Fundraising Fox
Convective Capital
Venture capitalSan Francisco · Seed–Series A · 5 people tracked
Also known as CONVECTIVE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC
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Investment thesis
Convective invests in resilience — the systems that keep the world running and protect against disasters, with a particular emphasis on wildfire and physical-world risk management. It backs hardware, software and financial services companies serving hard markets such as utilities, insurance carriers, forestry services, land management, fire departments and state and federal agencies. These markets are large but face an existential crisis and present unique challenges most investors avoid. Convective differentiates through Updraft, a 10,000+ person resilience network that has generated over $100M in revenue for its portfolio companies, and through convening events like the Red Sky Summit that connect founders with the institutions responsible for deploying new solutions.
Source: firm website, verified Sep 29, 2026.
Team · 5 people
from the firm's websiteFounder mafia
3 people who came through Convective Capital went on to found or lead other companies.
What they invest in
from 27 of 31 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×17Climate Tech ×13SaaS ×7Advanced Manufacturing ×6Cleantech ×6Energy ×6Enterprise Software ×6Hardware ×6
HQs:United States×20Canada×2Netherlands×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 15 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×102 founders×13 founders×34+ founders×1
Where their founders studiedfrom 20 founders with education data
Stanford University ×3University of Washington ×3Harvard University ×2Jones College Prep ×2University of Pennsylvania ×2
What their founders studiedfrom 20 founders with field-of-study data
Engineering ×9Computer Science ×7Mathematics & Statistics ×4Physics ×4
Where their founders worked beforefrom 21 founders with career history
SpaceX ×3Stanford Student Space Initiative ×2Stanford University ×2
Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program
5 founders hold a PhD · 2 hold an MBA (of 21 with degree data)
Investments · 31 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 22025 · 32024 · 22023 · 22022 · 413 dated
PayNearMe operates a payments platform for billers and operators, spanning digital payment methods and a cash-at-retail network.
Sunnyvale, US
Danny Shader(Founder)in
BoardDan Levitan(Director)inJon Callaghan(Director)inMark Britto(Director)
Board seatBill Clerico· per SEC Form D · $50M raise · filed May 2023
Co-investorsDns CapitalEvolution VC PartnersGMO VenturePartnersMaveronMultiplier CapitalNext Legacy Partners+3 more
Ark provides a customizable digital platform for venture capital and private equity firms to manage investor communications, performance reporting, and document sharing with their limited partners.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS
Co-investorsAcies InvestmentsAloft VCAlta PartnersAmity VenturesArtis VenturesAsymmetric Capital Partners+21 more
BurnBot builds purpose-built, remotely controlled machines and services for wildfire mitigation, fuels management, vegetation control, and timber operations.
CleantechClimate TechHardwareRoboticsSouth San Francisco, US
Waleed Haddad(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardAnukool Lakhina(Executive Officer, Director)in
Co-investorsAmerican Family VenturesDBL PartnersDCVC (Data Collective)Ecosystem Integrity FundHAWKTAILHike Ventures+9 more
Coris is an AI platform for merchant risk management that automates onboarding, fraud detection, and portfolio monitoring for payments companies.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareFintechSan Francisco, US
Vinodh Poyyapakkam(Co-founder & CEO)inShyam Maddali(Co-founder & CTO)in
Co-investorsLux CapitalPathlight VenturesRecall CapitalY CombinatorBlank VenturesExponent Capital
Delos is a managing general agent (MGA) that uses wildfire science and AI-based risk models to underwrite and offer homeowners insurance policies in areas of high wildfire risk, and provides homeowners with personalized home-hardening advice.
AI & Machine LearningClimate TechInsurTechSpace Tech
Kevin Stein(Founder & CEO)in
Co-investorsAvanta VenturesBlue Bear Capital PartnersChaos Venturesfutureland venturesGallatin Point CapitalIA Capital Group+2 more
Drafted.ai is an AI-powered platform for generating architectural floor plans, 3D models, renders, and CAD/BIM exports.
AI & Machine LearningConstruction TechConsumerPropTechSan Francisco, US
Nicholas Donahue(Founder)in
Co-investorsStarship VenturesY CombinatorBuckley Ventures Management Company Llc
Miami-based talent platform connecting startups and AI labs with university students through a shared, AI-screened candidate pool.
AI & Machine LearningHR TechSaaSMiami, US
Co-investorsTechstarsStarship VenturesY Combinator
Edge AI is an analytics platform that lets users query complex commodity data in natural language, model scenarios, and stress test market conditions to surface trade insights.
AI & Machine LearningFintechSaaSNew York City, US
Shihab Malik(Founder)in
Co-investors645 Ventures
Gridware provides real-time monitoring and visibility of electrical grid conditions through sensors deployed on power lines, enabling utilities and line workers to detect and respond to problems faster.
Advanced ManufacturingClimate TechEnergyEnterprise SoftwareHardwareIoTSan Francisco, US
Tim Barat(Founder)inOmar B(Founder)inHall Chen(Co-Founder & CTO)in
Co-investorsAiSprouts VCAnorak VenturesBragiel BrothersFifty YearsHAWKTAILJude Gomila+15 more
Hubble has created a Bluetooth connection to space and is building a global, battery-efficient, and cost-effective network using satellite technology.
Advanced ManufacturingData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsHardwareIoTSpace TechLas Vegas, US
Alex Haro(Founder)inBen Wild(Founder)in
Co-investorsInfinite CapitalMarin Digital VenturesNew North VenturesPi CampusPioneerRpm Ventures Iii Management, L.L.C.+15 more
Instinct Environmental makes the ASU (Automated Surveying Unit), an automated acoustic monitoring device that listens for over 6,500 target species, identifies them on-device and reports detections over satellite within 30 minutes — replacing the manual site visits and after-the-fact audio review that wildlife surveying normally requires.
AI & Machine LearningCleantechClimate TechDeep TechHardwareImpact & Social GoodIoTHillsboro, US
TREVOR BACHAND(Executive Officer)ASHWIN DATTA(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsTechstarsAlbionVCElevate Capital
Co-investorsAccelAlumni Ventures
Molagri develops biopesticides that target harmful insects through specific molecular mechanisms while protecting beneficial insects and the environment, and incorporates resistance modeling to maintain product efficacy over time.
Advanced ManufacturingAgTechBiotechClimate TechToronto, CA
Zaky Hassan(Founder)inMin Jin(Founder)in
Co-investorsY CombinatorAgrolimen VenturesRobinhoodSuperorganismVentioneers CapitalVest Capital Partners
20tree.ai (operating as Overstory) provides AI-powered vegetation intelligence for electric utilities, combining satellite and aerial imagery with local asset data to optimize vegetation management programs.
AI & Machine LearningCleantechClimate TechEnergyEnterprise SoftwareInsurTechAmsterdam, NL
Indra den Bakker(Co-founder)inDoug Perrygo(CFO)inTamara Mendelsohn(COO)inBrian Lafayette(VP of Product & Strategy)inPeternille Dekker(Head of People)inFiona Spruill(CEO)in
Co-investorsB Capital GroupB4 CapitalCapitalTCerity Partners VenturesElewitEnergy Impact Partners+18 more
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Pano develops artificial intelligence and machine learning technology solutions to help utility companies and fire agencies detect and manage wildfire threats.
AI & Machine LearningClimate TechDefense TechEnterprise SoftwareMedia & EntertainmentCambridge, US
Sonia Kastner(Founder & CEO)in
Co-investorsAlumni VenturesAthletic VenturesCerity Partners VenturesChrysalixCongruent VenturesGiant Ventures Global Llp+9 more
Piq offers solutions to help connect projects to the electrical grid faster.
CleantechEnergy
Co-investorsNew Climate VenturesActive Impact InvestmentsASCENT ENERGY VENTURESCerulean VenturesCLAI VenturesUmami Capital
Rain develops autonomous drone systems for detecting and suppressing wildfire ignitions in forest environments.
AI & Machine LearningClimate TechDefense TechRoboticsBritish Columbia, CA
MaxEphraimBryan
Co-investorsAzolla VenturesCircle VenturesDERIVE VENTURESHAWKTAILThayer Investment PartnersThayer Ventures+1 more
Rhizome Data combines AI technology and climate science to help utilities build resilient electrical grids.
AI & Machine LearningCleantechClimate TechData & InfrastructureEnergySaaS
Co-investorsEl Cap EquityJetstreamLooking Glass CapitalStepchange
Rhizome Labs develops task-specific AI models that can run locally, protect sensitive data, and remain reliable in privacy-sensitive, industrial, and operationally demanding environments.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityDeep Tech
Lancelot Convert(CEO)inClement Poiret(CTO)in
Co-investorsCritical VenturesBase10 Partners
Seneca develops autonomous drone systems that use AI and computer vision to detect and suppress fires, deploying aerial foam suppression from portable, modular electric copters.
AI & Machine LearningClimate TechDeep TechHardwareRobotics
Stu
Co-investorsDCVC (Data Collective)First Round CapitalGood FriendsNextView VenturesTransitionTransition Global+1 more
Shortwave builds an AI-first communications app designed for effective human-AI collaboration, starting with email.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaSSan Francisco, US
Andrew Lee(Founder)inJonny Dimondin
Co-investorsY CombinatorAfore CapitalFlybridge Capital PartnersLightspeed Venture PartnersUnion Square Ventures (USV)Founder Collective
Stand uses physics-based simulation, satellite imagery, and field inspection to model per-property natural-peril risk (wildfire, wind, hail, water, and earthquake) and translates it into insurance coverage.
AI & Machine LearningClimate TechInsurTech
Dan Preston(Founder)in
Co-investorsEqual VenturesFinancial Venture StudioFjor FoundersInspired CapitalLeap Forward VenturesLowercarbon Capital+4 more
TLM builds and operates a network of regional sawmills that process timber and strengthen the domestic lumber supply chain.
Advanced ManufacturingAgTechCleantechConstruction Tech
Andrew Arsht(Founder)in
Co-investorsCantos VenturesHumba VenturesLevel VenturesRavelin CapitalSlow VenturesSusa Ventures
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Treeswift develops physical AI using robotics and machine learning to assist field crews with grid inspection, vegetation management, and asset documentation.
AI & Machine LearningEnergyRoboticsPhiladelphia, US
Elizabeth Hunter(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)inSteven Chen(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)inMichael Shomin(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)in
Co-investorsContour Venture PartnersCrosslink CapitalDorm RoomHumba VenturesInspired CapitalPathbreaker Ventures+9 more
Voltair Labs develops autonomous aircraft equipped with visual, thermal, and LiDAR sensors for inspecting and monitoring utility infrastructure, including power lines and substations.
Advanced ManufacturingDeep TechEnergyHardwareRoboticsSan Francisco, US
Ronan Nopp(Founder)inHayden Gosch(Founder)inAvi Gotskind(Founder)inWarren Weissbluth(Founder)in
Co-investorsPioneerY CombinatorGuil Mobility Ventures
Windborne Systems collects atmospheric data using long-duration balloons and applies AI models to produce weather forecasts for business applications.
AI & Machine LearningClimate TechDeep TechPalo Alto, US
John Dean(Founder)inKai Marshland(Founder)inANDREY SUSHKO(Director)in
BoardNIKHIL BASU TRIVEDI(Director)in
Co-investorsFootworkHarvest Venture PartnersHumba VenturesJetstreamKhosla VenturesPear VC+1 more
X.build provides AI-powered estimation and proposal generation software for contractor sales teams.
AI & Machine LearningConstruction TechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Jahan Khanna(Founder)in
Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzNext47Rackhouse Venture Management LpAllison Pickens Ventures
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
Lumber Manufactory Inc.BlumenDawn Health
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.
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
WindBorne · techcrunch.com · Aug 5, 2026
Piq Energy · finsmes.com · Jul 10, 2026
Drafted · thesaasnews.com · Jun 2, 2026
Voltair · ycombinator.com · Mar 13, 2026
XBuild · finsmes.com · Jan 21, 2026
Gridware · finsmes.com · Nov 17, 2025
Seneca · finsmes.com · Oct 27, 2025
Stand · finsmes.com · Oct 16, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Convective Capital made?
- Convective Capital has 31 tracked investments, including 5 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does Convective Capital invest at?
- Convective Capital invests at the Seed, Series A stages.
- What sectors does Convective Capital focus on?
- Convective Capital focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, Cleantech, Climate Tech, Energy, Fintech, GovTech, Hardware, Impact & Social Good, InsurTech, Logistics & Supply Chain.
- Where is Convective Capital located?
- Convective Capital is headquartered in San Francisco, US.
- Does Convective Capital lead rounds?
- Convective Capital typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
- Who does Convective Capital co-invest with?
- Convective Capital most often shares deals with Humba Ventures, Y Combinator, HAWKTAIL, among 130 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamMomentum investing in VC + Convective Capital’s Bill Clerico | E1627
This Week in Startups · Bill Clerico
No Priors Ep. 98 | With Convective Capital Founder Bill Clerico
No Priors: AI, Machine Learning, Tech, & Startups · Bill Clerico
The best way to launch your startup
Y Combinator · Kat Mañalac
How to launch (again and again)
Y Combinator · Kat Mañalac
On starting and scaling construction startup PlanGrid
Y Combinator · Kat Mañalac
How to Start a Startup: Diversity and inclusion at early stage startups
Y Combinator · Kat Mañalac
Images
Co-investors · 49
Techstars is a global startup accelerator and early-stage investor that funds and mentors ambitious founders, providing $220K in capital, a three-month program, and access to a worldwide network of mentors, investors, and corporate partners.
Susa Ventures operates two early-stage technology funds that invest in companies leveraging data, network effects, and economies of scale.
Pioneer Fund is an investment fund backed by 540+ Y Combinator alumni that invests in and supports top startups coming out of Y Combinator.
Soma Capital is a venture capital firm that backs founders building category-defining technology companies, emphasizing close, early relationships with ambitious entrepreneurs.
Jetstream is a San Francisco-based venture fund run by Tommy Leep that backs startups at the pre-seed stage. It emphasizes quick decisions and helps portfolio founders with customer introductions, strategy, and raising follow-on rounds through its community of founders and investors. Its investments include companies in areas such as disaster recovery, fintech, health, and EV charging.
Sequoia Capital is a venture capital firm that partners with founders to build technology companies.
Lightspeed Venture Partners is a global venture capital firm that backs founders from Seed through Series F and beyond, emphasizing deep, immersive partnerships with the companies it invests in.
Accel is a venture capital firm that partners with exceptional teams, positioning itself as a first partner to founders globally.
Khosla Ventures is a venture capital firm that backs bold, early-stage, technology-driven companies across deep tech and other sectors, providing hands-on 'venture assistance' to help founders build category-defining businesses.
Founder Collective is a seed and pre-seed stage venture capital firm that invests across sectors, describing itself as sector agnostic and anti-thematic.
Lux Capital is a venture capital firm that backs founders building transformative deep technologies, having been among the first investors in category-defining companies across AI, robotics, biotech, defense, and infrastructure.
Afore Capital is a $500M pre-seed venture fund that invests in pre-traction, early-stage companies, leveraging product and investment expertise to support founders from day zero.
▶37 more co-investors
Buckley Ventures Management Company LlcBase10 PartnersChemistryMoxxie VenturesEnergy Impact PartnersRavelin CapitalPowerhouseGV (Google Ventures)Founders FundBenchmarkEverywhere VenturesCRV (Charles River Ventures)Goat CapitalC2 InvestmentsHeadlineLookout VenturesScale Venture PartnersResolute VenturesTodd and Rahul’s Angel FundGustoTwo Sigma VenturesVibe CapitalMatrixTribe Capital FirstlookBetter Tomorrow VenturesShrug CapitalCommerce VenturesContraryWormhole CapitalHuman CapitalInvariantes FundJLL SparkRabbit VenturesConnecticut InnovationsData TechStarframeUnderline Ventures
Firms observed investing alongside Convective Capital, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Convective Capital's recorded portfolio.
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