Cantos Ventures
Venture capitalActively deployingSan Francisco · Pre-Seed–Series B · 4 people tracked
Also known as CANTOS VENTURES, LLC
Investment thesis
Cantos backs 'legends in the making'—exceptional, relentless founders building hard technology aimed at three goals: Abundance (shelter, food, water, energy, health, intelligence, financial security), Resilience (critical infrastructure like the electrical grid, communications, transportation, and the planet's ecosystem), and Advantage (strengthening the competitiveness of the United States and its democratic allies in advanced civilian and military technologies, manufactured goods, and critical resources). The firm invests at the earliest stages—typically pre-seed and seed—outside Silicon Valley's comfort zone, emphasizing that direction and what is built matter as much as speed.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 4 people
from the firm's website
What they invest in
from 36 of 44 portfolio companiesDeep Tech ×15Hardware ×14Advanced Manufacturing ×12AI & Machine Learning ×10Climate Tech ×10Biotech ×9Cleantech ×9Defense Tech ×7
HQs:United States×23Canada×1United Kingdom×1
Investments · 44 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathFaeth Therapeutics develops PIKTOR, an oral multi-node inhibitor targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway for cancer treatment, currently in clinical trials for endometrial and breast cancer.
BiotechDigital HealthMedical DevicesAustin, US
Anand Parikh(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Oliver Maddocks(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardAlex Morgan(Director)Jayson Dallas(Director)Robert Gould(Director)Stephen Hahn(Director)
Phenomic AI is a biotech company developing therapies for solid tumors using a machine-learning-powered transcriptomics platform that analyzes single-cell RNA data to identify drug targets and understand tumor biology.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechToronto, CA
Sam Cooper(Co-founder & CTO)Oren Kraus(Co-founder)
Denver, US
William L. Kowalski(Executive Officer, Director)Vanessa J. Clark(Executive Officer, Director)Keller Seamons(Director)
Board seatIan Rountree· per SEC Form D · $20M raise · filed Jan 2023
Earth AI uses AI to locate critical mineral deposits by analyzing geological data, supporting the supply chain for hardware and emerging technologies.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningClimate TechDeep TechNew MaterialsSan Francisco, US
Roman Teslyuk(Founder)in
BoardMikhail Taver(Director)Jamie Lee(Director)Isabella Sykes(Director)Arnoud Balhuizen(Director)
Board seatIan Rountree· per SEC Form D
Apex manufactures productized satellite bus platforms at scale for constellation deployment and critical missions.
Advanced ManufacturingDefense TechHardwareSpace TechLos Angeles, US
Atom Computing develops large-scale quantum computers using optically-trapped neutral atoms for on-premises deployment.
Deep TechHardwareQuantum ComputingBerkeley, US
Ben Bloom(Founder & CEO)inDror Berman(Director)Ethan Batraski(Director)
EnergyLos Angeles, US
Joel Wishkovsky(Executive Officer, Director)Silviu Livescu(Executive Officer)Paul Straub(Director)Joselyn Lai(Executive Officer, Director)
Cache Energy provides thermal energy storage systems that use thermo-chemical technology to store heat at 1,000°F for dispatch periods ranging from 1 to 1,000 hours, serving industrial and commercial customers needing long-term energy storage and heat electrification.
CleantechEnergyHardware
Castelion develops advanced strike systems and defense hardware with a focus on rapid iteration and scalable manufacturing to reduce costs and development timelines for U.S. defense applications.
Advanced ManufacturingDefense TechHardwareTorrance, US
Bryon Hargis(Co-Founder & CEO)Sean Pitt(Co-Founder & COO)Andrew Kreitz(Co-Founder & CFO)Alex Poulin(Director)
Biomemory develops DNA-based data storage systems for data centers, offering an alternative storage tier optimized for long-term archival, density, and energy efficiency.
Climate TechData & InfrastructureDeep Tech
Dusty Robotics builds the FieldPrinter, a mobile robot that automates layout and marking tasks on construction job sites.
Construction TechHardwareRoboticsMountain View, US
Tessa Lau(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Avidan Ross(Director)Richard Boyle(Director)Philipp Herget(Director, Promoter)
Glyphic Biotechnologies develops ProSE™, a high-throughput de novo protein sequencing technology for analyzing proteomes with single-molecule sensitivity.
BiotechDeep TechBerkeley, US
Joshua Yang(Founder & CEO)Daniel Estandian(Founder)Ed Boyden(Founder)Craig Asher(Director)Jimmy Yun(Director)
Intramotev develops battery-electric retrofit technology for rail transportation, converting traditional railcars into independently-moving, self-propelled vehicles that reduce operational costs and emissions.
Advanced ManufacturingCleantechHardwareMobility & TransportationSt. Louis, US
Corey Vasel(Executive Officer, Promoter)Timothy Luchini(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Alexander J. Peiffer(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardPalmer Anna(Director)Aubrie Pagano(Director)
Limelight Steel reimagines iron and steelmaking through new industrial technology approaches.
Advanced ManufacturingClimate TechDeep Tech
Mission Barns produces cultivated meat products, primarily pork-based items like meatballs, bacon, and sausages, combining lab-grown pork fat with plant protein for consumers seeking sustainable alternatives to conventional meat.
Climate TechFoodTechBerkeley, US
Ilan Eitan Fischer(Executive Officer, Director)David Bowman(Director)
MoldCo is a healthcare technology platform that connects patients with mold-trained providers to diagnose and treat mold illness through virtual care, specialized protocols, and home testing available across the United States.
Digital HealthHealthtech
Prellis develops an AI-enabled platform for antibody discovery using 3D-printed organoids that recapture human immune biology, generating therapeutic antibody candidates for multiple disease areas.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechHayward, US
Arvind Gupta(Director)Melanie Matheu(Executive Officer, Director)Noelle Mullin(Executive Officer, Director)Rohit Sharma(Director)
Remedy Scientific decontaminates and restores environmentally compromised land using automated hardware systems combined with advanced chemistry and AI, and uses sensors to assess pollutants and tailor remediation solutions.
CleantechClimate TechRobotics
Salient Motion designs and manufactures critical actuation systems for commercial aviation and defense applications.
Advanced ManufacturingDefense TechHardwareSouthern California, US
Vishaal Mali(Chief Executive Officer)
Shinkei deploys robotics and computer vision hardware on commercial fishing vessels to process seafood at sea, improving quality and traceability while reducing America's seafood import reliance.
Advanced ManufacturingAgTechAI & Machine LearningFoodTechHardwareRoboticsLos Angeles, US
Saif Khawaja(Founder)in
Sixfold develops RNA delivery technology for the biotech industry.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechHealthtechMedical DevicesLondon, GB
SoloPulse develops advanced physics-based and AI-powered systems for threat detection and intelligence gathering, offering SIGMA™ for payload-based situational awareness and NOVA™ for synthetic aperture radar processing across unmanned and satellite platforms.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechDefense Tech
Solugen develops a biomanufacturing platform using fermentation and bioprocessing technology to produce specialty chemicals at scale.
Advanced ManufacturingBiotechCleantechClimate TechHealthtechHouston, US
Sean Hunt(Founder/CTO)inGaurab Chakrabarti(Founder)in
BoardSeth Bannon(Director)
TLM builds and operates a network of regional sawmills that process timber and strengthen the domestic lumber supply chain.
Advanced ManufacturingAgTechCleantechConstruction Tech
Twelve transforms CO2 into chemicals, fuels, and materials through carbon transformation technology.
Advanced ManufacturingCleantechClimate TechHealthtechNew MaterialsMoses Lake, US
Nicholas Flanders(Founder & CEO)inEtosha Cave(Founder)Kendra Kuhl(Founder)inMarc-Henri Galletti(Director)Nimesh Shah(Director)Charles Warden(Director)
Venus develops rotating detonation rocket engines (RDRE) and air-breathing ramjet systems for space, defense, and high-speed flight applications.
Deep TechDefense TechSpace TechTexas, US
Vital Lyfe develops a portable water purification platform that converts any water source, including ocean water, into safe personal drinking water.
CleantechClimate TechConsumerHardwareHawthorne, US
Charles Andrew Harner(Executive Officer, Director)Achal Upadhyaya(Director)Jonathan Criss(Executive Officer, Director)Andrew Harner
Rows marked “SEC filing” are inferred from directors named on the company's SEC Form D — public regulatory data, not a portfolio list published by the firm.
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Cantos Ventures invest at?
- Cantos Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B stages.
- What is Cantos Ventures's typical check size?
- Cantos Ventures typically writes checks of $400K – $1.5M.
- What sectors does Cantos Ventures focus on?
- Cantos Ventures focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Cleantech, Climate Tech, Deep Tech, Defense Tech, Energy, Hardware, New Materials, Quantum Computing, Robotics, Semiconductors, Space Tech.
- Where is Cantos Ventures located?
- Cantos Ventures is headquartered in San Francisco, US.
- Does Cantos Ventures lead rounds?
- Yes, Cantos Ventures leads investment rounds.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamVentures #4 w/ Ian Rountree & Amee Kapadia @ Cantos Ventures | BIOS
BIOS · Ian Rountree
Ian Rountree | Cantos Ventures - Retrospective
Peter Saddington · Ian Rountree
Images
Co-investors · 19
Andreessen Horowitz's Strategic Partnerships page describes collaborations that connect its portfolio companies with established institutions to help scale and deploy their technology.
Refactor is a seed-stage venture firm run as a solo capitalist by Zal, backing founders building hard tech companies that address real-world problems.
Flucas Ventures is a venture capital firm with a portfolio of 265 companies spanning fintech, crypto, space/defense, AI, biotech, marketplaces, and emerging markets, with numerous exits via acquisition and IPO.
Page One Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm.
Greycroft is a venture capital firm that partners with founders across multiple industries and geographies, investing in software, sustainability, and consumer brands.
Venrock is a venture capital firm investing across technology and healthcare, backing companies in fintech, developer infrastructure, life sciences, therapeutics, semiconductors, and consumer products.
FTW Ventures is an early-stage venture firm that backs founders working on innovations across the food system.
Accel is a venture capital firm that partners with exceptional founding teams, positioning itself as a first partner to startups globally.
Believes that best ideas happen offline. Offline Ventures is Interested in companies that are driven by both profit and purpose while taking great care of the world around them
Dreamers VC is an early-stage venture firm that leverages a global network to connect founders with companies and provide support in high-growth markets.
Baruch Future Ventures is a climate-tech focused family investment firm that backs entrepreneurs building companies in the climate economy.
645 Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that backs exceptional founders at the earliest stages, often pre-product, pre-revenue, and pre-consensus.
▶7 more co-investors
EVE AtlasAdvancit CapitalUrban InnovationBee PartnersCreative VenturesTectonic CapitalTachyon Ventures
Firms observed investing alongside Cantos Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Cantos Ventures's recorded portfolio.
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