDP Venture Capital CDP Venture Capital is a national venture platform that combines direct investing, fund-of-funds activity, accelerators, and technology transfer to strengthen Italy's innovation economy in strategic sectors. Rome | $250K – $10M | 14 | Both | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 31 | ▶ Tiger Global Management Leading global companies that leverage technological innovation across public and private markets. Proven founders (especially ex-Googlers, AWS, Stripe) with large TAMs (billions+), product-led growth, and global ambitions. Conviction-based investing post-2022 correction emphasizing quality over quantity. New York | $1M – $100M | 21 | Leads | Active | ~1 wk | Req'd |
| 32 | ▶ Bessemer Venture Partners We partner with entrepreneurs from their early days through every stage of growth, focusing on innovative solutions in technology, healthcare, and financial services. Redwood City, California | $5.8M – $34.3M | 6 | N/A | 2mo | N/A | N/A |
| 33 | ▶ Gaingels Equity of access and representation in venture capital delivers positive returns. Diverse and underrepresented (including LGBTQ+) leaders of high-growth companies deserve capital access. When these founders succeed, they influence ecosystems and open doors for historically excluded groups. New York | $200K – $500K | 29 | Follows | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 34 | ▶ Evolution Venture Capital Partners Culture-Tech companies that disrupt and define how we live, work, play, and interact with the world every day. We invest in passionate founders building transformative products that change cultural behaviors. New York | $500K – $6M | 28 | Leads | Active | ~1 wk | Open |
| 35 | ▶ British Business Bank As the UK's state-owned economic development bank, British Business Bank exists to improve smaller and scaling businesses' access to finance and to support the transition to net zero, deploying public capital as a fund-of-funds, co-investor, and direct equity investor to fill gaps the private market leaves unfilled. Sheffield, UK | $12.5M – $50M | 7 | Both | Active | N/A | N/A |
Investors on this page also frequently invest in these sectors
What other stages do these firms also invest in?
What other sectors do these firms also invest in?
F4 Fund tracks 35 VC firms that actively invest in aerospace & defense at the Growth stage. These firms are ranked using a composite score that weighs data completeness (30%), portfolio depth (30%), investment recency (25%), and stage alignment (15%).
Based on F4's analysis, the median check size for growth aerospace & defense investors is $25.1M – $25.1M, with a full range from $200K – $500M. The distribution breaks down as: 1 firms in the <$500K range, 1 firms in the $1M-$2M range, 6 firms in the $2M-$5M range, 3 firms in the $5M-$10M range, 24 firms in the $10M+ range.
Among the 35 firms tracked, 89% lead or co-lead rounds, and 9% 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.
The best growth aerospace & defense investors combine domain expertise with an active portfolio in the space. Among these firms, 32% prefer warm introductions, and the average firm has 43 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.
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.