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.
Nominal offers an engineering data infrastructure platform tailored for hardware teams, focusing on the validation of mission-critical systems. The platform integrates various data sources to analyze and visualize critical hardware information, facilitating effective communication between machines and human engineers. By streamlining workflows, Nominal enables engineers to gain essential insights, supporting timely and reliable decision-making in industrial settings.
Nominal
Series A in 2024
Nominal offers an engineering data infrastructure platform tailored for hardware teams, focusing on the validation of mission-critical systems. The platform integrates various data sources to analyze and visualize critical hardware information, facilitating effective communication between machines and human engineers. By streamlining workflows, Nominal enables engineers to gain essential insights, supporting timely and reliable decision-making in industrial settings.
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.
Gecko Robotics
Series C in 2023
Gecko Robotics, Inc. specializes in industrial inspection services, focusing on the maintenance and protection of critical infrastructure through advanced robotic technologies. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the company operates additional locations in Austin and Houston, Texas, as well as internationally in Seville, Spain, and Santiago, Chile. Gecko Robotics employs wall-climbing robots equipped with ultrasound transducers and high-definition cameras to conduct non-destructive testing in various industries, including power, oil and gas, and pulp and paper. By integrating these robotic solutions with an AI-driven data platform, Gecko provides clients with real-time insights into the health of their assets, enabling better decision-making and enhancing operational safety and efficiency.
Galvanick
Seed Round in 2022
Galvanick is a developer of a cybersecurity platform focused on securing industrial operations environments. The platform aggregates telemetry from various industrial settings, allowing for the contextualization of data to highlight critical malicious behavior. This enables operations and security teams to swiftly identify and respond to threats, thereby minimizing cyber risks to industrial infrastructure. By acting as an intelligence augmentation tool, Galvanick enhances human oversight in the cyber-physical realm, where actions can have significant real-world consequences. The cloud-native analysis platform facilitates quicker detection of anomalous behavior, helping industrial companies protect their most sensitive assets.
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.
Gecko Robotics
Series C in 2022
Gecko Robotics, Inc. specializes in industrial inspection services, focusing on the maintenance and protection of critical infrastructure through advanced robotic technologies. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the company operates additional locations in Austin and Houston, Texas, as well as internationally in Seville, Spain, and Santiago, Chile. Gecko Robotics employs wall-climbing robots equipped with ultrasound transducers and high-definition cameras to conduct non-destructive testing in various industries, including power, oil and gas, and pulp and paper. By integrating these robotic solutions with an AI-driven data platform, Gecko provides clients with real-time insights into the health of their assets, enabling better decision-making and enhancing operational safety and efficiency.
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.
Osaro
Series B in 2020
Osaro, Inc. is a San Francisco-based company that specializes in developing industrial-grade artificial intelligence software to automate manual picking and assembly tasks in distribution centers and manufacturing facilities. Founded in 2015, Osaro's solutions integrate advanced machine learning to enhance the efficiency of computer and robotic systems. The company's technology not only processes large amounts of unstructured data but also features powerful adaptive decision-making capabilities that allow machines to interact with their environment, learn from it, and achieve specific objectives. By improving the adaptability and intelligence of automated systems, Osaro aims to increase industrial productivity while enabling human workers to focus on more complex tasks, ultimately contributing to a safer workplace and enhanced supply chain resilience.
Gecko Robotics
Series B in 2019
Gecko Robotics, Inc. specializes in industrial inspection services, focusing on the maintenance and protection of critical infrastructure through advanced robotic technologies. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the company operates additional locations in Austin and Houston, Texas, as well as internationally in Seville, Spain, and Santiago, Chile. Gecko Robotics employs wall-climbing robots equipped with ultrasound transducers and high-definition cameras to conduct non-destructive testing in various industries, including power, oil and gas, and pulp and paper. By integrating these robotic solutions with an AI-driven data platform, Gecko provides clients with real-time insights into the health of their assets, enabling better decision-making and enhancing operational safety and efficiency.
Osaro
Series B in 2019
Osaro, Inc. is a San Francisco-based company that specializes in developing industrial-grade artificial intelligence software to automate manual picking and assembly tasks in distribution centers and manufacturing facilities. Founded in 2015, Osaro's solutions integrate advanced machine learning to enhance the efficiency of computer and robotic systems. The company's technology not only processes large amounts of unstructured data but also features powerful adaptive decision-making capabilities that allow machines to interact with their environment, learn from it, and achieve specific objectives. By improving the adaptability and intelligence of automated systems, Osaro aims to increase industrial productivity while enabling human workers to focus on more complex tasks, ultimately contributing to a safer workplace and enhanced supply chain resilience.
Emerald Cloud Lab
Series C in 2019
Emerald Cloud Lab, Inc. is a biotechnology company based in South San Francisco, California, that develops an innovative life sciences laboratory designed to streamline and enhance scientific research. Founded in 2010 by two scientists, the company aims to address the challenges of rising research and development costs in the pharmaceutical industry by automating and optimizing laboratory workflows. The Emerald Cloud Laboratory provides a comprehensive facility that manages various aspects of laboratory operations, including method design, materials logistics, sample preparation, instrument operation, data acquisition, analysis, and waste disposal. This approach allows researchers to focus on designing experiments and analyzing results rather than on routine tasks, thereby accelerating the pace of innovation in life sciences. Emerald's commitment to improving laboratory efficiency reflects a vision of driving significant advancements in research and development akin to the technological shifts seen in the semiconductor industry.
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.
Nanotronics Imaging
Series D in 2017
Nanotronics Imaging, Inc. specializes in the manufacture of optical microscopes and advanced imaging solutions, integrating artificial intelligence and automation to enhance industrial inspection processes. The company's platform streamlines the inspection of various advanced technologies, including semiconductors, microchips, and aerospace hardware. Key offerings include the nSpec, an automated optical inspection system designed for analyzing transparent and semi-transparent wafers, and the nSpec 3D, which provides detailed surface topographies and roughness measurements for industries such as medical devices and automotive. Nanotronics Imaging also engages in hardware prototyping and production services, selling a range of products including automated microscopes, measuring systems, and custom setups. Founded in 2007, the company operates from its headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, with additional locations in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and Hollister, California.
Elemental Machines
Seed Round in 2016
Elemental Machines, Inc., founded in 2014 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, operates within the technology sector, focusing on revolutionizing science-based industries through its smart lab platform. This platform leverages artificial intelligence to provide data-driven insights that enhance laboratory operations, research, development, and manufacturing processes. By continuously monitoring equipment and environmental variables using intelligent sensors, it offers improved clarity, transparency, consistency, and repeatability. The system also sends alerts via text and email for any anomalous results, facilitating clients in refining and accelerating their work across all stages of product innovation. Through the collection of new data sets, Elemental Machines enables advanced analytics that supports experimental reproducibility and optimizes operational efficiency.
Emerald Cloud Lab
Venture Round in 2014
Emerald Cloud Lab, Inc. is a biotechnology company based in South San Francisco, California, that develops an innovative life sciences laboratory designed to streamline and enhance scientific research. Founded in 2010 by two scientists, the company aims to address the challenges of rising research and development costs in the pharmaceutical industry by automating and optimizing laboratory workflows. The Emerald Cloud Laboratory provides a comprehensive facility that manages various aspects of laboratory operations, including method design, materials logistics, sample preparation, instrument operation, data acquisition, analysis, and waste disposal. This approach allows researchers to focus on designing experiments and analyzing results rather than on routine tasks, thereby accelerating the pace of innovation in life sciences. Emerald's commitment to improving laboratory efficiency reflects a vision of driving significant advancements in research and development akin to the technological shifts seen in the semiconductor industry.
Nanotronics Imaging
Series B in 2013
Nanotronics Imaging, Inc. specializes in the manufacture of optical microscopes and advanced imaging solutions, integrating artificial intelligence and automation to enhance industrial inspection processes. The company's platform streamlines the inspection of various advanced technologies, including semiconductors, microchips, and aerospace hardware. Key offerings include the nSpec, an automated optical inspection system designed for analyzing transparent and semi-transparent wafers, and the nSpec 3D, which provides detailed surface topographies and roughness measurements for industries such as medical devices and automotive. Nanotronics Imaging also engages in hardware prototyping and production services, selling a range of products including automated microscopes, measuring systems, and custom setups. Founded in 2007, the company operates from its headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, with additional locations in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and Hollister, California.
Emerald Cloud Lab
Venture Round in 2010
Emerald Cloud Lab, Inc. is a biotechnology company based in South San Francisco, California, that develops an innovative life sciences laboratory designed to streamline and enhance scientific research. Founded in 2010 by two scientists, the company aims to address the challenges of rising research and development costs in the pharmaceutical industry by automating and optimizing laboratory workflows. The Emerald Cloud Laboratory provides a comprehensive facility that manages various aspects of laboratory operations, including method design, materials logistics, sample preparation, instrument operation, data acquisition, analysis, and waste disposal. This approach allows researchers to focus on designing experiments and analyzing results rather than on routine tasks, thereby accelerating the pace of innovation in life sciences. Emerald's commitment to improving laboratory efficiency reflects a vision of driving significant advancements in research and development akin to the technological shifts seen in the semiconductor industry.
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