/Investor DB

Countdown Capital

Venture capital

Los Angeles · Pre-Seed–Seed · 3 people tracked

Find your way into Countdown Capital

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2,031 people can intro you to Jai

Ask Kirsten Bartok Touw to introduce you to Jai Malik

You →Kirsten · together at AMCA →Jai

1,097 people can intro you to Ariana

Ask Jamie Chen to introduce you to Ariana Thacker

You →Jamie · together at Conscience VC →Ariana

2 people can intro you to Hoang

Ask Sam Okafor to introduce you to Hoang Phan

You →Sam · together at Countdown Capital →Hoang

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We rank every route by how warm it is, so you raise on warm intros instead of cold emails.

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Investment thesis

Early-stage investor that backs titans of hard tech to revitalize American industry, uniquely focused on industrial founders.

Stage
Pre-Seed–Seed
Check
$100K – $5M
HQ
Los Angeles, CA, US
Leads rounds
Leads
Last 12 months
2 investments
Tracked investments
8
Unicorns
1

Team · 3 people

from public directories
Hoang Phan· Executive Officer

Founder mafia

2 people who came through Countdown Capital went on to found or lead other companies.

What they invest in

from 7 of 8 portfolio companies

Defense Tech ×3Hardware ×3Advanced Manufacturing ×2Climate Tech ×2Cybersecurity ×2Deep Tech ×2Space Tech ×2AI & Machine Learning ×1

HQs:United States×5

Investments · 8 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

By year:2026 · 22023 · 12022 · 32021 · 28 dated

Arbor Energyarbor.coinPre-Seed · Jan 2022 · $2M

Arbor develops power systems intended to provide reliable, emissions-free baseload power at large scale.

CleantechClimate TechEnergyLos Angeles, US

Brad Hartwig(Founder)in

Co-investorsCantos VenturesChrysalixClimate CapitalCongruent VenturesGigascale CapitalSilent Capital+7 more

Beacon AIbeaconai.coPre-Seed · Jul 2021

Beacon AI builds an AI assistant for commercial and private aircraft to support pilots with checklist management, flight procedures, route optimization, and safety calculations.

AI & Machine LearningSan Carlos, US

Avinash Nair(Founder)inMatthew Cox(Executive Officer, Director)

BoardGregory Sands(Director)

Co-investorsAlpha Startups Pre-AcceleratorClearSkyJetBlue VenturesNew North VenturesScout VenturesScout Ventures+3 more

Galvanickgalvanick.comin𝕏Pre-Seed · Oct 2021

Galvanick provides operational security solutions to protect critical infrastructure and industrial systems.

Advanced ManufacturingCybersecurityDefense TechIoT

Joshua Steinman(Co-founder & CEO)inBrandon Park(Co-founder & CTO)inFeliks Pleszczynski(Co-founder & COO)

Co-investorsAlumni VenturesChampion Hill VenturesDeepwater Asset ManagementLoup VenturesMaC Venture CapitalRavelin Capital+8 more

K2 Spacek2space.ioin𝕏Seed · Mar 2023 · $9M

The page is an online gambling/betting operator ("OK9") targeting Vietnamese players, offering sports betting, online casino, slots, fish-shooting games, lottery, and card games.

Deep TechHardwareSpace TechWest Hollywood, US

Neeldev Kunjur(Executive Officer, Director)Karandev Kunjur(Executive Officer, Director)Karan Kunjur(Founder)inNeel Kunjur(CTO, Co-Founder)in

Co-investorsAlpine Space VenturesAlso CapitalAsymmetric Capital PartnersCapitalGFirst Round CapitalICONIQ+20 more

Metalwaremetalware.comin𝕏Seed · Jul 2026

Metalware provides autonomous binary security testing for firmware without requiring source code, hardware, or test harnesses.

CybersecurityDeep TechEnterprise SoftwareHardwareSan Francisco, US

Ryan Chow(Founder)inAndrew Nedea(Founder)in

Co-investorsPioneerY CombinatorAlso CapitalCommodity CapitalEight CapitalFirst Round Capital+11 more

Odys Aviationodysaviation.comin𝕏Pre-Seed · Feb 2022 · $12M

Odys designs and builds long-range, hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft for defense, logistics, and civil applications.

Advanced ManufacturingClimate TechDefense TechLogistics & Supply ChainSpace TechLos Angeles, US

James Dorris(Founder)inAxel Radermacher(Founder)in

Co-investorsGiant Ventures Global LlpOlive Tree CapitalOUTBOUND CAPITALSoma CapitalY CombinatorZillionize+12 more

Swarm Aeroswarm.aeroin𝕏Pre-Seed · May 2022 · $2M

Swarm builds uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed for swarming, combining on-aircraft autonomy, sensor mesh, and edge compute so small teams can coordinate thousands of air, sea, and ground assets in contested, communications-limited environments.

Defense TechHardwareRobotics

Danny Goodman(Executive Chairman)inOliver Palmer(CRO)inPeter Kalogiannis(CEO)in

Co-investorsAlumni VenturesCoatue ManagementConstruct CapitalHumba VenturesMaC Venture CapitalChampion Hill Ventures+8 more

Other

Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.

Atlas Motion

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has Countdown Capital made?
Countdown Capital has 8 tracked investments, including 2 dated in the last 24 months.
What stage does Countdown Capital invest at?
Countdown Capital invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
What is Countdown Capital's typical check size?
Countdown Capital typically writes checks of $100K – $5M.
What sectors does Countdown Capital focus on?
Countdown Capital focuses on Cybersecurity, Deep Tech, Defense Tech, Energy, Hardware, Space Tech.
Where is Countdown Capital located?
Countdown Capital is headquartered in Los Angeles, US.
Does Countdown Capital lead rounds?
Yes, Countdown Capital leads investment rounds.

Media · Podcasts & interviews

featuring the team

$RIVN, Biden on TikTok & Crypto, $PTON + Countdown Capital’s Jai Malik + Party Round's Josh | E1406

This Week in Startups · Jai Malik

Angel LIVE - Jai Malik of Countdown Capital (First Time Funds)

This Week in Startups · Jai Malik

Co-investors · 12

Founders Fund

Founders Fund is a venture capital firm that backs technology companies building transformative products.

Both backed · 2
$500K – $5M
Ravelin Capital

Ravelin Capital is an early-stage technology investment firm focused on companies operating in critical industries.

Both backed · 2
Champion Hill Ventures

Champion Hill Ventures is an early-stage venture firm, founded in 2014, that backs founders tackling large, overlooked problems through non-consensus and structurally underserved ideas.

Both backed · 2
$500K – $1M
Stellar Capital

Stellar Capital is a finance services firm describing itself as a team with diverse experience across a range of finance disciplines.

Both backed · 1
Trajectory Ventures

Trajectory Ventures invests in and partners with innovative founders and companies driving digital transformation, while also providing advisory, growth marketing, financing strategy, and M&A support.

Both backed · 1
Mischief

Mischief is a San Francisco-based venture firm investing $1-5M in early-stage software companies, run by a small partnership of former operators.

Both backed · 1
$1M – $5M
Lombardstreet Ventures

Lombardstreet Ventures is a pre-seed and seed-stage venture capital firm based in Woodside, California, investing primarily in U.S. companies with a preference for Silicon Valley teams. The firm focuses on B2B software, SaaS applications, developer tools, infrastructure software, deep tech, API-first platforms, open source, and AI, while remaining open to exceptional opportunities across sectors aligned with strong founders and compelling visions.

Both backed · 1
$500K
Lux Capital

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.

$100K – $100M
Afore Capital

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.

$500K – $2M
Floodgate

Floodgate is a venture capital fund that backs founders at the earliest stages, positioning itself as their first true believers.

$500K – $5M
PIPELINE CAPITAL PARTNERS

Pipeline Capital Partners is a seed-stage venture capital fund.

Cannage Capital

Cannage Capital is a venture firm that partners with founders building across the AI stack, from semiconductors to software infrastructure to applications across industries.

Firms observed investing alongside Countdown Capital, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Countdown Capital's recorded portfolio.

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