Founders Fund

Founders Fund, Inc. is a venture capital firm headquartered in San Francisco, California, established in 2005. The firm specializes in investing across various stages, including seed, early, mid, and growth stages, with a focus on transformative technologies. Founders Fund targets a wide range of sectors, such as aerospace, artificial intelligence, advanced computing, biotechnology, cybersecurity, energy, fintech, and consumer internet. The firm aims to support companies that are developing revolutionary technologies and typically invests between $500,000 and $300 million in its portfolio companies. Founders Fund's partners have a strong background in technology, having been investors, founders, and early employees of notable technology companies, including PayPal. The firm seeks to make investments globally, emphasizing innovation and impact.

Delian Asparouhov

Principal

Leigh Marie Braswell

Principal

Lauren Gross

Partner and COO

Jeffrey Lonsdale

Managing Director, Asia

John Luttig

Principal

Amin Mirzadegan

Principal

Scott Nolan

Partner

Luke Nosek

Managing Partner

Neil Ruthven

CFO

Brian Singerman

Partner

Napoleon Ta

Partner

Matias Van Thienen

Principal

Past deals in Autonomous Vehicles

Flock Safety

Series F in 2025
Flock Safety specializes in security solutions centered around automated license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras, which are utilized by neighborhoods, law enforcement agencies, and businesses. Their primary product captures and analyzes vehicle license plates to aid in crime prevention and resolution. The system not only helps local law enforcement by providing critical data during investigations but also proactively alerts them when stolen vehicles enter monitored areas. This technology fosters community engagement, allowing residents to assist in maintaining safety by sharing relevant information with police. By integrating the efforts of communities, schools, and law enforcement, Flock Safety aims to create safer environments while prioritizing privacy and data protection.

Hextronics

Seed Round in 2024
Hextronics is an engineering company founded in 2020 by Curt Lary and based in Miami, Florida. The company specializes in developing battery-swapping drones tailored for the agriculture, government, and construction sectors, enabling enhanced aerial autonomy and continuous operations. Hextronics offers a diverse range of drones equipped with various features, along with drone accessories and computer vision algorithms, to support clients in automating their drone operations effectively. Through its innovative Drone-in-a-Box solution with Rapid Battery Exchange, Hextronics aims to streamline and improve the efficiency of drone applications across multiple industries.

Hadrian

Series B in 2024
Hadrian is a startup focused on manufacturing precision components for the aerospace and defense industries. It specializes in creating autonomous, software-defined factories that produce critical parts for technology companies involved in building rockets, satellites, jets, and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. By streamlining the production process and reducing costs, Hadrian enables frontier technology enterprises to efficiently manufacture advanced aerospace systems.

ISEE

Series B in 2022
ISEE, Inc. is an autonomous driving technology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, established in 2016. The company specializes in developing artificial intelligence-driven software and hardware solutions for self-driving vehicles, with a focus on modernizing the global supply chain. ISEE's autonomous yard trucks are utilized by major clients, including Maersk and various Fortune 100 retailers, to enhance the automation of logistics hubs. The company's proprietary technology excels at predicting human behavior and managing risk, allowing for improved safety, cost efficiency, and consistent performance in yard operations. By enabling seamless and safe operation of autonomous machines, ISEE aims to transform the logistics and supply chain industries.

Built Robotics

Series C in 2022
Built Robotics Inc. develops automation technology solutions for the construction industry, focusing on transforming heavy equipment into autonomous robots. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in San Francisco, the company utilizes AI guidance systems that integrate various sensors, including GPS, cameras, and Lidar, with advanced software. These systems are retrofitted onto earthmoving equipment, allowing machines to operate fully autonomously. Built Robotics' technology is employed in building critical infrastructure such as wind farms, oil and gas pipelines, mining operations, and new housing developments. By automating repetitive tasks, the company addresses workforce shortages in sectors like solar energy, thus contributing to the transition to clean energy.

Hadrian

Series A in 2022
Hadrian is a startup focused on manufacturing precision components for the aerospace and defense industries. It specializes in creating autonomous, software-defined factories that produce critical parts for technology companies involved in building rockets, satellites, jets, and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. By streamlining the production process and reducing costs, Hadrian enables frontier technology enterprises to efficiently manufacture advanced aerospace systems.

Hadrian

Seed Round in 2021
Hadrian is a startup focused on manufacturing precision components for the aerospace and defense industries. It specializes in creating autonomous, software-defined factories that produce critical parts for technology companies involved in building rockets, satellites, jets, and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. By streamlining the production process and reducing costs, Hadrian enables frontier technology enterprises to efficiently manufacture advanced aerospace systems.

Scale AI

Series E in 2021
Scale AI, Inc. develops a data platform that specializes in providing training and validation data for artificial intelligence applications. Founded in 2016 and based in San Francisco, the company offers various annotation platforms, including Scale 3D Sensor Fusion for 3D sensor data, Scale Image for images, Scale Video for videos, Scale Text for text annotation, and Scale Document for intelligent document processing. These products facilitate a range of tasks such as content moderation, transcription, and data comparison across multiple sectors, including autonomous vehicles, e-commerce, conversational AI, and robotics. By enabling companies to focus on building advanced AI models rather than labeling data, Scale AI supports clients in accelerating the development of their artificial intelligence applications.

Ghost Autonomy

Funding Round in 2021
Ghost Autonomy is focused on making self-driving technology accessible to the consumer car market. The company develops a software-defined autonomous driving platform that leverages advancements in artificial intelligence to ensure highway autonomy is both safe and scalable. Its platform includes AI-enabled software that encompasses a perception system, planning and decision-making algorithms, and vehicle control software. This comprehensive offering allows automakers and suppliers to integrate autonomous driving capabilities into their vehicles efficiently, minimizing the need for extensive hardware modifications. Through its innovative approach, Ghost aims to facilitate the widespread adoption of autonomous driving technology in everyday vehicles.

Ghost Autonomy

Series C in 2019
Ghost Autonomy is focused on making self-driving technology accessible to the consumer car market. The company develops a software-defined autonomous driving platform that leverages advancements in artificial intelligence to ensure highway autonomy is both safe and scalable. Its platform includes AI-enabled software that encompasses a perception system, planning and decision-making algorithms, and vehicle control software. This comprehensive offering allows automakers and suppliers to integrate autonomous driving capabilities into their vehicles efficiently, minimizing the need for extensive hardware modifications. Through its innovative approach, Ghost aims to facilitate the widespread adoption of autonomous driving technology in everyday vehicles.

ISEE

Series A in 2019
ISEE, Inc. is an autonomous driving technology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, established in 2016. The company specializes in developing artificial intelligence-driven software and hardware solutions for self-driving vehicles, with a focus on modernizing the global supply chain. ISEE's autonomous yard trucks are utilized by major clients, including Maersk and various Fortune 100 retailers, to enhance the automation of logistics hubs. The company's proprietary technology excels at predicting human behavior and managing risk, allowing for improved safety, cost efficiency, and consistent performance in yard operations. By enabling seamless and safe operation of autonomous machines, ISEE aims to transform the logistics and supply chain industries.

Scale AI

Series C in 2019
Scale AI, Inc. develops a data platform that specializes in providing training and validation data for artificial intelligence applications. Founded in 2016 and based in San Francisco, the company offers various annotation platforms, including Scale 3D Sensor Fusion for 3D sensor data, Scale Image for images, Scale Video for videos, Scale Text for text annotation, and Scale Document for intelligent document processing. These products facilitate a range of tasks such as content moderation, transcription, and data comparison across multiple sectors, including autonomous vehicles, e-commerce, conversational AI, and robotics. By enabling companies to focus on building advanced AI models rather than labeling data, Scale AI supports clients in accelerating the development of their artificial intelligence applications.

Flock Safety

Series A in 2018
Flock Safety specializes in security solutions centered around automated license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras, which are utilized by neighborhoods, law enforcement agencies, and businesses. Their primary product captures and analyzes vehicle license plates to aid in crime prevention and resolution. The system not only helps local law enforcement by providing critical data during investigations but also proactively alerts them when stolen vehicles enter monitored areas. This technology fosters community engagement, allowing residents to assist in maintaining safety by sharing relevant information with police. By integrating the efforts of communities, schools, and law enforcement, Flock Safety aims to create safer environments while prioritizing privacy and data protection.

Built Robotics

Series A in 2017
Built Robotics Inc. develops automation technology solutions for the construction industry, focusing on transforming heavy equipment into autonomous robots. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in San Francisco, the company utilizes AI guidance systems that integrate various sensors, including GPS, cameras, and Lidar, with advanced software. These systems are retrofitted onto earthmoving equipment, allowing machines to operate fully autonomously. Built Robotics' technology is employed in building critical infrastructure such as wind farms, oil and gas pipelines, mining operations, and new housing developments. By automating repetitive tasks, the company addresses workforce shortages in sectors like solar energy, thus contributing to the transition to clean energy.

Hive

Series A in 2016
Hive is a San Francisco-based company that specializes in cloud-based artificial intelligence solutions aimed at enhancing business processes through deep learning and computer vision. It offers a range of products, including Hive Media, an analytics platform for broadcasters and advertisers; Hive Security, which provides video analytics and visual intelligence software; Hive Auto, focusing on visual perception for autonomous vehicles; and Hive Retail, which delivers custom deep learning solutions for retail operations. With a significant portfolio of pre-trained AI models, Hive supports billions of API requests monthly and addresses critical business needs such as content moderation, brand protection, and ad targeting. The company has raised substantial capital from prominent investors and employs over 175 full-time staff, complemented by a global network of contributors for data labeling operations. Hive was incorporated in 2013 and has established itself as a leader in AI technology for diverse enterprise applications.
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