Forward Deployed Venture Capital
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Forward Deployed Venture Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Forward Deployed Venture Capital
- Legal name
- Forward Deployed Venture Capital
- Website
- https://deployed.vc
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Forward Deployed Venture Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital / Private Equity Fund Management
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282), Investors, Nec (6799)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
Keywords
Where Forward Deployed Venture Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Forward Deployed Venture Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Management Fees: Annual management fees charged on committed capital under management
- Carried Interest: Performance-based carried interest (20% typical) on investment returns above the hurdle rate, representing the primary upside for the GP
Go-to-market motion1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Forward Deployed Venture Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Forward Deployed Venture Capital manages an early-stage venture capital fund (FDVC Fund I) that invests in mission-critical technology startups across defense, energy, industrials, and artificial intelligence. The firm deploys LP capital into seed, Series A, and Series B rounds of dual-use technology companies and supplements capital with operator-led portfolio support derived from the General Partner's prior Palantir defense-team experience. The firm does not sell a software or hardware product; its offering is fund management services combined with strategic and operational guidance to portfolio companies.
Product overview
Forward Deployed Venture Capital (FDVC) is a venture capital firm that provides investment and capital deployment to early-stage technology companies in mission-critical sectors including Defense, Energy, Industrials, and Artificial Intelligence. As a single-entity investment vehicle rather than a product company, FDVC does not offer a product portfolio or platform architecture. The firm is led by General Partner Mark Scianna, a former Palantir founding defense team member, and focuses on identifying and funding companies developing foundational infrastructure and dual-use technologies across defense, logistics, energy, and operations sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- FDVC Fund I FDVC Fund I is Forward Deployed Venture Capital's inaugural institutional early-stage venture capital fund. It invests LP capital into seed, Series A, and Series B rounds of mission-critical technology startups in defense, energy, industrials, and AI, and provides operator-led portfolio support drawn from the General Partner's prior Palantir defense-team experience. The fund is targeted at institutional Limited Partners and high net worth individuals seeking top-decile venture exposure to defense and dual-use technology.
Quantifiable outcome
- 43% IRR over 12-year track record (2010-2021)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Forward Deployed Venture Capital
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Forward Deployed Venture Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Forward Deployed Venture Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Forward Deployed Venture Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- 8VC: Operator-led venture firm with a defense, logistics, and government-tech focus. Co-invested alongside FDVC in Oklo (IPO exit) and Govly and pursues a similar early-stage, mission-critical thesis with a founder-led investment style.
- Shield Capital: Early-stage venture firm founded by former national-security operators investing in defense, intelligence, and resilience startups. Highly comparable mission and stage to FDVC, with a similar operator-led sourcing model.
- In-Q-Tel: Strategic, non-profit venture arm of the U.S. intelligence community investing in defense and dual-use startups. Comparable in mission-critical and government-adjacent thesis to FDVC, though structured as a strategic rather than returns-driven vehicle.
- Washington Harbour Partners: Defense-and-aerospace-focused growth firm that led FDVC's co-invested Turion Space Series B. Most directly comparable peer given pure defense/national-security mandate and similar mission-critical sector focus, with somewhat larger check size.
Broad incumbents
- Founders Fund: Late-stage-leaning venture firm with deep exposure to defense and aerospace (SpaceX, Anduril). Overlaps with FDVC on defense-tech thesis and on multiple co-investments in FDVC's portfolio companies, but operates at significantly larger fund scale.
- Lux Capital: Early-to-growth venture firm with a defense, space, and deep-tech concentration. Co-invests alongside FDVC in Anduril and Conductor AI and competes for similar mission-critical founders at the Series A and B stages.
- Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) — American Dynamism: Multi-stage venture firm with a dedicated American Dynamism practice focused on defense, manufacturing, energy, and public-sector technology. Directly competes with FDVC on the same Turion Space, Anduril, Castelion, and Cape rounds, but at vastly larger check sizes and a16z's institutional brand.
- General Catalyst: Multi-stage venture firm with an active defense and resilience thesis (Chariot Defense). Co-invests with FDVC in defense hardware and competes for similar early-stage dual-use founders across seed and Series A.
- Khosla Ventures: Large multi-stage firm with exposure to defense and dual-use (Adyton, Paladin Drones). Co-invests with FDVC on multiple defense-adjacent rounds and competes for similar early-stage founders but with much broader sector coverage.
- Point72 Ventures: Multi-stage venture firm with a defense, government, and AI thesis. Co-invests with FDVC in Rune Technologies and Cape and competes for similar national-security-adjacent founders at Series A and beyond.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Forward Deployed Venture Capital social profiles
Digital presenceForward Deployed Venture Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Forward Deployed Venture Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Forward Deployed Venture Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Forward Deployed Venture Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments15 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Forward Deployed Venture Capital
What does Forward Deployed Venture Capital do?
Forward Deployed Venture Capital manages an early-stage venture capital fund (FDVC Fund I) that invests in mission-critical technology startups across defense, energy, industrials, and artificial intelligence. The firm deploys LP capital into seed, Series A, and Series B rounds of dual-use technology companies and supplements capital with operator-led portfolio support derived from the General Partner's prior Palantir defense-team experience. The firm does not sell a software or hardware product; its offering is fund management services combined with strategic and operational guidance to portfolio companies.
Is Forward Deployed Venture Capital a public or private company?
Forward Deployed Venture Capital is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Forward Deployed Venture Capital founded?
Forward Deployed Venture Capital was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Forward Deployed Venture Capital based?
Forward Deployed Venture Capital is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Forward Deployed Venture Capital make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are carried Interest.
Who are Forward Deployed Venture Capital's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are 8VC, Shield Capital, In-Q-Tel and Washington Harbour Partners. Broad incumbents are Founders Fund, Lux Capital, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) — American Dynamism, General Catalyst, Khosla Ventures and Point72 Ventures.
Does Forward Deployed Venture Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Forward Deployed Venture Capital.
What industry is Forward Deployed Venture Capital in?
Forward Deployed Venture Capital's product category is Venture Capital / Private Equity Fund Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.