Leitmotif
Venture capitalPalo Alto · Series B–Late Stage · 2 people tracked
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 Aug 18, 2026.
Team · 2 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 14 of 16 portfolio companiesEnergy ×8Cleantech ×6Deep Tech ×5Advanced Manufacturing ×4Climate Tech ×4Hardware ×4AI & Machine Learning ×3Circular Economy ×3
HQs:United States×6Germany×3Sweden×1
Investments · 16 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathEnzymatic recycling of polymers
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
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)Phillip Weicker(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Benjamin Dusastre(Executive Officer)Ryan Clinton(Director)inWilliam Eberts(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardGilbert Passin(Director)
Lunar Energy makes a home energy system that generates, stores, and uses solar power to reduce electricity bills and support grid stability.
CleantechEnergyHardware
Mark Holveck(Founder)in
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 TechEnergy
Keith LeChien(Founder)in
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
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)
BoardDavid Danielson(Director)in
Rhoda.ai is an artificial intelligence company focused on engineering intelligence.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningRobotics
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
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
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)
BoardChristian Garcia(Director)inPhil Harris(Director)inMorgan Beller(Director)in
Syre operates textile-to-textile recycling to produce circular polyester from textile waste, building gigascale recycling plants and partnerships across the textile and automotive value chains.
Advanced ManufacturingCircular EconomyClimate TechNew MaterialsStockholm, SE
Susanna Campbell(Chair & Co-founder)Dennis Nobelius(CEO)Jad Finck(Chief Commercial Officer)Scott Pearson(Chief Technology Officer)
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)Brian Nelson(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardClay Dumas(Director)Udayan Das Roy(Director)Aaron Schildkrout(Director)
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesProxima Fusion · proximafusion.com · Aug 19, 2026
Zap Energy · stockpil.com · Aug 16, 2026
Xcimer · techcrunch.com · Aug 15, 2026
Stoke Space · techcrunch.com · Jul 8, 2026
Sora Fuel · esgtoday.com · Apr 9, 2026
Rhoda AI · evertiq.com · Mar 20, 2026
Lunar Energy · b.capital · Mar 19, 2026
Redwood Materials · finsmes.com · Jan 30, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Leitmotif made?
- Leitmotif has 16 tracked investments, including 1 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 DCVC (Data Collective), Prelude Ventures, In-Q-Tel, among 96 tracked co-investors.
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