What Good Machine does

Good Machine is a privately held venture studio founded in 2019 and headquartered in San Francisco that operates a Build, Advise, and Fund model to incubate and support early-stage companies addressing global challenges in climate, food systems, and health. Its active portfolio includes five companies: Pelagic Data Systems (vessel tracking for small-scale fisheries), Reefgen (mechanized nearshore aquatic restoration), Raino (electric tractors for smallholder farmers), Fresure (solar-powered refrigeration), and Unison (affordable over-the-counter hearing devices), with portfolio operations spanning more than 35 countries and reaching an estimated 50 million small-scale fishers through Pelagic's technology.

The studio does not develop its own technology platform; instead it provides strategic product development, partnership brokering, and funding scaffolding to portfolio companies under a small in-house team. Capital deployment to portfolio companies is facilitated primarily through a partnership with the JLL Foundation, which provides zero-interest loans to early-stage climate-impacting startups with a virtuous reinvestment cycle. Good Machine's broader partner selection network includes the Walton Foundation, US Department of State, Schmidt Futures, Rockefeller Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, WWF, McKinsey & Company, National Science Foundation, Johns Hopkins University, Autodesk, Grantham Foundation, Griffin Catalyst, GEAPP, Unreasonable, and BFI (which serves as fiscal sponsor).

Revenue mechanics are not publicly detailed. The studio derives value through a mix of portfolio incubation, advisory engagements, and facilitation of non-dilutive loans rather than selling a marketed product with disclosed pricing; comparable venture studios typically monetize through management fees, advisory retainers, and equity stakes in portfolio companies. Leadership comprises CEO Dave Solomon (a 20-year Silicon Valley operator behind the prior Pelagic Data Systems business), Partner and Head of Product Tom Chi (former Google X co-founder with 75 patents), VP of Strategy and Impact Jen Cole, plus advisors with backgrounds spanning venture capital, government policy, and corporate partnerships at Nestlé.

Name

Good Machine

Legal name

Good Machine

Website

https://goodmachine.studio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Good Machine is a San Francisco-based venture studio that builds, advises, and funds early-stage companies tackling global challenges in climate, food systems, and health, with an active five-company portfolio and a marquee foundation and government partner ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Venture Studio Operations: Good Machine generates value through building, advising, and funding early-stage ventures focused on global challenges. Revenue is derived from supporting the growth of portfolio companies through their Impact Ecosystem approach, including zero-interest loans to climate-impacting startups through partnerships with organizations like the JLL Foundation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Good Machine is a venture studio that invents, deploys, and scales solutions to the world's most pressing problems. It operates an Impact Ecosystem combining three service lines: Build (incubating portfolio companies using moonshot tech), Advise (providing expertise that unlocks breakthrough innovations for impact-driven companies), and Fund (supporting early-stage companies through zero-interest loans via the JLL Foundation partnership). The studio's portfolio includes Pelagic Data Systems, Reefgen, Raino, Fresure, and Unison.

Product overview

Good Machine operates as a unified venture studio platform that builds, advises, and funds impact-focused companies. The studio's approach combines three integrated service lines: Build (incubating portfolio companies using moonshot technology), Advise (providing expertise to unlock breakthrough innovations for impact-driven companies), and Fund (supporting early-stage companies through zero-interest loans via the JLL Foundation partnership). The portfolio includes Pelagic Data Systems (vessel tracking for fisheries), Reefgen (aquatic restoration), Raino (electric tractors), Fresure (solar refrigeration), and Unison (affordable hearing devices).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pelagic Data Systems: Vessel tracking to support small-scale fisheries and reduce IUU fishing.
• Reefgen
• Raino
• Fresure
• Unison

Products and services

• Good Machine Venture Studio

Quantifiable outcome

• 50 million small-scale fishers reached worldwide through vessel tracking technology

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Walton FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partnership selection partner supporting Good Machine's venture studio operations and impact ecosystem.
• US Department of StatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partnership selection partner collaborating with Good Machine on global challenges.
• Schmidt FuturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partnership selection partner supporting Good Machine's venture ecosystem.
• Rockefeller FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partnership selection partner supporting Good Machine's impact-focused ventures.
• Gordon and Betty Moore FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partnership selection partner supporting Good Machine's venture studio operations.
• WWFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partnership selection partner supporting Good Machine's ecosystem-focused approach.
• McKinsey & CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partnership selection partner supporting Good Machine's advisory and strategic capabilities.
• BFIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBFI serves as a fiscal sponsor of Good Machine, enabling the organization's financial operations.
• GEAPP (Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partnership selection partner supporting Good Machine's energy and climate initiatives.
• National Science Foundation (NSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partnership selection partner supporting Good Machine's research and development ecosystem.
• Johns Hopkins UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partnership selection partner providing research and academic collaboration support.
• AutodeskcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partnership selection partner supporting Good Machine's design and prototyping capabilities.
• Grantham FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partnership selection partner supporting climate-focused ventures.
• Griffin CatalystcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partnership selection partner supporting Good Machine's innovation initiatives.
• UnreasonablecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partnership selection partner supporting impact-focused entrepreneurs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Antler: Global venture studio that identifies founders and co-builds startups from day zero across multiple geographies and verticals, structurally similar to Good Machine's venture studio model.
• Pioneer Square Labs: Seattle-based venture studio that builds, co-founds and launches software companies from inception, mirroring Good Machine's studio model of creating ventures in-house rather than funding externally.
• High Alpha: Indianapolis-based venture studio that conceives, launches and operates B2B SaaS companies in partnership with operators, sharing Good Machine's build-and-fund structure and portfolio approach.
• Atomic: Venture studio that partners with operators to build companies from scratch, sharing Good Machine's approach of providing capital, talent and operating support to launch new ventures.
• Founders Factory: Global venture studio and accelerator that builds and scales startups with corporate partners, comparable to Good Machine's model of leveraging a network of corporates and institutions to launch impact ventures.
• Idealab: Long-running US venture studio that creates and operates technology companies from inception, the closest analog in business model to Good Machine's hands-on Build function.
• Science Inc. Los Angeles-based venture studio that builds, launches and operates consumer and tech companies in-house, sharing Good Machine's studio model of operational company creation versus traditional fund investing.

Broad incumbents

• Acumen: Established impact investment firm backing early-stage companies serving low-income populations, overlapping Good Machine's impact focus and smallholder/developing-world customer base across multiple portfolio verticals.
• Obvious Ventures: Mission-driven venture firm investing in companies addressing world-scale problems, sharing Good Machine's regenerative solutions framing and impact-driven thesis across multiple sectors.

Emerging players

• Galvanize Climate Solutions: Climate-focused investment firm backing companies in clean energy, sustainable land use and climate resilience — directly overlapping Good Machine's portfolio focus on Reefgen, Raino and Fresure climate ventures.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/good-machine-studio

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

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Good Machine