How many investments has Actuate Ventures made?

Actuate Ventures has 12 tracked investments.

What stage does Actuate Ventures invest at?

Actuate Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.

Where is Actuate Ventures located?

Actuate Ventures is headquartered in Seattle, US.

Who does Actuate Ventures co-invest with?

Actuate Ventures most often shares deals with Techstars, 7percent Ventures, Type One Ventures, among 27 tracked co-investors.

Actuate Ventures

Venture capital

Seattle · Pre-Seed–Seed · 4 people tracked

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Find your way into Actuate Ventures

517 people in our graph share verified history with the Actuate Ventures team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

James Detweilerunlockedknows Zee Schwab · together at Mercor (overlapped)

×4knows the team · via Mercor

×2knows the team · via University of Washington

×2knows the team · via Bank of America Merrill Lynch

×3knows the team · via Princeton University

✨ Fox Verdict

Investment thesis

The firm invests in deep-tech and space-tech companies at the pre-seed stage, targeting sectors including space technology, applied AI, materials science, energy innovation, advanced manufacturing, and intelligent robotics. The thesis emphasizes identifying companies that create lasting competitive moats through novel combinations of technologies and ideas, with a focus on backing technologies that solve complex problems and expand human capabilities. The firm's ecosystem approach facilitates collaboration between entrepreneurs, researchers, and industry experts to accelerate commercialization of frontier technologies.

Invests inAdvanced Manufacturing AI & Machine Learning Deep Tech Energy New Materials Robotics Space Tech Seattle United States

Source: firm website, verified Aug 7, 2026.

Stage

Pre-Seed–Seed

Seattle, WA, US

Instruments

Equity

Founded

2024

Tracked investments

Team · 4 people

from curated & public directories

Jim O'Brien· Founder / Managing Partner· New York, New York, United Statesin

Jim O'Brien is the Founder and Managing Partner of Actuate Ventures, focused on deep tech investing. He previously worked at Blue Origin and has experience across product, strategy, innovation, and venture building with both large enterprises and startups. O'Brien also hosts the podcast Let's Actuate and writes a newsletter, Insights from the Cutting Edge.

Andrew Woodfield· Managing Partner· Orlando, Floridain

Andrew Woodfield is the Founder and Managing Partner of Actuate Ventures, a deep tech investment firm. He previously worked at Blue Origin, and his experience spans product, strategy, innovation, and venture building across companies ranging from large enterprises to startups. Woodfield also produces a newsletter and hosts a podcast titled "Let's Actuate."

Christopher Le· Managing Partner· Seattle, Washingtonin

Christopher Le is Managing Partner and Product & Startup lead at Actuate Ventures, where he identifies promising startups and guides their growth. He has held roles as a UX Designer and Technologist, including experience at Blue Origin, and has worked on accessibility standards in the aerospace sector. Le combines technical expertise with user-centric design philosophy in his approach to venture capital and product development.

Zee Schwab· Senior Associate· Israelin 𝕏

What they invest in

from 8 of 12 portfolio companies

Deep Tech ×6Space Tech ×5Defense Tech ×4Hardware ×3Energy ×2Robotics ×2Advanced Manufacturing ×1AgTech ×1

HQs:United States×4United Kingdom×1

Who they back

founder profiles across 6 portfolio companies

Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program

Techstars ×3

Investments · 12 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

By year:2021 · 1 2019 · 12 dated

Charter Spacecharter.space in 𝕏

Logistics & Supply ChainSpace TechLondon, GB

Yuk Chi Chan(Founder)inyukun yin(Founder)in

Co-investors7percent Ventures Evolution Ventures Techstars Underline Ventures

Cosmic Shieldingcosmicshielding.comApr 2021

Cosmic Shielding develops radiation-shielding technology that adapts commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) electronics — including AI-capable GPUs, sensors, and cameras — for reliable operation in space.

Deep TechEnergyHardwareSpace TechAtlanta, US

Yanni Barghouty(Co-Founder & CEO)inLembit Sihver(Co-Founder & CTO)inMichael Ghadaksaz(Chief Product Officer)

Co-investorsHelios Capital Outsiders Starbridge Venture Capital Llc Type One Ventures WorldQuant Ventures SpaceFund

Interstellar Labinterstellarlab.com

Co-investors7percent Ventures Auxxo Diaspora Ventures DVx Ventures E2MC Ventures Juniper+3 more

Lonestar Lunar data storagelonestardata.com

Longshotlongshotspace.com in 𝕏

Longshot is developing reusable ground-based acceleration infrastructure that shifts more launch energy and systems onto the ground using compressed-light gas acceleration, aiming to lower the cost of hypersonic testing and space access.

Deep TechDefense TechSpace TechAlameda, US

Mike Grace in

Co-investorsAurelia Foundry Draper Associates Myelin VC Starship Ventures Collide Capital

Lunasondelunasonde.com in 𝕏Jun 2019

Lunasonde develops aerial georadiotomography (aGRT) technology that uses low-frequency radar to create 3D compositional images of the subsurface from aircraft, helicopters, drones, and balloons.

AgTechCleantechClimate TechDeep TechEnergyCortaro, US

Jeremiah Pate(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)inHILLARY PATE(Executive Officer)

Co-investorsBantam Group Drive Capital Kluz Ventures Pure Ventures Techstars Lockheed Martin Ventures +1 more

Orbital Compositesorbitalcomposites.com in 𝕏

Orbital Composites develops composite materials and structures for aerospace applications, including the STARFIGHTER X modular drone platform designed for efficient flight across various regimes and speeds.

Advanced ManufacturingDeep TechDefense TechHardwareNew MaterialsRobotics

Cole Nielsen-Cole(Founder)inAmolak B.(Founder)in

Co-investorsEvolution VC Partners Sand Hill Angels Seraphim Space

Rogue Space Systems In-space robotics & servicingroguespacesystems.com

Space Foundationspacefoundation.org

Trimagnetix Nanomagnetic chip technologytrimagnetix.com

TriMagnetix develops nanomagnetic processors that combine logic and memory into a single unit for energy-efficient computing.

Deep TechHardwareSemiconductors

Ultraview AIultraview.io in 𝕏

Ultraview builds an aircraft inspection platform combining autonomous drones and AI-powered handheld devices that capture exterior imagery via 4K cameras and 3D LiDAR, using computer vision to detect and measure surface damage such as dents, cracks, and corrosion.

AI & Machine LearningDefense TechRoboticsSpace TechAustin, US

Colby Harvey(Founder)in

Co-investorsTechstars

Wave Motionwmlaunch.space

Wave Motion is developing large-scale kinetic energy transmission technology for space, aimed at launching vehicles with minimal onboard propellant, enabling orbital energy exchange, and point-to-point logistics.

Deep TechDefense TechSpace Tech

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

Design-2-Part • Design-2-Part July-August 2026 • Advanced Materials

Orbital Composites · d2pmagazine.mydigitalpublication.com · Jul 25, 2026

Charter Space brings fintech to spacecraft insurance and is showing off its stuff at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 | TechCrunch

Charter Space · techcrunch.com · Oct 28, 2025

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has Actuate Ventures made?: Actuate Ventures has 12 tracked investments.
What stage does Actuate Ventures invest at?: Actuate Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
What sectors does Actuate Ventures focus on?: Actuate Ventures focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, AI & Machine Learning, Deep Tech, Energy, New Materials, Robotics, Space Tech.
Where is Actuate Ventures located?: Actuate Ventures is headquartered in Seattle, US.
Who does Actuate Ventures co-invest with?: Actuate Ventures most often shares deals with Techstars, 7percent Ventures, Type One Ventures, among 27 tracked co-investors.

Media · Podcasts & interviews

from their channel

Unlocking Satellite Power – Transforming Satellites into a Marketplace for Compute & Sensing

Let's Actuate! Podcast

Dermot Mee: Convergence Catalyst – Designing Companies That Operate Like Ecosystems

Let's Actuate! Podcast

Colton Cray: Winning in Venture Today – Risk, Founders, Traction, and the Flight to Authenticity

Let's Actuate! Podcast

Ron Diamond: How the $84T Wealth Transfer of Family Offices will Impact Venture & Private Equity

Let's Actuate! Podcast

Karl Alomar: Evolving the Venture Model - How M13 is Redefining What Support Means in Venture

Let's Actuate! Podcast

Matt Curtolo: Navigating the State of VC - Strategy, Authenticity, & the New Era of Venture Capital

Let's Actuate! Podcast

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