Dynamo Ventures
Venture capitalChattanooga · Pre-Seed–Seed · 7 people tracked
Also known as DYNAMO MANAGEMENT COMPANY, LLC
Investment thesis
Dynamo focuses on the 'industrial renaissance,' backing founders upgrading the physical economy where technology collides with physics. The firm emphasizes that building in the real world is difficult and requires deep domain understanding rather than just capital. Rooted in supply chains and operations, Dynamo invests from inception through seed, often before a product or team is fully in place, and backs founders across critical infrastructure, manufacturing, advanced transportation, and energy.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 7 people
from public directories
.png)
What they invest in
from 14 of 27 portfolio companiesLogistics & Supply Chain ×10AI & Machine Learning ×9Enterprise Software ×6SaaS ×5Robotics ×3E-commerce ×2Advanced Manufacturing ×1AgTech ×1
HQs:United States×14United Arab Emirates×1Canada×1United Kingdom×1
Investments · 27 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBirmingham, US
Fred McCallum(Director)Alexia B. Borden(Director)Hafiz F. Chandiwala(Executive Officer, Director)Norman H. Ross, Jr.(Executive Officer)Marvin Williams Goodwyn, Jr.(Director)Jonathan A. DeWaard(Executive Officer)
Board seatTheodore Alling· per SEC Form D · filed Aug 2024
Hendersonville, US
Santosh Sankar(Director)Steve Wasilowski(Director)Nick Hegeman(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
Board seatSantosh Sankar· per SEC Form D · $4.8M raise · filed Nov 2022
Palo Alto, US
Board seatSantosh Sankar· per SEC Form D · $6.1M raise · filed Jun 2026
Chattanooga, US
Matthew L. Bain(Director)Theodore W. Alling(Director)Andrew F. Scarbrough(Executive Officer, Director)Stephen A. Culp(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatTheodore Alling· per SEC Form D · $1.2M raise · filed Jun 2015
Stord operates a connected platform for supply chain orchestration, letting brands manage, scale, and optimize logistics and warehousing from a single system rather than stitching together separate 3PLs and software.
AI & Machine LearningE-commerceLogistics & Supply ChainSaaSAtlanta, US
John Lagomarsino(Director)Sean Henry(Executive Officer, Director)Jacob Boudreau(Executive Officer, Director)Melanie Kalemba(Director)Scott Dorfman(Director)Santosh Sankar(Director)
Board seatSantosh Sankar· per SEC Form D · $2.6M raise · filed Apr 2018
Atlanta, US
Board seatSantosh Sankar· per SEC Form D · $1.5M raise · filed Sep 2020
Gatik develops Level 4 autonomous trucks for regional freight and e-commerce delivery, operating commercial fleets for retailers including Walmart, Loblaw, Kroger, and others.
AI & Machine LearningLogistics & Supply ChainRoboticsSilicon Valley, US
Gautam Narang(CEO)Arjun Narang(CTO)Apeksha Kumavat(Chief Engineer)
Leaf uses predictive analytics and AI to identify optimal transportation contracting opportunities for shippers and carriers, helping them reduce costs, improve operations, and lower carbon emissions.
AI & Machine LearningClimate TechLogistics & Supply Chain
Milk Moovement provides real-time software for managing dairy supply chain operations, enabling stakeholders across the dairy industry to access shared data and make coordinated decisions.
AgTechEnterprise SoftwareFoodTechLogistics & Supply ChainSaaSHalifax, CA
Jon King(Founder)Rob Forsythe(Co-founder)
Plus One Robotics develops intelligent parcel handling robotics systems that combine computer vision, AI, and supervised autonomy for logistics and ecommerce organizations.
AI & Machine LearningLogistics & Supply ChainRoboticsSan Antonio, US
Erik Nieves(CEO & Co-founder)Shaun Edwards(CTO & Co-founder)Whitney Rockley(Director)Chris Cole(Director)Chris Girgenti(Director)Paul Hvass(Executive Officer, Director)
San Francisco, US
Michael Glassman(Executive Officer, Director)Patrick Mathieson(Director)Ted Alling(Director)Jacob Bolling(Executive Officer, Director)Jake Bolling(Cofounder)
Slope provides software to manage the biospecimen lifecycle for clinical research sites, enabling researchers and sponsors to track and oversee biological samples at scale throughout clinical trials.
Enterprise SoftwareHealthtechMedical DevicesSaaS
Rust Felix(Chief Executive Officer and cofounder)
Starsky Robotics develops autonomous vehicles for long-haul trucking, targeting transportation companies seeking driverless freight delivery solutions.
Advanced ManufacturingMobility & TransportationSan Francisco, US
Stefan Seltz-Axmacher(Founder/CEO)in
Steam Logistics is a logistics service provider that positions itself as an extension of its customers' teams, offering freight and supply chain services.
Logistics & Supply ChainChattanooga, US
Steve Cox(Executive Officer)Allan Davis(Director)Jason Provonsha(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardBarry Large(Director)Ted Alling(Director)
SVT Robotics provides a platform that integrates industrial software and robotics systems, enabling enterprises to unify automation technologies, capture operational data, and optimize performance across warehouse and supply chain operations.
Enterprise SoftwareLogistics & Supply ChainRoboticsWilliamsburg, US
Albert K. Schultz(Executive Officer, Director)Michael Howes(Executive Officer, Director)
Verusen provides AI-powered maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) inventory optimization software that connects to existing ERP and asset management systems to identify duplicate parts, obsolete materials, and cost-saving opportunities without requiring data cleanup.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise Software
WorkStep (WorkHound) is an AI-powered employee engagement platform for frontline and distributed workforces, offering surveys, AI-generated responses to feedback, targeted communications, and predictive insights.
AI & Machine LearningHR TechSaaSChattanooga, US
Andrew Kirpalani(Executive Officer, Director)Max Farrell(CEO)Elizabeth Engel(Director)
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 Dynamo Ventures invest at?
- Dynamo Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What is Dynamo Ventures's typical check size?
- Dynamo Ventures typically writes checks of $500K – $2.5M.
- What sectors does Dynamo Ventures focus on?
- Dynamo Ventures focuses on AdTech, Advanced Manufacturing, AgTech, AI & Machine Learning, Cleantech, Climate Tech, Construction Tech, Deep Tech, Defense Tech, Energy, Hardware, Logistics & Supply Chain, Mobility & Transportation, New Materials, Robotics, Semiconductors, Space Tech.
- Where is Dynamo Ventures located?
- Dynamo Ventures is headquartered in Chattanooga, US.
- Does Dynamo Ventures lead rounds?
- Yes, Dynamo Ventures leads investment rounds.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamIn the Hot Seat: Santosh Sankar of Dynamo Ventures
Tenney Group · Santosh Sankar
Santosh Sankar of Dynamo Ventures on How to Grow in a Recession
Adam Vazquez · Santosh Sankar
Future of Freight #10: Betting Big on Supply Chain: The VC View w/Santosh Sankar, Dynamo Ventures
Freightos · Santosh Sankar
Dynamo Ventures partner Ted Alling on the startup culture in Chattanooga - Fuller Speed Ahead
FreightWaves · Ted Alling
Images
Co-investors · 22
Techstars is a startup accelerator and early-stage investor that funds ambitious founders and provides capital, mentorship, and access to a global network of investors, operators, and corporate partners.
Bread and Butter Ventures is a Minnesota-based venture capital firm investing in foodtech, digital health, and enterprise technology companies, leveraging the state's concentration of food, healthcare, and Fortune 500 industry leaders.
Toba Capital is an early-stage investment firm focused on backing technology companies with long-term growth potential and teams capable of reshaping markets for the common good.
Sequoia Capital is a venture capital firm that partners with founders to build technology companies, with a strong current focus on artificial intelligence.
Insight Partners is a venture and growth-stage software investor featuring a large portfolio of technology companies across multiple sectors and regions.
Uber is a technology company operating multisided platforms that connect consumers with ride services, transit, delivery of food and groceries, and freight shipping across more than 70 countries and 15,000+ cities.
SOSV is a deep tech venture capital firm that makes first-check pre-seed investments and follow-on rounds in startups focused on human and planetary health, providing lab space and hands-on support at its US locations.
FirstMark is a venture capital firm that backs founders and supports them through a platform providing access to networks, customers, and talent.
Partech is a global investment firm that supports founders at every stage through dedicated teams and multiple funds across several continents.
Sierra Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in first-principles founders, backing companies from inception through Series A across AI infrastructure, applied/vertical AI, deep tech, and physical/embodied AI.
2048 Ventures is a thesis-driven early-stage venture capital firm based in New York and Boston that backs founders building future technologies.
Pareto Holdings is an early-stage investment and company-building firm headquartered in the United States that operates globally. It has never raised outside capital and is self-funded by design.
▶10 more co-investors
Entrepreneur FirstBetter Tomorrow Venturesxfactor venturesMolten VenturesCambridge Innovation CapitalIronspring VenturePale Blue DotManiv MobilityVMG PartnersInfinity Ventures
Firms observed investing alongside Dynamo Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Dynamo Ventures's recorded portfolio.
Similar investors
Everywhere Ventures is an early-stage venture firm that backs founders globally, supported by a community of founders and operators as LPs.
MPG Fund is an early-stage venture investor backing technology startups.
ICI Fund is a US-based venture fund that invests in Israeli deep tech startups and helps them scale into the US market, in collaboration with the Israel Innovation Authority.
Oval Park Capital is a seed-stage venture firm backing engineering-led hardtech startups commercializing physical and industrial technologies with defensible IP in mission-critical industries.
Vesna is a Slovenian-Croatian deep tech venture fund investing in breakthrough technologies commercialized from research institutions in Slovenia and Croatia, supported by the European Investment Fund.