What Matter Venture Partners does

Matter Venture Partners LLC (dba Matter VP) is a private venture capital firm purpose-built for early-stage HardTech investments. Founded by Wen Hsieh (Founding Managing Partner) and Haomiao Huang (Founding Partner), both former Kleiner Perkins investors with nearly two decades of operating experience, the firm is headquartered in Silicon Valley, USA with additional offices in Los Angeles, Taiwan, and Japan. The seven-person team invests in founders developing deep technologies spanning semiconductors (Ambiq), AI robotics (Path Robotics, Anvil Robotics, Tacta Systems, Rhoda AI), biotech and AI (Biostate.AI), advanced manufacturing (Lumafield), aerospace (Cesium Astro), AI infrastructure (Eridu), supply chain and logistics (Kargo), healthtech (Oura), and medical devices (LightForce). The firm operates a vertically-focused investment thesis targeting HardTech startups across semiconductors, robotics, advanced manufacturing, batteries, displays, sensors, and cloud computing.

The firm's business model follows standard venture capital economics: management fees (typically ~2% of assets under management annually) on committed capital plus carried interest (typically ~20%) on profits from successful portfolio exits. Matter VP does not publicly disclose fund sizes or fee structures. The firm differentiates through strategic limited partner relationships with major semiconductor and manufacturing companies — most notably TSMC (Flagship LP) and Quanta Computer ($20M strategic investment in Fund II announced December 2025) — which provide portfolio companies with early customers, supply chain access, and manufacturing scale-up support.

The firm's go-to-motion is sales-led and referral-driven, leveraging the founding partners' longstanding Kleiner Perkins networks, portfolio company referrals, and HardTech industry events to source deals. Portfolio support is delivered through operational expertise, board participation (e.g., Wen Hsieh joined ChipAgents' board), strategic introductions (e.g., Haomiao Huang's clinical collaborator introductions for Biostate.AI), and direct manufacturing/supply chain partnerships through the LP network. The portfolio has produced at least one notable exit (Ambiq's $423M IPO), and recent deployment activity includes leading rounds in OpenLight ($50M Series A-1, April 2026), ChipAgents ($50M Series A1, February 2026), Anvil Robotics ($5.5M seed, April 2026), Tacta Systems ($11M seed, 2025), and participating in Eridu ($200M+ Series A, March 2026), Rhoda AI ($450M Series A, March 2026), Kargo ($42M Series B, December 2025), and Lumafield ($75M Series C, March 2025). The firm expanded its geographic mandate in June 2026 through a strategic partnership with NUS Enterprise and Playground Global for the $117M NUS VC Programme focused on Singapore deep tech.

Name

Matter Venture Partners

Legal name

Matter Venture Partners LLC

Website

https://mattervp.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Matter Venture Partners is a HardTech-focused venture capital firm that provides early-stage capital, operational expertise, and strategic manufacturing/supply chain partnerships to founders developing deep technologies. The firm serves HardTech startups across semiconductors, robotics, advanced manufacturing, biotech, aerospace, and healthtech.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital Investment

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Strategic Partnership & Ecosystem Investment Arms (FSANAHAF), Joint Venture CVC / Consortium Funds (Multi-corporate) (FSANAHAE), Corporate Strategic Real Assets & Infrastructure Venture Investing (FSANAHAN)

Keywords

• Venture capital services
• Hardtech investments
• Deep tech funding
• Startup equity financing
• Hardware technology capital

Headquarters

HQ city

Manhattan Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Management Fees: VC firms typically charge management fees on committed capital, typically 2% of assets under management annually.
2. Carried Interest: VC firms generate returns through carried interest (typically 20%) on profits from successful portfolio exits, aligning GP and LP interests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Matter Venture Partners is a hands-on HardTech venture capital firm that invests equity capital in early-stage founders developing deep technologies in semiconductors, robotics, advanced manufacturing, biotech, aerospace, AI infrastructure, and adjacent hardware-software categories. In addition to capital, the firm provides operational support, strategic guidance, and supply-chain introductions through its limited-partner network, which is anchored by TSMC and includes other major semiconductor and manufacturing companies.

Product overview

Matter Venture Partners is a HardTech venture capital firm (TSMC-backed) that operates as a platform providing investment capital, operational expertise, and strategic manufacturing partnerships to early-stage deep tech founders. Rather than a unified software product, the firm's offering is its investment platform and portfolio of portfolio companies spanning semiconductors (Ambiq), healthtech (Oura), AI robotics (Anvil Robotics, Path Robotics, Rhoda AI), biotech (Biostate.AI, Tacta Systems), aerospace (Cesium Astro), smart mobility (Eridu), logistics (Kargo), advanced manufacturing (Lumafield), and healthcare devices (LightForce). The firm differentiates through strategic LP relationships with semiconductor and manufacturing leaders that provide portfolio companies with supply chain access and scale-up support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Matter Venture Partners Venture Fund Investment Services Hands-on HardTech venture fund services providing early-stage equity capital, operational expertise, and strategic relationships (notably via TSMC and other LP partners) to founders developing deep technologies across semiconductors, robotics, advanced manufacturing, biotech, aerospace, AI infrastructure, and adjacent hardware-software categories. Designed for founders seeking both capital and executional support to scale HardTech innovation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Portfolio companies have achieved successful exits including Ambiq's $423M IPO

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability46 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NUS EnterprisecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Matter Venture Partners partnered with NUS Enterprise to join its $117 million NUS VC Programme designed to support early-stage deep tech innovation in Singapore. The partnership includes $39 million for direct investments in venture firms with early-stage deep tech track records and $78 million for co-investments alongside partners in NUS-affiliated startups. NUS Enterprise will establish its first global outpost at Playground Global's Silicon Valley incubation facility.
• Playground GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Matter Venture Partners partnered with Playground Global as part of the $117 million NUS VC Programme. Playground Global's 70,000-square-foot Silicon Valley incubation facility will serve as NUS Enterprise's first global outpost, providing NUS-backed founders with access to labs, prototyping tools, and US market exposure.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Playground Global: HardTech-focused venture firm investing in semiconductors, robotics, and advanced manufacturing; Matter has partnered with Playground on the NUS VC Programme, confirming direct comparability on stage, sector focus, and HardTech thesis.
• Lux Capital: Deep tech and HardTech VC investing in semiconductors, robotics, space, and biotech; closely comparable to Matter in vertical specialization on hard science and engineering startups.
• DCVC (Data Collective): Deep tech venture firm investing in computational, materials, and HardTech startups; comparable to Matter in its deep technical specialization and willingness to back hardware-heavy companies.
• Engine Ventures (formerly Bolt): HardTech-focused seed and early-stage venture firm investing in robotics, transportation, and advanced manufacturing; highly comparable in stage focus and HardTech specialization.
• Obvious Ventures: Deep tech and HardTech-oriented venture firm with portfolio overlap in healthtech, mobility, and sustainable infrastructure; comparable in mission-driven HardTech investing approach.

Broad incumbents

• Khosla Ventures: Large venture firm with significant HardTech and deep-tech exposure (e.g., co-investor in Rhoda AI's Series A); broader portfolio than Matter but overlapping HardTech thesis and comparable role as a multi-stage deep tech investor.
• Kleiner Perkins: Founding partners Wen Hsieh and Haomiao Huang's former firm; Kleiner Perkins has a long-standing HardTech practice and remains a broader, multi-stage competitor in semiconductors and deep tech.
• Andreessen Horowitz (a16z): Large multi-stage VC with an explicit American Dynamism / HardTech practice covering semiconductors, defense, and manufacturing; overlaps with Matter's portfolio themes at much greater AUM scale.
• Founders Fund: Multi-stage venture firm investing across frontier tech including space, biotech, and advanced computing; comparable in HardTech exposure but more software/tech-leaning than Matter's hardware-centric thesis.

Others

• TSMC (Corporate Venture Arm): Strategic LP and ecosystem partner for Matter; functions as a corporate CVC arm investing in semiconductor startups and a critical supply-chain counterpart for HardTech founders — more ecosystem enabler than direct competing GP.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mattervp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments24 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Matter Venture Partners