28 VC firms investing in aerospace & defense and manufacturing & industrial at the Series A stage.
F4 Fund tracks 28 VC firms that actively invest in aerospace & defense + manufacturing & industrial at the Series A stage, with check sizes ranging from $10K – $500M (median: $5.3M – $5.3M). As of June 2026, and 86% lead or co-lead rounds. Rankings are based on F4's proprietary analysis of 1,358+ researched VC firms, scored by data completeness, portfolio depth, investment recency, and stage alignment.
| # | Firm | Check Size | Portfolio | Leads? | Activity | Decision | Intro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ▶ 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 |
| 2 | ▶ Link Ventures We invest in early-stage AI-driven startups founded by top technical talent from MIT, Harvard, and Boston ecosystem. We believe transformative AI innovation is emerging from university-affiliated founders backed by comprehensive operational support, mentorship, and access to world-class networks. Cambridge | $1M – $8M | 76 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 3 | ▶ 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 – $5M | 23 | Follows | Active | ~1 mo | Req'd |
| 4 | ▶ R7 Partners 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. Chicago | $100K – $5M | 35 | Leads | Active | ~2 mo | Req'd |
| 5 | ▶ 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 |
| 6 | ▶ Prelude Ventures Climate is the biggest challenge of our lifetime and the greatest business opportunity of the coming decades. We back visionaries accelerating climate innovation that will reshape our global economy for the betterment of people and planet. The most successful companies are born from a vision for a better future and the ability of that vision to create large, lasting positive impact. We invest in frontier technologies addressing climate across seven sectors: Built Environment, Carbon Management, Compute, Energy, Food & Agriculture, Manufacturing & Industrials, and Mobility. The best ideas come from everywhere—we operate where many venture firms can't or won't. San Francisco | $100K – $5M | 51 | Both | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
| 7 | ▶ 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 – $500K | 18 | Follows | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 8 | ▶ Contrary Identify and invest in the world's top talent before they start a company. Build lifelong relationships through a proprietary university scout network at Stanford, MIT, Harvard, and other elite universities. Back exceptional founders within 1-3 years of graduation before they are widely recognized. San Francisco | $100K – $15M | 55 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 9 | ▶ Origin Ventures Origin Ventures invests in bold founders leading humanity into the fifth economic era—the Artificial Intelligence Economy. AI is fundamentally transforming how we live, work, and play through infrastructure, software, applications, and services that drive productivity and enable autonomous systems. The firm is an early believer in extraordinary people with deep domain expertise who challenge norms and redefine economies. Chicago | $1M – $8M | 55 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 10 | ▶ Bolt Bolt invests at the intersection of digital and physical. They believe the best hardware companies combine deep manufacturing expertise with software innovation. They operate a million-dollar prototyping shop and employ hardware engineers on staff to be true product partners with founders. Boston | $100K – $5M | 15 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 11 | ▶ Footprint Coalition Global environmental challenges cannot be solved by established mega-corporations alone, but rather require breakthrough innovation from a diverse set of new companies. We combine venture capital with integrated storytelling and media to create culture-defining content around climate solutions and sustainable technology adoption. Los Angeles | $250K – $15M | 32 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Req'd |
| 12 | ▶ 8VC 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 – $50M | 30 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 13 | ▶ XYZ Venture Capital 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 – $5M | 27 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 14 | ▶ Prime Movers Lab 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 – $30M | 18 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Req'd |
| 15 | ▶ 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 – $6M | 24 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 16 | ▶ Crosscut Ventures Partner with visionary founders building category-defining frontier technologies that address humanity's most pressing problems. We invest in deep tech, hardware, and climate solutions emerging from technical communities like SpaceX, focusing on founders with big ambitions, not incremental ideas. Los Angeles | $500K – $10M | 24 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Req'd |
| 17 | ▶ Blackhorn Ventures Industry 4.0 thesis: transformation and decarbonization of industrial economy requires unprecedented digital infrastructure. Convergence of AI and industrial policy creates opportunity to digitize/decarbonize physical asset base while improving resource efficiency and national security. Boulder, Colorado | $500K – $15M | 17 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 18 | ▶ Khosla Ventures Technology-based economic disruption of large markets through black swan investments. We seek founders with domain expertise and unreasonable conviction to build billion-dollar companies solving the world's largest problems. Menlo Park | $500K – $50M | 38 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 19 | ▶ 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 | 25 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 20 | ▶ 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 |
| 21 | ▶ Decisive Point 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 – $10M | 21 | Leads | Active | ~2 mo | Req'd |
| 22 | ▶ Skyview Capital Unlock value from overlooked corporate assets through operational excellence and strategic management. Partner with outstanding management teams to transform divisions into standalone, high-growth companies. Los Angeles | $100K – $75M | 11 | Leads | Active | ~1 wk | Open |
| 23 | ▶ Commonweal Ventures Entrepreneurs who work constructively with government to harness its unique strengths—scale, credibility, regulatory power, data, and funding—enjoy asymmetric advantages. 24% of venture-backed unicorns used government support. We partner with founders to unlock government as a growth lever. New York | $500K – $2M | 26 | Both | Active | ~1 mo | Req'd |
| 24 | ▶ Creative Destruction Lab The primary constraint for seed-stage, science-based entrepreneurs is access to experienced business judgment. CDL provides objective-based mentoring from accomplished entrepreneurs, angels, and scientists to help founders prioritize tasks and de-risk their businesses. Toronto | $50K – $250K | 20 | — | 1mo | ~2 wks | Open |
| 25 | ▶ Deep33 Backs frontier deep tech companies solving physical infrastructure bottlenecks of the AI supercycle, especially compute, energy, quantum, AI infrastructure, robotics, and autonomous manufacturing across the U.S.-Israel corridor. New York | $5M – $15M | 9 | Both | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 26 | ▶ Gigafund Back the world's most ambitious and transformative entrepreneurs capable of building world-defining companies over 20+ years. Invest in founders with independent thought and first-principles vision to solve humanity's biggest problems across all sectors and geographies. Austin | $1M – $500M | 18 | Leads | Active | 3+ mo | Open |
| 27 | ▶ Strider Capital The next generation of transformative technologies will emerge from entrepreneurs building solutions for national defense, security, and critical infrastructure protection. We invest at the intersection of technology and geopolitical imperatives. Washington | $250K – $2M | 1 | Leads | Active | 3+ mo | Req'd |
| 28 | ▶ Levante Capital Invest in the most promising Southern European (primarily Italian) deep-technology companies across Advanced Manufacturing, Life Science, and Energy & Environment, and actively support their expansion into Asian markets (China, South Korea, Japan, South-East Asia). The fund uses a proprietary evaluation framework and a 'pull model' — companies must demonstrate genuine Asian market interest before investment. Milan, Italy | $500K – $3M | 8 | — | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
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 28 VC firms that actively invest in aerospace & defense + manufacturing & industrial at the Series A 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 series a aerospace & defense + manufacturing & industrial investors is $5.3M – $5.3M, with a full range from $10K – $500M. The distribution breaks down as: 2 firms in the <$500K range, 4 firms in the $1M-$2M range, 8 firms in the $2M-$5M range, 5 firms in the $5M-$10M range, 9 firms in the $10M+ range.
Among the 28 firms tracked, 86% lead or co-lead rounds, and 7% 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 series a aerospace & defense + manufacturing & industrial investors combine domain expertise with an active portfolio in the space. Among these firms, 43% prefer warm introductions, and the average firm has 33 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.