119 VC firms investing in robotics & automation at the Pre-Seed stage.
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 Fund tracks 119 VC firms that actively invest in robotics & automation at the Pre-Seed stage, with check sizes ranging from $10K – $300M (median: $1.9M). As of September 2026, 91% of these firms lead or co-lead rounds. Rankings are based on F4's proprietary analysis of 2,019+ researched VC firms. Ranked by how much of each firm's portfolio is actually in this sector, and how recently it invested.
| # | Firm | Check Size | Portfolio | Leads? | Activity | Decision | Intro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ▶ Cybernetix Ventures Robotics represents a distinct, nuanced asset class requiring specialized operational insight. Physical AI breakthroughs are making once-theoretical use cases commercially viable. Investors need deep sector expertise to manage associated risks and unlock real value. Robotics is fundamentally different from software venture investing. Boston | $500K – $18M | 19 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 2 | ▶ 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 – $250K | 37 | Follows | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 3 | ▶ Linear Capital Frontier Tech fund focusing on startups that apply advanced technologies to solve Real Problems. Three core verticals: AI Software & Applications, AI Hardware & Embodied Intelligence, and AI for Science & Manufacturing. 'See them as ourselves' — we succeed when our founders succeed. Shanghai | $1M – $10M | 71 | Leads | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 4 | ▶ Grep Ventures RaaS is the new SaaS. Grep VC invests in early-stage Robotics as a Service companies building robots that perform narrow skills applied to giant markets. Robots must be built primarily from reliable, inexpensive commodity hardware — not breakthrough proprietary technology. Enterprise subscription model required. San Mateo, CA | $250K – $2M | 11 | Both | Active | N/A | Req'd |
| 5 | ▶ Prototype Europe can and should be the best place to live and innovate worldwide. With dense industrial supply chains and manufacturing expertise, Europe is positioned to lead in robotics and frontier tech. We invest in technical founders building obsessively on real problems with 10-15 investments per year at €200k-€400k checks. Germany | $200K – $400K | 17 | Leads | Active | ~1 wk | Open |
| 6 | ▶ Matrix Partners China Entrepreneurs first: back founders at the earliest institutional stage and provide heavy post-investment operational support (an 80-person platform team) across strategy, HR, PR, and business development. Currently concentrated on hard/frontier tech (embodied AI, humanoid robotics, semiconductors), industrial digitalization, healthcare, and new consumer categories in China. Beijing | $100K – $15M | 14 | Leads | Active | N/A | Req'd |
| 7 | ▶ Kakao Ventures Kakao Ventures finds the 'one reason' a startup will succeed — the single differentiating capability that makes a mission inevitable — and provides capital and co-pilot support to help that potential bloom. They focus on mission-driven founders in deep tech, ICT services, digital healthcare, and gaming at seed and pre-Series A stages. Seongnam (Pangyo), South Korea | $150K – $1.5M | 32 | Leads | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
| 8 | ▶ 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 | 36 | Leads | Active | ~2 mo | Req'd |
| 9 | ▶ GL Ventures Back disruptive technology innovation early and support it with a deep value-creation team through supply chain, talent, ESG, and follow-on financing help, applying Hillhouse's long-term fundamentals-driven research process to early-stage investing. Beijing | $2M – $50M | 26 | Both | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 10 | ▶ Calibrate Ventures Global industry is undergoing its most profound technology transformation in over a century. Calibrate backs visionary founders scaling proven deep tech — AI, computer vision, robotics, automation — to transform major sectors including manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, agriculture, and enterprise services. They invest in companies generating early recurring revenues and ready to scale, seeking market-ready deep tech with large-scale applicability. Pasadena, CA | $500K – $7M | 28 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 11 | ▶ 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 – $20M | 78 | Both | Active | N/A | Open |
| 12 | ▶ Hongtai Fund (Aplus Capital) Serve industry, contribute to society, repay the nation through professional capability. Act as an industry integrator and innovation driver across advanced manufacturing, IT, new materials/new energy, life sciences, and tech-driven consumption, pairing capital with operational and industrial-resource support. Beijing | $1M – $30M | 40 | Both | Active | N/A | Req'd |
| 13 | ▶ Momenta Ventures Momenta backs software-defined industrial technologies that move industry from automation to autonomy, investing at the boundary where the physical world becomes digital across Physical AI, IIoT, edge intelligence, and secure compute. They partner long-term with founders and operators, using a network of corporate partners to help portfolio companies move from pilot to production. Meggen, Switzerland | $500K – $3M | 30 | Leads | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 14 | ▶ 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 – $5M | 45 | Both | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 15 | ▶ 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 – $5M | 32 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 16 | ▶ 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 – $10M | 22 | Leads | Active | ~2 mo | Req'd |
| 17 | ▶ Radius Capital Next-generation aerospace will be powered by software, AI, and robotics - not new aircraft. We invest in enabling technologies that unlock aerospace innovation: software, design tools, AI systems, robotics, advanced manufacturing, and novel concepts for autonomous operations. San Francisco | $100K – $1M | 13 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Req'd |
| 18 | ▶ Maniv Mobility Investing in the decarbonization and digitization of transportation, mobility, and energy — backing founders building across EVs, clean energy, autonomous vehicles, fleet software, vehicle cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, and mobility marketplaces. Tel Aviv | $1M – $3M | 36 | Leads | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 19 | ▶ Founders, Inc. Founders need more than just capital—they need belief, community, and infrastructure to build great companies. We're the first believers in bold ideas at the earliest stages, providing campus access, daily support, and a community of exceptional builders. | $100K – $250K | 53 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 20 | ▶ 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 – $300K | 9 | Follows | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 21 | ▶ Main Sequence Main Sequence backs deep tech founders solving humanity-scale problems, especially companies connected to publicly funded research and spinouts that can turn breakthrough science into global businesses. Eveleigh, NSW, Australia | $250K – $500K | 14 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | N/A |
| 22 | ▶ 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 – $10M | 34 | Both | Active | ~1 wk | Open |
| 23 | ▶ 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 – $1M | 39 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 24 | ▶ earthling.vc We're entering the augmentative era—a paradigm shift where digital technology feels more human by dissolving barriers between real and digital worlds. AI and AR/VR hit critical inflection points in 2023. We back extraordinary technical teams building market-viable solutions in gaming, consumer, and infrastructure. | $100K – $1M | 35 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 25 | ▶ Vitalbridge Capital Removing noise to see the signal: thematic, top-down research into structural demographic, technological, and policy shifts (Mega Trends), paired with founders who have true vitality. Signal Strength = Mega Trend x Founder Vitality. Shanghai | $2M – $20M | 24 | Leads | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 26 | ▶ Bluehill Capital Trust Frontier-tech venture capital backing technical founders building hard-to-replicate engineering and science breakthroughs across defense & aerospace, space, energy, semiconductors, manufacturing/IoT/robotics, advanced materials, water & agriculture, and biotech. Conviction over consensus, substance over story. Bengaluru, India | $1M – $2M | 12 | Leads | Active | N/A | Open |
| 27 | ▶ Baidu Ventures Back deep tech companies enabling AI at the infrastructure layer (chips, hardware, algorithms) and AI-powered applications previously impossible without AI — with a current focus on GenAI, embodied intelligence, autonomous driving, and healthcare AI. Leverage Baidu's unique resources: engineering talent, data annotation infrastructure, and ecosystem customer relationships. Beijing | $500K – $10M | 23 | Both | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 28 | ▶ Rethink Ventures Rethink Ventures backs founders driving the digital, automated, and sustainable transformation of transportation - vehicle technologies, mobility, logistics, and energy - pairing capital with direct access to an automotive and logistics corporate network. Munich | $528K – $5.3M | 23 | Both | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 29 | ▶ Sony We invest in technology-driven transformational companies shaping the future of business, entertainment and society. We foster Sony's future businesses through strategic early-stage venture investments, seeking technologies with potential to transform industries while building synergies with Sony Group business units. | $2M – $20M | 203 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 30 | ▶ Nebular The founder is the wedge—category comes after. We invest at the event horizon, in what's very early and unexpected. Uncommon people, ideas, and technologies where new markets and movements are on the brink of inevitable. We move fast, write lead checks, and stay out of founders' way. New York | $250K – $2M | 38 | Leads | Active | ~1 wk | Open |
| 31 | ▶ Cloudberry Ventures Backs teams with defensible technical moats (data-driven software and/or patented hardware) that serve as building blocks of societal and economic infrastructure, focused on compute, industrial/energy transformation, and financial infrastructure in mission-critical, regulated markets. London | $1M – $2.2M | 14 | Both | Active | N/A | Open |
| 32 | ▶ 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 – $3M | 30 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 33 | ▶ 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 – $20M | 38 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 34 | ▶ Drive Capital World-class technology companies can be built anywhere. Greatness is in our backyard. We invest in market-defining companies across the Driveway region (Hudson River to Rocky Mountains), partnering with founders from idea to IPO. Build where your talent is. Build where your customers are. Build where you're strongest. Columbus | $500K – $150M | 35 | Leads | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
| 35 | ▶ 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 | 203 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 36 | ▶ Chalmers Ventures Chalmers Ventures transforms breakthrough Chalmers University research into successful, impact-driven global companies, blending venture creation with venture investing under one roof. Gothenburg, Sweden | $100K – $2.4M | 128 | Both | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
| 37 | ▶ HAX Hard tech breakthroughs in the physical world will solve humanity's biggest challenges in climate, industrial automation, and human health. Founders with deep scientific expertise and engineering mindset can move at unparalleled speed when given access to fabrication infrastructure, global manufacturing partnerships, and hands-on mentorship. San Francisco | $550K | 21 | Leads | Active | ~1 wk | Open |
| 38 | ▶ IQ Capital Frontier technology will underpin the next generation of globally significant companies. We back IP-rich, deep tech founders advancing intelligence, reinventing energy, accelerating computation, decoding biology, and building resilience — categories where traditional venture playbooks don't apply. Cambridge | $500K – $40M | 75 | Both | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 39 | ▶ 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 – $25M | 25 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 40 | ▶ Vitosha Ventures The next wave of category-defining technology companies will be built from Southeast Europe, starting in Bulgaria. Vitosha backs execution-driven founders building global-from-day-one products, prioritizing team conviction over the idea itself. Sofia, Bulgaria | $100K – $1M | 80 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 41 | ▶ 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 – $3M | 15 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 42 | ▶ Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Support the realization of start-ups' dreams by sharing the aspirations of entrepreneurs, establishing trust as a capital partner, and assisting throughout all growth stages — from seed to IPO. MUCAP invests across all industry types and stages with particular depth in life sciences (dedicated department) and new industrial fields requiring patient capital. Tokyo | $500K – $50M | 21 | Both | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
| 43 | ▶ FUSE Bet the founder, win the future -- FUSE invests early in exceptional founders before obvious market validation, prioritizing founder quality over category focus, and backs them with a network of 300+ operators, executives, and founders. Bellevue | $1M – $10M | 47 | Leads | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 44 | ▶ 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 |
| 45 | ▶ RunwayVC Some of the next major global technology companies will be built in industrial technology. RunwayVC backs the technology stack behind that transformation: connectivity and IoT that makes industrial data available, industrial intelligence and orchestration that turns data into decisions, and robotics and automation that brings decisions into the physical world. Fornebu, Norway | $500K – $2M | 22 | Both | Active | N/A | Open |
| 46 | ▶ J2 Ventures #85 · Emerging 100 · 2026 J2 Ventures invests in early-stage companies developing technologies that advance both U.S. national security and commercial markets. The firm backs founders whose innovations strengthen national security while improving safety, health, and connectivity for everyday life. J2-backed companies receive capital plus deep expertise across government, defense, science, healthcare, and finance — and on average raise $2 in non-dilutive funding for every $1 J2 invests. Boston | $1M – $10M | 37 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 47 | ▶ UVC Partners UVC Partners invests in European B2B tech startups across DeepTech, ClimateTech, Mobility, and Software/AI, from pre-seed up to Series A, leveraging the UnternehmerTUM ecosystem to help portfolio companies build sustainable category leadership. Munich | $1M – $10M | 53 | Both | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 48 | ▶ 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 – $1M | 107 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 49 | ▶ Butterfly Ventures Disruptive ideas supercharged: back seed-stage deep tech and hardware (including hardware-interfacing software) companies in the Nordics and Baltics that deliver social or environmental impact, getting involved before revenue and pushing portfolio companies to revenue within six months. Oulu, Finland | $54K – $432K | 54 | Both | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 50 | ▶ ZhenFund Believe in innovation, risk-taking, and young talent. Best entrepreneurs are rare and precious. Provide quick capital, friendly terms, genuine commitment. Help but don't complicate. Monthly founder support. Beijing | $250K – $3M | 27 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 51 | ▶ Pi Labs The real estate industry is analogue, antiquated, and carbon-intensive; today's technology isn't yet sufficient to make the built world fit for future generations, so we back founders building the digital and sustainable built world of tomorrow, from construction to cities to the future of work. London | $350K – $2M | 59 | Leads | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 52 | ▶ Northern Gritstone Seizing the North of England's innovation opportunity by investing in science and technology startups with strong intellectual property solving global problems. Partners with the four Northern Arc universities (Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool) and the broader North of England ecosystem. Philosophy: profit with purpose — backing visionary founders with exceptional teams, breakthrough technology, and business models that deliver both financial returns and societal impact. Manchester, UK | $850K – $25M | 31 | Leads | Active | 3+ mo | N/A |
| 53 | ▶ 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 | 32 | Leads | Active | ~1 wk | Open |
| 54 | ▶ 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 – $1.2M | 29 | Leads | Active | N/A | Open |
| 55 | ▶ Strong Ventures Back resilient founders building category-defining companies. Leverage Korea's cultural wave for global expansion. When others say 'no', we find the 'yes'. Los Angeles | $500K – $5M | 35 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 56 | ▶ 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 – $5.4M | 35 | Both | Active | ~2 mo | Req'd |
| 57 | ▶ MFV Partners Early-stage deep tech entrepreneurs developing novel, patented solutions to the world's biggest problems in robotics, quantum computing, energy, climate, and healthcare. We back visionary founders with deep domain expertise and engage as thought partners through technology validation and commercialization. Palo Alto | $1M – $5M | 19 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 58 | ▶ 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 – $5M | 78 | Leads | Active | N/A | Open |
| 59 | ▶ 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 – $500K | 30 | Both | Active | N/A | Open |
| 60 | ▶ Version One Ventures Technology has the power to transform the world. We back bold, mission-driven founders building before their solution is obvious or their category is clear, and support them as an operational partner, not just a check-writer. Vancouver | $500K – $1.5M | 35 | Both | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 61 | ▶ 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 – $300M | 31 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 62 | ▶ b2venture b2venture backs outlier entrepreneurs at the earliest stages across Europe, leveraging a multi-generational community of founder-turned-angel-investors to provide capital, expertise, and network access from seed through IPO. Berlin | $250K – $5M | 33 | Both | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
| 63 | ▶ Future Ventures #57 · Top 100 · 2026 Support passionate founders forging the future. Invest in seed and early-stage companies with unique ideas that have potential to reinvent entire industries. Focus on frontier technologies that make the world better and don't prey on human frailty. San Francisco | $500K – $10M | 33 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 64 | ▶ Hartmann Capital The future belongs to those who invest in it. Hartmann Capital is the institutional gateway to early-stage frontier tech — backing founders at the intersection of Generative AI, Brain-Computer Interfaces, XR & Spatial Computing, Programmable Biology, and Robotics. We identify innovations as they prepare to cross the chasm into mainstream adoption. Miami | $300K – $3M | 34 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 65 | ▶ Offline Ventures The best ideas don't come from a screen—they're born offline in the real world. We invest in founders who build differently, prioritizing how they build as much as what they build. We believe original thinking, human-centric innovation, and founder wellness are prerequisites for building great companies. New York | $250K – $5M | 23 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 66 | ▶ 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 – $2M | 54 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 67 | ▶ GO CAPITAL GO CAPITAL finances sustainable, responsible innovation rooted in the territories, backing high-growth companies in digital, health, cleantech, industry, and the maritime/blue economy across western and national France. Rennes, France | $200K – $5M | 34 | Both | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 68 | ▶ Norrsken Evolve Europe's next generation of climate, resilience and deep-tech companies is being starved at the earliest, riskiest stage; a heavyweight operator network combined with a pre-seed fund closes that gap. Stockholm | $250K – $500K | 35 | Both | Active | N/A | Open |
| 69 | ▶ Root Ventures Root Ventures is composed entirely of practicing engineers and hardware hackers who explicitly underwrite 'engineering risk' in technically challenging areas like robotics, developer tools, and manufacturing tech that many generalist funds avoid. They provide capital, operational support, and serve as an 'invisible employee' to technical founding teams. San Francisco | $1M – $3M | 41 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 70 | ▶ One Way Ventures Immigrants are strongly underrepresented in venture capital despite founding or co-founding 55% of America's billion-dollar startups. Immigration and entrepreneurship are parallel one-way journeys. We back exceptional immigrant founders because their success is not priced into the market. Boston | $250K – $3M | 41 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 71 | ▶ Undeterred Capital The breakthrough is the beginning. Partner with founders commercializing scientific and technological breakthroughs in biological platforms and applied robotics, helping them solve operational challenges to build durable, generational companies. Los Angeles | $500K – $1M | 24 | Leads | Active | N/A | Open |
| 72 | ▶ PXN Ventures More than 80% of UK venture capital is concentrated in London and the South East. PXN backs high-growth founders in the North of England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland with capital (£200K-£8M) plus hands-on, "more than money" operational support. Manchester, UK | $260K – $10.4M | 102 | Both | Active | N/A | Open |
| 73 | ▶ Hummingbird VC We back outliers of the outliers - founders with unreasonable ambition who can filter out 95% of conventional VC advice. We seek category-defining companies aiming for $10B+ outcomes, not incremental improvements. Our conviction is deep, selective, and global. We don't meddle - we provide brutal honesty, talent upgrades, and capital for survival through near-death moments. London | $500K – $50M | 42 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 74 | ▶ Backbone Ventures We invest in underrepresented outperformers: first- and second-generation migrant founders, women in male-dominated industries, and founders from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, who we believe disproportionately possess the resilience, work ethic, and ability to inspire that predict founder success. Zurich | $300K – $500K | 43 | Leads | Active | N/A | Open |
| 75 | ▶ 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 – $2.5M | 30 | Leads | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
| 76 | ▶ DeVC Back relentlessly resourceful founders with capital, wisdom, and networks from a collective of 50+ operators who have built and scaled companies like CRED, Haptik, Park+, OfBusiness, Razorpay, and Swiggy, favoring ground-reality operating experience over trend-chasing. Bengaluru, India | $50K – $500K | 26 | Follows | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 77 | ▶ Heartfelt Capital Europe's first cheque fund: the first institutional investor for exceptional European (and European-origin) founders, helping them go from 0 to 1 and reach product-market fit, backed by anchor corporate relationships with Axel Springer and Porsche. Berlin | $100K – $400K | 161 | Both | Active | N/A | Open |
| 78 | ▶ Greycroft #92 · Top 100 · 2026 Partnering with brilliant founders to upend the status quo by investing in AI-driven software, sustainability technologies, and innovative consumer brands. We believe AI will dominate software over the next decade, and we seek to support founders reimagining industries across all three sectors. New York | $2M – $100M | 57 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 79 | ▶ Abstract Ventures #28 · Emerging 100 · 2026 Backing transformative founders building exceptional companies across all sectors San Francisco | $100K – $1M | 276 | Both | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 80 | ▶ Galvanize Climate Solutions Galvanize invests at the intersection of energy innovation, resilience, and intelligence, backing the 'New Economy' companies essential to electrification, rising power demand, industrial modernization, and digitization -- from pre-seed food/agriculture/ocean/forestry ventures (Ponderosa) through growth-stage energy transition and AI-infrastructure companies (Venture & Growth). San Francisco | $1M – $40M | 70 | N/A | Active | N/A | Req'd |
| 81 | ▶ Automotive Ventures Automotive Ventures backs seed-stage founders across the mobility stack, from vehicle connectivity and autonomy to decarbonization, auto commerce, smart cities, and dealership technology, pairing capital with deep automotive-industry relationships and operational expertise. Atlanta | $100K – $1M | 52 | Follows | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 82 | ▶ 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 – $550K | 34 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 83 | ▶ 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 |
| 84 | ▶ VU Venture Partners Invest in early-stage tech companies addressing world's largest market opportunities and solving humanity's biggest challenges. Leverage global distributed team to source, evaluate, and support transformational founders. San Francisco | $100K – $1M | 17 | Both | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
| 85 | ▶ 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 |
| 86 | ▶ 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 – $7M | 97 | Both | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 87 | ▶ 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 – $10M | 110 | Follows | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 88 | ▶ Radical Ventures AI Eats Software. Over the next decade, virtually every bit of software will be replaced by artificial intelligence. We invest in founders and entrepreneurs who understand the transformational power of AI and are building solutions that reshape how we live, work, and play. Toronto | $1M – $25M | 59 | Leads | Active | ~2 mo | Req'd |
| 89 | ▶ Wave Ventures Wave Ventures backs Europe's most exceptional Gen Z founders at the earliest stage — angel and pre-seed — in the Nordics and Baltics. We invest before other VCs identify these founders, leveraging a rotating team of top university students embedded in Helsinki, Stockholm, and Tallinn startup ecosystems. We believe the most impactful companies of the next generation will emerge from this region. Helsinki | $10K – $100K | 46 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 90 | ▶ Playground Global #71 · Top 100 · 2026 Where breakthrough science turns into world-changing companies. We back scientists and engineers at the earliest stages—pre-formation and pre-product—at the intersection of AI, engineered biology, next-gen compute, and hard science. If it's too early for everyone else, it's probably right for us. Palo Alto | $1M – $20M | 32 | Both | Active | 3+ mo | Req'd |
| 91 | ▶ 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 – $25M | 30 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 92 | ▶ Cota Capital Cota Capital invests in 'net new' technologies — visionary ideas that either were never before possible or solve problems that didn't exist before. Knowledge is the true capital. The firm backs early-stage enterprise technology companies where deep operational expertise, competitive intelligence, and network access can provide compounding advantage beyond the check. San Francisco | $1M – $15M | 64 | Both | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 93 | ▶ The E14 Fund We back MIT founders building deep-tech companies with defensible science or engineering advantages. We support the transition from researcher to founder, providing both capital ($500K-$5M) and operational support through the MIT ecosystem. Cambridge | $500K – $5M | 53 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 94 | ▶ Presence Capital VR and AR are transformative technologies. We invest in early-stage companies creating novel experiences, content, and enabling infrastructure. We bring deep operational expertise from building FarmVille, Unreal Engine, Gears of War, and leading HTC's VR initiative. San Francisco | $25K – $100K | 40 | Follows | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 95 | ▶ BASS Ventures Back 'crazy dreamers' — founders with exceptional tenacity, ambition, and vision who are building transformative companies. BASS serves as the 'bassist' providing foundational support: capital, operational resources, global cloud credits, and talent. Focus on AI software, physical AI, and fashion & beauty in 2025. Seoul | $250K – $6M | 48 | Leads | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 96 | ▶ Habitat Partners Habitat Partners backs early-stage companies where exceptional brand equity meets strong business fundamentals. Born from Red Antler's brand expertise, the firm asks: 'Why does this company need to exist in the world, and what emotional resonance does it create?' They invest in consumer brands (CPG, beauty, food/beverage) and B2B software tools serving the startup and retail ecosystem, leveraging Red Antler's branding platform as a key value-add for portfolio companies. Brooklyn | $250K – $750K | 54 | Follows | Active | ~1 wk | Open |
| 97 | ▶ Sarsia Sarsia invests in technologies that can improve quality of life, society, and reduce negative impact on nature, connecting scientific solutions with competent capital across life sciences and technology/energy/sustainability. Bergen, Norway | $180K – $3.7M | 46 | Leads | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
| 98 | ▶ 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 – $10M | 22 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 99 | ▶ 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 – $32M | 28 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 100 | ▶ L'ATTITUDE Ventures Latino founders represent an underserved but exceptionally talented segment of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. We invest in visionary founders who combine bold ideas with execution excellence to build scalable, high-impact businesses that create both economic and social value. We believe institutional capital paired with strategic partnership from Fortune 100 executives and operating experts can unlock the full potential of Latino-led innovation. San Diego | $500K – $3M | 37 | Leads | Active | ~2 mo | Req'd |
| 101 | ▶ Sunflower Capital Partners at the earliest stage with companies building foundations for modern enterprises, critical industries, and the physical world - backing category-defining, N-of-1 companies that combine defensible technology with novel go-to-market approaches. West Hollywood, CA | $1M – $3M | 59 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 102 | ▶ Elaia A full stack investor for a complex world, backing tech disruptors with performance, values and care. Elaia partners with ambitious, technical founders from inception to leadership across two dedicated strategies: Digital Venture (B2B SaaS, AI, fintech, adtech, e-commerce) and DeepTech Seed (energy, aerospace, robotics, biotech, semiconductors), sourcing heavily from research institutions and lab spinouts. Paris | $1M – $16M | 95 | Both | Active | ~1 mo | Req'd |
| 103 | ▶ Startmate Australians and New Zealanders have a disproportionate capacity to build category-defining startups given the region's risk-taking, underdog culture; a pay-it-forward mentorship model, where alumni founders mentor the next cohort, compounds returns for founders and investors over time. Sydney | $120K | 41 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 104 | ▶ 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 – $2M | 34 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 105 | ▶ Emergent Ventures Seed-stage Enterprise AI and intelligent software investor partnering with ambitious founders at the earliest stages. Distinctive Silicon Valley + India model: backing Indian-origin founding teams building for global enterprise markets. Hands-on support for product-market fit, GTM strategy, and scaling — 4 of 5 backed companies achieve strong PMF. San Mateo, CA | $200K – $3M | 51 | Follows | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 106 | ▶ Storm Ventures Storm Ventures backs early-stage B2B enterprise software companies with a focus on AI-native applications, cybersecurity, and cloud infrastructure. They employ a 'paddling to surfing' growth methodology and have deep expertise in taking companies from inception to $100M+ ARR. Their philosophy: 'the interface layer will disappear. The infrastructure layer will compound.' Menlo Park | $1M – $15M | 69 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | N/A |
| 107 | ▶ LDV Capital A majority of the data our brains analyze is visual. Therefore, the majority of the data AI will analyze will also be visual, spanning the light and electromagnetic spectrums across all sectors. We thrive on collaborating with deep technical teams who leverage computer vision, machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze visual data. New York | $500K – $1.5M | 28 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 108 | ▶ Ubiquity Ventures Ubiquity Ventures invests in 'software beyond the screen' — B2B technology companies that apply AI and software to physical problems and systems. The three pillars are Smart Hardware (devices that sense and change the physical world), Machine Learning (AI for industries historically less penetrated by software), and Platforms (developer tools, security, and perception technologies for non-traditional computing). Check size: $1-2M seed, equal follow-on reserves for Series A. San Francisco | $100K – $2M | 36 | Leads | Active | ~1 wk | Open |
| 109 | ▶ seed + speed Ventures We back B2B software and software-driven hardware founders and pair capital with hands-on, customized sales and marketing support delivered by our in-house sales trainers. Berlin | $500K – $2M | 47 | Both | Active | N/A | Open |
| 110 | ▶ Boost VC Back the quirky underdog pursuing seemingly impossible ideas. Frontier tech (aerospace, biotech, climate, robotics, crypto, AI, VR/AR) will create the next generation of legendary companies. Technical founders with deep domain expertise can solve the hardest problems in physics, chemistry, and computing. San Mateo, California | $500K – $3M | 30 | Leads | Active | ~1 wk | Open |
| 111 | ▶ FOV Ventures Europe's go-to fund for ambitious founders building the next era of computing — one that is more intelligent, more spatial and more human. We invest in Robotics, Physical AI and Spatial Computing, at the convergence of frontier technologies. We invest in vertical and industrial applications, as well as at the infrastructure and 'picks & shovels' layer. The next era of computing will be more intelligent, more spatial and more human. We back founders at the convergence of Spatial Computing, XR, AI, Gaming, 3D and Robotics. | $100K – $1M | 37 | Leads | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 112 | ▶ 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 – $1M | 99 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 113 | ▶ Cortical Ventures We create AI impact, not hype. As operators backing operators, we help bring new companies and technologies to life. We are AI builders and practitioners with two decades of experience building through every AI hype cycle, not tourists observing from the sidelines. San Francisco | $500K – $2M | 21 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 114 | ▶ Fusion VC Israel's leading pre-seed platform, backing first-time Israeli founders tapping into non-traditional industries. Invests $150K for 7.5% equity per company (up to $500K in the Digital Health track), paired with a 10-week intensive bootcamp and a 300+ person mentor network. Tel Aviv | $150K – $500K | 99 | Leads | Active | N/A | Open |
| 115 | ▶ Alleycorp We are tech pioneers, investors, and entrepreneurs. We build and invest in transformative companies for the present and future. Active early-stage investor providing capital combined with operational expertise and hands-on partnership. | $500K – $5M | 46 | Leads | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 116 | ▶ Maza Ventures Backing highly technical founding teams building globally relevant software and deeptech products, with a focus on MENA-originated founders. Not afraid to back moonshots. Amman | $200K – $500K | 23 | N/A | Active | N/A | Open |
| 117 | ▶ First Star Ventures Invest with conviction in visionary, technical founders inventing the future with frontier computing technology. Focus on computing×real-world startups (techbio, climate, robotics, industrial infrastructure). Enforce strict rebuildability bar—won't invest if 3-5 Google engineers could recreate product in 3-12 months. Position against SaaS/consumer playbook; future venture outliers will be very different. Boston | $100K – $1M | 42 | Follows | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 118 | ▶ 10x Founders European and DACH-region founders are well positioned to build category-leading global companies. Pair early capital with an exclusive network of 300+ entrepreneurs, VCs, and angels who have built and sold companies themselves. Munich | $250K – $2.5M | 28 | Both | Active | N/A | Open |
| 119 | ▶ 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 – $2M | 63 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | 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 119 VC firms that actively invest in robotics & automation at the Pre-Seed stage. 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.
Based on F4's analysis, the median check size for pre-seed robotics & automation investors is $1.9M, with a full range from $10K – $300M. The distribution breaks down as: 17 firms in the <$500K range, 15 firms in the $500K-$1M range, 28 firms in the $1M-$2M range, 21 firms in the $2M-$5M range, 16 firms in the $5M-$10M range, 22 firms in the $10M+ range.
Among the 119 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.
The best pre-seed robotics & automation investors combine domain expertise with an active portfolio in the space. Among these firms, 25% prefer warm introductions, and the average firm has 48 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.