Fundraising Fox
2 people tracked
Also known as a series of FDVC
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Investment thesis
Forward Deployed Venture Capital invests in mission-critical technologies across defense, energy, and AI sectors, leveraging founder Mark Scianna's deep operational experience at Palantir where he developed critical defense systems and infrastructure. The fund targets startups that solve complex problems for government and defense customers, with a thesis grounded in understanding real-world deployment challenges and building defensible, high-impact businesses in strategic sectors.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 6, 2026.
Team · 2 people
from the firm's website & public directoriesWhat they invest in
from 23 of 43 portfolio companiesEnterprise Software ×11AI & Machine Learning ×10Defense Tech ×7SaaS ×7Developer Tools ×5Advanced Manufacturing ×4Data & Infrastructure ×3Deep Tech ×3
HQs:United States×26France×1
Investments · 43 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 32025 · 32024 · 22023 · 210 dated
Oklo develops next-generation fast fission reactors for producing clean electricity at scale, with a focus on safety features and the ability to use recycled nuclear waste as fuel.
Advanced ManufacturingCleantechClimate TechDeep TechEnergySan Francisco, US
Jacob DeWitte(CEO)inCaroline Cochran(Founder)inCaroline DeWitte(Co-founder and COO)inCaroline CochraninBrian Gitt(Head of Business Development)inAnthony Vu(Director of Operations)
Co-investorsApplied AngelsArmada Investment AGDCVC (Data Collective)Draper AssociatesDraper DragonKluz Ventures+11 more
Palantir builds data integration and analysis platforms — Gotham for defence and government, Foundry for commercial operations — and deploys forward engineers inside customer organisations.
Palo Alto, US
Peter Thiel(Founder)inStephen Cohen(Founder)Nathan Gettings(Founder)Joe Lonsdale(Founder)inAlexander C. Karp(Founder)Alex Karp(Founder)
Co-investors137 Ventures8VCA*AiSprouts VCAkkadian VenturesAllied Venture Partners+72 more
Revolutionizing space technology to make life multi-planetary
Hawthorne, US
Elon Musk(Founder)inBret Johnsen(Executive Officer)inGwynne Shotwell(Executive Officer, Director)Tom Mueller(Founder)
BoardAntonio Gracias(Director)inSteve Jurvetson(Director)in
Co-investors1/1 Capital137 Ventures1802 Ventures2080 Ventures3Spoke Capital4DX Ventures+211 more
Adyton builds mobile and edge software for US defense units, spanning logistics, personnel and tactical operations in disconnected environments.
Frisco, US
James Alexander Boyd(Executive Officer, Director)Joshua James Wilson(Executive Officer, Director)JJ Wilson(Founder)James Boyd(Founder)
BoardMorgan Hitzig(Director)in
Co-investorsKindred VenturesAlumni VenturesInitialized CapitalKhosla VenturesLiquid VenturesPalumni VC+1 more
AmpUp develops electric vehicle charging infrastructure solutions for drivers, businesses, and communities.
Climate TechConsumerEnergyMobility & TransportationSaaSSan Francisco, US
Thomas Sun(Founder)inTom Sun(Founder)Xiaoyao QianRui ZhangBach Bui
Co-investors2.12 AngelsAutotech VenturesConnecticut InnovationsFoothill VenturesFrontier VenturesGoodyear Ventures+14 more
Anduril builds autonomous systems and software for defense and military applications, including attack aviation, unmanned aircraft, and underwater vehicles, unified by an autonomy platform.
AI & Machine LearningDefense TechHardwareRobotics
Palmer Luckey(Founder)inBrian Schimpf(Founder)inTrae Stephens(Founder)inJoe Chen(Founder)Joseph Chen(Founder)inMatt Grimm(Founder)
Co-investors137 Ventures1435 Capital1Flourish Capital8VCAliya Capital PartnersAltra Venture+105 more
Cape is a privacy-focused cellular service provider that offers secure mobile connectivity designed to protect subscriber data and privacy.
CybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareArlington, US
John Doyle(Founder)inGavin Uhma(Founder)Nicholas Espinoza(Founder)Nick Espinoza(Founder)
Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzDefinitionFDVCKarman Ventures01 AdvisorsA*+11 more
Castelion designs and manufactures low-cost, mass-producible hypersonic strike weapons and defensive systems for U.S. national security and defense customers such as the U.S.
Advanced ManufacturingDefense TechHardwareTorrance, US
Bryon Hargis(Founder)inSean Pitt(Founder)inAndrew Kreitz(Founder)inCharles Bryon Hargis(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardAlex Poulin(Director)in
Co-investors7percent VenturesAndreessen HorowitzAngel Collective Opportunity FundAvenir Growth CapitalBlueYard CapitalCantos Ventures+14 more
Chariot develops transportable power systems and high-voltage power distribution equipment for military and tactical operations in field conditions.
Defense TechHardwareSan Bruno, US
Adam Warmoth(Founder)in
BoardErin Price-Wright(Director)in
Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzAngel Collective Opportunity FundBrave CapitalDCVC (Data Collective)General CatalystLMNT Ventures+8 more
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Conductor AI builds the Conduit platform, which ingests complex policy documents and encodes expert processes into AI-powered agentic workflows for document review, approval, agentic search, and redaction.
AI & Machine LearningDefense TechGovTechBiddeford, US
Eric Schwartz(Executive Officer, Director)inBen Fichter(Founder)inZachary Long(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsAbstract VenturesBooz Allen VenturesBungalow CapitalHaystackHumba VenturesLux Capital+2 more
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Darkgrade develops a protocol enabling large language models to directly interface with image sensors, allowing cameras to understand visual information.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareDenver, US
Kevin Schaich(CEO)inNisola Shobayo(CTO)in
Co-investorsTranspose Platform ManagementY Combinator5x5 CollectiveCoughdrop CapitalDTX VCGood AI Capital+3 more
EngageBio develops DNA-based medicines using proprietary non-viral delivery technology to achieve extended therapeutic expression from a single dose with low manufacturing complexity.
BiotechDigital HealthHealthtechSan Francisco, US
Will Olsen(Founder)inKathryn Kwant
Co-investorsCAL InnovationCalifornia Innovation FundMetaplanetSciFoundersVentureSouqWorldQuant Ventures+9 more
Fortastra builds low-cost, maneuverable spacecraft designed to defend infrastructure in orbit, combining commercial components with custom engineering.
Deep TechDefense TechSpace TechTorrance, US
Michael G. Smayda(Executive Officer, Director)inMichael Smayda(Founder)
Co-investorsBloomberg BetaUpfront VenturesWave Function VenturesGenerational Partners
Govly is a platform that helps companies discover, track, and manage government contracting opportunities across federal, state, and local agencies.
AI & Machine LearningGovTechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Michael Weiland(Founder)inNick Weiland(Founder)inJon Wright(Founder)inOliver Taylor(Customer Success Lead)inKendra Nelson(Operations Manager)Vinita Krishnamurthy(Recruiter)
Co-investorsFundersClubInsight PartnersPioneerY Combinator8VCFCVC+3 more
Hazel AI provides software that automatically generates Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quote (RFQ), and Request for Bid (RFB) documents using an agency's templates, past awards, and policies.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareGovTechNew York City, US
August Chen(CEO)inElton Lossner(Founder)in
Co-investorsPartnership Fund for NYCY CombinatorAgrolimen VenturesBand of AngelsGopher US VentureH Venture Partners+7 more
Method provides security software products for infrastructure protection, serving organizations that need automated vulnerability detection and response.
CybersecurityDefense TechDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareMound, US
Daniel Kelly(Founder)inSam Jones(Founder)inSean Hacker(Founder)in
Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzAngel Collective Opportunity FundCapital B Private HoldingsGeneral Catalyst
Novel Care accelerates the development and deployment of new medical treatments by bringing together clinicians, technologists, and designers.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDigital HealthHealthtechNew York City, US
Ethan Bond(Founder)inJason Marmon(Founder)in
Co-investorsY CombinatorCrosstimbers Capital GroupLerer HippeauLombardstreet VenturesOriginal CapitalPalumni VC
Overstand is a data platform that aggregates customer insights from across an organization's dispersed data sources and systems to help leadership teams validate product decisions and align on direction.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareSaaSNew York City, US
Mihir Patil(CTO)inDerrick Cheng(Founder)inSenta Knuth
Co-investorsMaiora Rebel VenturesTranspose Platform ManagementY Combinator468 CapitalAgrolimen VenturesGeneral Advance+2 more
Percival develops an AI assistant that helps researchers process and interpret real-world datasets for analytical purposes.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSan Francisco, US
Kevin Bi(Founder)inDavid Zhu(Founder)in
Co-investorsY Combinator468 CapitalAgrolimen VenturesAmino CapitalAndreessen HorowitzSurgePoint Angel
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PropelAuth provides authentication and user management infrastructure for developers building B2B and B2C applications.
Cloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSan Francisco, US
Andrew Israel(Founder)inVictoria Krauchunas(Ops)
Co-investorsSoma CapitalY CombinatorTiger Global Management8-Bit CapitalFlex Capital Partners
Rome connects drivers with high-paying load booking opportunities across the internet, helping drivers maximize their earnings per week through a marketplace platform.
B2B MarketplacesEnterprise SoftwareLogistics & Supply ChainMarketplacesSaaSSan Francisco, US
Craig Weiss(Founder)inRichard Kong
Co-investorsSoma CapitalY CombinatorAmino CapitalGV (Google Ventures)Twenty Two Ventures
Rune is a platform that enables users to create multiplayer games through AI chat interactions, with games instantly playable on Rune's mobile app and integrated voice chat.
AI & Machine LearningConsumerGamingNew York City, US
Sanjay Guruprasad(Founder)inPeter Goldsborough(Founder)Varun Palivela(Founder)William Layden(Founder)Bjarke Felbo(CTO)Amani Albrecht(Chief of Staff)
Co-investorsbyFoundersMakers FundThe E14 FundVentureSouqWashington Harbour PartnersY Combinator+8 more
Silkline provides supply chain orchestration software for advanced manufacturers, automating procurement workflows and enabling supplier collaboration to reduce time to revenue and improve operational efficiency.
Advanced ManufacturingEnterprise SoftwareLogistics & Supply ChainSaaSChicago, US
Brent Shulman(Founder)in
Co-investors25MadisonBarrel VenturesMatchstick VenturesOrigin VenturesValia VenturesPlow Ventures
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Turion Space builds space infrastructure spanning maneuverable spacecraft, mission planning software, and orbital logistics such as refueling and servicing, with capabilities for space domain awareness and rendezvous proximity operations.
Advanced ManufacturingDeep TechDefense TechSpace TechLos Angeles, US
Ryan Westerdahl(Founder)inTyler James Pierce(Founder)inPatryk Wiatr(Founder)inTyler Pierce(Founder)
Co-investorsAngel Collective Opportunity FundAsymmetry VenturesAurelia FoundryBacchus Venture CapitalBeyond Earth VenturesCenter15 Capital+40 more
Windmill is a platform for building, deploying, and orchestrating internal software including scripts, workflows, and applications across teams.
Cloud ComputingData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaSParis, FR
Ruben Fiszel(Founder)inBrian Distelburger(Founder)Danny Mayer(Founder)Mark Tanner(Founder)Max Shaw(Founder)Mike Mayer(Founder)
Co-investorsFounder CollectiveKima VenturesSoma CapitalY CombinatorBessemer Venture PartnersCosmic Venture Partners+5 more
Zensors builds multimodal "physical AI" that fuses data from sensors, cameras, and devices with text and warehouse metadata to understand physical spaces and activities, then uses AI agents to automate operational decisions.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareIoTSan Francisco, US
Anuraag Jain(Founder)inLarissa Monteiro(HR)
Co-investorsCounterpart VenturesScout FundY CombinatorOneValley VenturesR1VTango.vc
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
AI Data ComplianceAI Data PipelinesAI-Powered LogisticsAuth for B2BAutonomous Cyber DefenseBiobotDrones as First ResponderGovernment ContractingMission RequirementsMLtwistModern Defense ProductionPrivacy-first Mobile CarrierRockets and SpacecraftSpace SecurityStatus & Incident CommsStellStell Engineering
Exits · 4
3 IPOs · 1 acquisitions · showing 3OkloNYSE: OKLOPalantir Technologies Inc.NASDAQ: PLTRSpaceXNASDAQ: SPCX
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Castelion · techcrunch.com · Aug 20, 2026
Anduril · geekwire.com · Jul 24, 2026
Govly · app.govly.com · Jul 4, 2026
Engage Bio · biospace.com · May 20, 2026
Turion Space · finsmes.com · Apr 15, 2026
Overstand Labs · ycombinator.com · Mar 19, 2026
Chariot Defense · prnewswire.com · Feb 25, 2026
Method Security · finsmes.com · Nov 19, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Forward Deployed VC made?
- Forward Deployed VC has 43 tracked investments, 4 of which have exited, including 6 dated in the last 24 months.
- What sectors does Forward Deployed VC focus on?
- Forward Deployed VC focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, AI & Machine Learning, Deep Tech, Defense Tech, Energy, GovTech, Space Tech.
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