Commonweal Ventures
Commonweal Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm investing $500K-$2.5M in pre-seed and seed companies building technology with government across health, energy, defense, and public safety, leveraging founder networks from the Obama White House.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Commonweal Ventures does
Commonweal Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm investing $500,000 to $2.5 million in pre-seed and seed stage companies that build technology in partnership with government to address national challenges in sectors including health, energy, defense, public safety, aerospace, logistics, manufacturing, cybersecurity, infrastructure, finance, real estate, and government services. Founded by former Obama White House officials Nate Loewentheil and Ron Bloom, the firm differentiates on access to a curated network of senior government advisors (former EPA Administrator Carol Browner, former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, former FERC Chair Neil Chatterjee) and successful operator-mentors (Astranis, Altana, OpenGov founders), positioning itself as a specialist investor in what it terms the 'AmTech' or American Technology ecosystem.
The firm's core offering combines check-writing with hands-on government partnership development, helping portfolio companies navigate procurement, regulatory complexity, and public-sector channel access. It both leads and follows in rounds, with visible 2025-2026 activity spanning pre-seed through Series B across companies such as Multitude Insights (law enforcement AI), Greatly Health (virtual oncology), Grid Aero (autonomous aircraft), Starbridge (public-sector procurement data), Clipbook (communications AI), Proximity (340B drug pricing platform), Euclid Power (renewable energy AI), Crux (clean energy tax credits), Atomic Canyon (nuclear AI), Sharp Performance (public-safety coaching), and Advocate (federal benefits access). The firm has no proprietary technology stack or software products; its 'product' is the investment and advisory relationship itself.
Commonweal generates revenue through standard venture fund economics, principally management fees on committed capital and carried interest on fund returns, with no public disclosure of fund size, AUM, or revenue. Its go-to-market relies on direct founder relationships for deal flow and content marketing (a monthly 'Political Capital' newsletter, podcast, LinkedIn presence, and the proprietary American Tech white paper) for top-of-funnel LP and founder engagement. The investment team has expanded from two founders to include Harrison Marks (Principal, ex-Bain/Schmidt Futures/White House), Zac Geinzer (Associate, ex-Tusk Ventures), and Ashwin Vasan (Operating Partner, former NYC Health Commissioner).
Commonweal Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Commonweal Ventures
- Legal name
- Commonweal Ventures
- Website
- https://commonwealventures.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Commonweal Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm investing $500K-$2.5M in pre-seed and seed companies building technology with government across health, energy, defense, and public safety, leveraging founder networks from the Obama White House.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Commonweal Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB), SDG / Thematic Sustainable Investment Funds (FSANAJAN)
Keywords
Commonweal Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Fund Returns: Commonweal generates returns through equity investments in early-stage companies. The firm takes ownership stakes in portfolio companies and realizes returns through exits via IPOs, acquisitions, or secondary transactions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Pre-seed and Seed Investments |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Commonweal Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Commonweal Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests $500,000 to $2.5 million per company in pre-seed and seed stage rounds, both leading and following. It targets category-winning companies at the intersection of technology and government in sectors including health, energy, defense, public safety, aerospace, manufacturing, cybersecurity, infrastructure, finance, real estate, and government services. The firm provides founders with capital, strategic guidance, and access to its network of former government officials and unicorn founders.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Political Capital: The firm's monthly newsletter covering government technology, defense, energy and innovation topics.
- AmTech
Products and services
- Pre-seed and Seed Venture Capital Investment
- American Tech White Paper Research
- Political Capital Newsletter
- Political Capital Podcast
Quantifiable outcome
- Government intervention drove 24% of all venture-backed unicorn outcomes during 2003-2023
Companies that use Commonweal Ventures
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Commonweal Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Commonweal Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Mark43coreStrategic partnership with Multitude Insights to integrate BLTN platform into Mark43's modern Records Management System workflows for law enforcement
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Commonweal Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- In-Q-Tel: The CIA's strategic venture capital arm, investing in early-stage technologies relevant to the U.S. intelligence community and broader government. Directly comparable to Commonweal as a government-anchored early-stage VC with mission-driven thesis.
- Shield Capital: An early-stage venture firm investing in technologies critical to U.S. national security, including defense, intelligence, cybersecurity, and dual-use commercial tech. Closely comparable to Commonweal's defense-and-government thesis at the seed stage.
- DataTribe: A startup studio and seed investor co-founded with the NSA to launch cybersecurity and government-tech companies. Comparable as a government-anchored seed investor with deep federal-agency relationships.
- Lux Capital: An early-stage venture firm investing in 'counter-conventional' science and technology companies, including defense, space, energy, and government-tech adjacencies. Comparable on sector overlap (energy, aerospace, defense) and seed-stage orientation.
Broad incumbents
- Andreessen Horowitz (American Dynamism): Mega-fund that has built a dedicated 'American Dynamism' practice around government, defense, manufacturing, energy, and public-sector technology. A co-investor in multiple Commonweal portfolio companies and the dominant incumbent shaping the government-tech category.
- Founders Fund: A multi-stage venture firm with deep defense and government-tech exposure (Peter Thiel's defense-tech interests, investments in SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril). Comparable on government-tech thesis even though the firm is broader.
- 8VC: A venture firm founded by Joe Lonsdale with a portfolio heavily concentrated in defense, government IT, and logistics (e.g., Addepar, Palantir-adjacent companies). Comparable on government-tech orientation and founder network overlap.
- B Capital Group: A global multi-stage venture firm with active investment in government technology, public-sector software, and healthcare. Comparable on seed-to-growth check sizes and government-tech overlap, though broader in mandate.
- Khosla Ventures: A broad venture firm with significant exposure to climate, energy, and government-adjacent startups. A repeat co-investor in Commonweal portfolio companies and comparable on energy/climate/cleantech focus.
Emerging players
- Pear VC: An early-stage venture firm co-leading seed rounds alongside Commonweal (e.g., Greatly Health's $4M seed). Comparable on pre-seed/seed orientation in healthcare and frontier tech, though narrower in government-tech specialization.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Commonweal Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceCommonweal Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Commonweal Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Commonweal Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Commonweal Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments17 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Commonweal Ventures
What does Commonweal Ventures do?
Commonweal Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests $500,000 to $2.5 million per company in pre-seed and seed stage rounds, both leading and following. It targets category-winning companies at the intersection of technology and government in sectors including health, energy, defense, public safety, aerospace, manufacturing, cybersecurity, infrastructure, finance, real estate, and government services. The firm provides founders with capital, strategic guidance, and access to its network of former government officials and unicorn founders.
Is Commonweal Ventures a public or private company?
Commonweal Ventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Commonweal Ventures founded?
Commonweal Ventures was founded in 2024. It employs 1 to 10 people.
How does Commonweal Ventures make money?
One revenue line is on record: fund Returns.
Who are Commonweal Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are In-Q-Tel, Shield Capital, DataTribe and Lux Capital. Broad incumbents are Andreessen Horowitz (American Dynamism), Founders Fund, 8VC, B Capital Group and Khosla Ventures. Pear VC is listed as an emerging player.
Does Commonweal Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Commonweal Ventures.
What industry is Commonweal Ventures in?
Commonweal Ventures's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAD, Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists), with a secondary code of FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.