What Anthropocene Ventures does

Anthropocene Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2021 and headquartered in San Francisco that invests at the pre-seed, seed, and Series A stages exclusively in climate-technology companies leveraging hard science and novel engineering. The firm targets verticals that are undercapitalized relative to their strategic importance—including renewable energy, decarbonization, water, the built environment, alternative materials, and waste—positioning itself to capture value where it expects institutional capital to deploy in the next two to four years.

The firm's core differentiator is its Human Impact Team (HIT), a network of more than 25 advisors spanning industry, government, academia, and capital markets (including former CIOs of major VC firms, ex-Google X operators, MIT Media Lab, Asian Development Bank, NYC EDC, and elected officials), which the firm uses for deal sourcing, technical due diligence, and portfolio company support. Leadership comprises Managing Partners Matt McGraw (deep-tech operator and angel investor), Alicia Cha Umphreys (formerly of Formation 8, 8VC, and Brookfield's built-environment fund), and Jim Boettcher (founder of Focus Ventures, $1.1B+ lifetime AUM, Forbes Midas List). The portfolio disclosed in source data includes FuelX, Gecko Materials, Maxterial, Novineer, Corigin, and Mycocycle.

The firm monetizes through traditional VC economics—management fees on its fund (predecessor vehicle Anthropocene Fund I plus successor vehicles), carried interest on exits, and SPVs for pro-rata participation. Distribution is network-driven rather than marketing-driven, with explicit go-to-market pathways into North America, Europe, LATAM, and Asia, and a stated expectation of high M&A exit velocity post-Series A to limit dilution at the entry stage.

Name

Anthropocene Ventures

Legal name

Anthropocene Ventures

Website

https://anthro.ventures

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Anthropocene Ventures is a San Francisco-based early-stage VC firm investing at pre-seed, seed, and Series A in deep-tech climate companies, using a 25+-member Human Impact Team network of operators, policymakers, and academics to source deals and support portfolio companies across global markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

Open-End Investment Funds (52591)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate / Clean Tech & Decarbonization Funds (FSANAJAA), Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF), Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

Keywords

• Venture capital
• Climate tech investing
• Early stage funding
• Deep tech investment
• Seed stage capital

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, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Fund Management Returns: Anthropocene Ventures generates returns through equity investments in early-stage climate tech companies. They invest at pre-seed, seed, and Series A stages with a focus on deep tech and hard science solutions. Their strategy involves taking ownership stakes in undercapitalized climate verticals where they can add value through their network and expertise. The firm expects high number of M&A deals with portfolio after Series A, with less dilution due to early positioning.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Anthropocene Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests at pre-seed, seed, and Series A stages in climate tech companies leveraging hard science and novel engineering. The firm deploys capital, provides strategic guidance, and connects portfolio companies to its Human Impact Team (HIT) network for global market expansion, particularly into Asia.

Product overview

Anthropocene Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm providing pre-seed, seed, and Series A investment to climate tech companies that leverage hard science and novel engineering. The firm offers capital deployment, strategic guidance, and access to a network of industry experts, government contacts, and academic resources to help portfolio companies scale globally. No distinct branded product or service modules were identified in the source material.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-Seed and Seed Climate Tech Investing
• Series A Climate Tech Investing
• Human Impact Team (HIT) Network Access
• Global Market Introduction (especially Asia)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Congruent Ventures: Early-stage climate tech fund investing at seed and Series A in industrial decarbonization, mobility, and energy. Closely comparable stage and sector focus.
• Lowercarbon Capital: Climate-focused VC investing across decarbonization, carbon removal, and climate tech at seed through growth stages. Direct competitor for climate deal flow at pre-seed/seed.
• Prime Movers Lab: Early-stage fund investing in breakthrough scientific inventions including energy, climate, and infrastructure. Closely matched on deep-tech climate thesis at pre-seed/seed.
• Clean Energy Ventures: Seed-stage climate tech fund with similar pre-seed/seed positioning in deep-tech decarbonization solutions. Closely matched stage and exclusive climate focus.
• Breakthrough Energy Ventures: Bill Gates-backed early-stage climate tech fund investing at pre-seed through Series A in deep-tech solutions. Most direct comparable given shared exclusive climate focus and willingness to write checks at the earliest stages of hard-tech companies.
• Prelude Ventures: Early-stage venture firm exclusively focused on climate tech, writing seed and Series A checks. Direct peer given shared climate-exclusive mandate, stage focus, and hard-science bias.
• DCVC (Deep Capital): Early-stage deep-tech VC with significant climate exposure, investing in companies leveraging hard science and engineering. Comparable thesis around undercapitalized deep-tech founders needing commercial support.

Emerging players

• The Engine (MIT): Venture firm spun out of MIT focused on Tough Tech (deep science and engineering companies). Comparable in its focus on scientific founders needing commercialization support, with deep academic sourcing.

Broad incumbents

• Khosla Ventures: Large multi-stage firm with substantial climate/clean-tech allocation across the fund. Competes for the same deep-tech founders but with significantly larger AUM and broader sector mandate.
• 8VC: Frontier-tech VC where Managing Partner Alicia Cha Umphreys previously worked. Comparable in deep-tech and built-environment focus but operates at much larger AUM scale and broader thesis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments6 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Anthropocene Ventures