Leitmotif
Venture capitalPalo Alto · Series B–Late Stage · 3 people tracked
Find your way into Leitmotif
2,231 people in our graph share verified history with the Leitmotif team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Investment thesis
Leitmotif backs extraordinary startups working to accelerate the shift from technology demonstration to commercial scale, aiming to build a better world faster. Anchored by a $300 million commitment from European industrial interests and with investors in Palo Alto and Munich, the firm bridges US and European innovation ecosystems. Its first fund concentrates on decarbonization and leans toward later-stage opportunities, with a stated preference for hard tech businesses tackling complex physical and industrial challenges.
Source: firm website, verified Sep 1, 2026.
Team · 3 people
from the firm's website & curated & public directories
What they invest in
from 16 of 18 portfolio companiesEnergy ×8Cleantech ×6Climate Tech ×5Deep Tech ×5AI & Machine Learning ×4Hardware ×4Advanced Manufacturing ×3Circular Economy ×3
HQs:United States×11Germany×3Sweden×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 13 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×42 founders×54+ founders×4
Where their founders studiedfrom 22 founders with education data
Stanford University ×5Massachusetts Institute of Technology ×3Technical University of Munich ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 24 founders with career history
AliveCor ×2Bosch ×2Bosch Engineering GmbH ×2Faraday Future ×2Los Alamos National Laboratory ×2QuantumScape ×2Rhoda AI ×2Tesla ×2
9 founders hold a PhD · 2 hold an MBA (of 22 with degree data)
Investments · 18 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 12025 · 32022 · 15 dated
FedEx is a global courier and logistics company that provides shipping, delivery, and supply chain management services for businesses and consumers worldwide.
Logistics & Supply Chain
Raj Subramaniamin
Co-investorsMatrixArcTern VenturesGreycroftManiv MobilityOverture ClimateSchematic Ventures+1 more
Syre is a textile impact company that produces circular polyester through textile-to-textile recycling, offering quality on par with virgin polyester while reducing CO2e emissions by up to 85%.
Circular EconomyClimate TechNew MaterialsStockholm, SE
Susanna Campbell(Chair & Co-founder)inDennis Nobelius(CEO)inJad Finck(Chief Commercial Officer)inScott Pearson(Chief Technology Officer)
Co-investorsNorrsken VCGiant Ventures Global Llp
DeepDrive develops electric motor and drivetrain solutions for electric vehicles, including in-wheel and central drive systems.
EnergyHardwareMobility & TransportationMünchen, DE
Alexander Rosen(Founder)inChristopher Römmelmayer(Founder)inDean P(Founder)Markus Domme(Founder)inStefan Ender(Founder)in
Co-investorsBayern KapitalBMW i VenturesTechstarsUVC PartnersXPRENEURS
Developing enzymes aimed at eliminating textile and plastic waste.
Co-investorsRegeneration.VCZero Carbon Capital
Epoch Biodesign develops enzyme recycling technology powered by AI to break down plastic and textile waste into virgin-grade chemical building blocks.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechCircular EconomyClimate Tech
Jacobin
Co-investorsExtantia CapitalMundi VenturesLowercarbon CapitalAmadeus Capital PartnersAvonmore DevelopmentsCambridge Angels group+3 more
Harbinger Motors designs and manufactures electric vehicles built on medium-duty platforms for commercial and industrial transportation.
CleantechHardwareMobility & TransportationGarden Grove, US
John Harris(Chief Executive Officer & CoFounder)inPhillip Weicker(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)inBenjamin Dusastre(Executive Officer)Ryan Clinton(Director)inWilliam Eberts(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardGilbert Passin(Director)
Co-investorsAcequia Capital (AceCap)CarbonGreycroftGround Up VenturesIn-Q-TelLakewest Venture Partners+9 more
Lunar Energy develops home energy technology that converts and stores solar power to provide continuous clean electricity for residential customers.
CleantechClimate TechEnergyHardwareMountain View, US
Mark Holveck(Founder)inKunal Girotra(Founder)in
Co-investorsACTIVATE CAPITAL PARTNERSB Capital GroupB4 CapitalDCVC (Data Collective)Piva CapitalPrelude Ventures+4 more
Pacific Fusion is developing a high-gain pulsed magnetic inertial fusion system designed to achieve net facility gain, using a modular fast electric pulser, a meter-scale fusion chamber, and small fuel containers.
Climate TechDeep TechEnergyFremont, US
Keith LeChien(Founder)inWill Regan(Founder)in
Co-investorsAcario InnovationAlumni VenturesBasecamp FundBerkeley FrontierDCVC (Data Collective)Lightspeed Venture Partners+5 more
Developing sodium-air fuel cells providing superior energy density for electric aviation.
Co-investorsBlindspot Ventures Management Co
Proxima develops AI-powered gaming experiences and infrastructure, with a focus on embodied AI agents and applied AI systems for interactive entertainment.
AI & Machine LearningGamingSan Francisco, US
Ran Mo(Founder)in
Co-investorsKonvoy VenturesProgressionAIX VenturesAlexandriaBalderton CapitalBayern Kapital+9 more
Proxima develops stellarator fusion power plants designed to deliver clean, grid-ready electricity.
CleantechDeep TechEnergyMunich, DE
Dr. Francesco Sciortino(CEO and co-founder)Dr. Lucio Milanese(Co-founder and Chief External Affairs Officer)Dr. Jorrit Lion(Chief Scientist and co-founder)Martin Kubie(Chief Engineer and co-founder)inJonathan Schilling(Head of Labs and co-founder)in
Co-investorsBalderton CapitalBayern KapitalBurda Principal InvestmentsCherry VenturesDeepTech & Climate FondsElaia+8 more
Redwood Materials deploys large-scale energy storage systems for data centers and grid power while recycling batteries to recover critical minerals like lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper as a domestic source of these materials.
Circular EconomyEnergyNew MaterialsCarson City, US
JB Straubel(Founder & CEO)inKevin Kassekert(Executive Officer)Jason Thompson(Executive Officer)in
BoardDavid Danielson(Director)in
Co-investorsBreakthrough Energy VenturesCoatue ManagementCollaborative FundCongruent VenturesEclipse VenturesFoothill Ventures+17 more
Rhoda.ai is an artificial intelligence company focused on engineering intelligence.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningRoboticsPalo Alto, US
Jagdeep Singh(CEO, Co-founder)inEric Chan(Chief Scientist, Co-founder)inGordon Wetzstein(Scientific Advisor, Co-founder)inAndrew Wooten(Chief Product Officer, Co-founder)inChangan Chen(Chief Research Officer, Co-founder)in
Co-investorsGigascale CapitalKhosla VenturesLG Technology VenturesMayfield FundMVP VenturesPrelude Ventures
RobCo develops autonomous industrial robots with AI capabilities that adapt to dynamic manufacturing environments, offering them through a Robotics-as-a-Service model to eliminate upfront investment and complexity.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningRoboticsMunich, DE
Co-investorsGreenfield Partners
Sora Fuel produces sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and diesel using a proprietary closed-loop direct air capture and conversion process that draws carbon from air rather than biomass or industrial feedstocks.
CleantechClimate TechEnergyCambridge, US
Curtis BerlinguetteinGareth Ross(Executive Officer, Director)inCurtis Belinguete(Director)
BoardPatrick Sarver(Director)inMarc Tarpenning(Director)inMichael Kearney(Director)in
Co-investorsInnovation UBCInspired CapitalSpero VenturesThe Engine VenturesWireframe Ventures
Stoke Space develops fully reusable rockets for space transportation and mobility services.
Advanced ManufacturingDeep TechHardwareSpace TechSeattle, US
Andy Lapsa(Founder)inTom Feldman(Founder)inKelly Hennig(Executive Officer)in
BoardChristian Garcia(Director)inPhil Harris(Director)inMorgan Beller(Director)in
Co-investorsAcequia Capital (AceCap)Aurelia FoundryBalerion Space VenturesBeyond CapitalBeyond Earth VenturesBreakthrough Energy Ventures+27 more
Xcimer Energy develops laser-driven inertial fusion technology, aiming to turn decades of fusion research into commercial fusion power plants that provide large-scale electricity while supporting air defense and national security applications.
CleantechDeep TechEnergyDenver, US
Conner Galloway(Executive Officer, Director)inAlexander Valys(President, Founder)inBrent Gill(Chief Operating Officer)inGary Sobolevskiy(General Counsel)in
Co-investorsBreakthrough Energy VenturesGigascale CapitalLOWERCARBONLowercarbon CapitalPrelude VenturesWireframe Ventures+1 more
Zap Energy develops advanced nuclear systems built on a shared platform that combines fission and fusion technologies to deliver firm, carbon-free electricity and process heat in modular, deployable formats.
CleantechDeep TechEnergyEverett, US
Benjamin Conway(Executive Officer, Director)Uri Shumlak(Director)inBrian Nelson(Executive Officer, Director)inBenj Conway(Founder)in
BoardClay Dumas(Director)inUdayan Das Roy(Director)
Co-investorsBreakthrough Energy VenturesDCVC (Data Collective)Energy Impact PartnersLowercarbon CapitalAdditionEmerson Collective Investing
Exits · 1
IPOs and acquisitions across the tracked portfolioFedExNYSE: FDX
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Pacific Fusion · nature.com · Aug 24, 2026
Proxima Fusion · proximafusion.com · Aug 19, 2026
Zap Energy · stockpil.com · Aug 16, 2026
Xcimer · techcrunch.com · Aug 15, 2026
FedEx · simplywall.st · Jul 18, 2026
Stoke Space · techcrunch.com · Jul 8, 2026
Proxima · finance.yahoo.com · Jul 7, 2026
Sora Fuel · siliconsnark.com · Apr 9, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Leitmotif made?
- Leitmotif has 16 tracked investments, including 2 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does Leitmotif invest at?
- Leitmotif invests at the Series B, Series C, Growth, Late Stage stages.
- What sectors does Leitmotif focus on?
- Leitmotif focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Circular Economy, Cleantech, Climate Tech, Deep Tech, Energy, Hardware, Mobility & Transportation, New Materials, Robotics, Space Tech.
- Where is Leitmotif located?
- Leitmotif is headquartered in Palo Alto, US.
- Who does Leitmotif co-invest with?
- Leitmotif most often shares deals with Breakthrough Energy Ventures, DCVC (Data Collective), Lowercarbon Capital, among 103 tracked co-investors.
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