Ponderosa Ventures
Venture capitalActively deployingSan Francisco · Pre-Seed–Series A
Investment thesis
Ponderosa Ventures invests $100,000 to $750,000 in pre-seed and seed stage companies focused on food, agriculture, and ocean industries. The firm targets businesses addressing climate, biodiversity, water, and human health challenges.
What they invest in
from 4 of 4 portfolio companiesClimate Tech ×3AI & Machine Learning ×1Biotech ×1Circular Economy ×1Cleantech ×1Construction Tech ×1Deep Tech ×1FoodTech ×1
HQs:United Kingdom×1United States×1
Investments · 4 tracked
founders shown can be your intro path
Modern Synthesis is a biotechnology company that grows microbially-derived biomaterials from bacterial nanocellulose to replace animal leather and plastic-based synthetic textiles.
BiotechCircular EconomyNew MaterialsLondon, GB
Jen Keane(Co-founder & CEO)inBen Reeve(Co-founder & CTO)Louis Graham(Founder)in
Co-investorsArtesianExtantia CapitalAcequia Capital (AceCap)AgFunderCollaborative FundIMO Ventures+3 more
CREW is a Yale spinout that adds calcium carbonate (ground limestone) to wastewater treatment plants to intensify biological treatment, cut chemical costs, and permanently remove carbon dioxide.
CleantechClimate TechDeep TechNew Haven, US
Joachim Katchinoff(Co-founder & CEO)inNoah Planavsky(Co-Founder & Scientific Advisor)in
Co-investorsAP VenturesConnecticut InnovationsCounteract OneEcho River CapitalEmerald Technology Ventures AgSony Ventures Corporation+2 more
Mondra builds an AI-powered platform that creates product-level "digital twins" of agri-food supply chains, giving retailers, brands, and suppliers visibility into sourcing risk, carbon emissions, and regulatory traceability.
AI & Machine LearningClimate TechFoodTech
Tom Holden(Chief Product Officer)
Co-investorsAlbionVCGreen Circle Foodtech VenturesPlanet A VenturesPeakBridge VCSwisscom Ventures
Terranova uses terraforming robots to raise and reshape land in flood-prone regions, enabling construction of housing, commercial, and industrial projects with rapid consolidation.
Climate TechConstruction TechHardware
Co-investorsCongruent VenturesGoAhead VenturesOutlander
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesTerranova · cnbc.com · Jun 2, 2026
Crew Carbon · esgtoday.com · May 18, 2026
Mondra · eu-startups.com · Feb 18, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Ponderosa Ventures invest at?
- Ponderosa Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What is Ponderosa Ventures's typical check size?
- Ponderosa Ventures typically writes checks of $100K – $750K.
- What sectors does Ponderosa Ventures focus on?
- Ponderosa Ventures focuses on AgTech, Biotech, FoodTech, IoT.
- Where is Ponderosa Ventures located?
- Ponderosa Ventures is headquartered in San Francisco, US.
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