Hardtech

Matter Venture Partners has raised a $300 million first fund with a focus on ""hard tech"" investments. The fund aims to invest in companies that contribute to foundational technologies and trends that are built on hard tech. With backing from Kleiner Perkins and Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC, Matter Venture Partners invests at the large seed rounds, Series A and Series B. This venture capital fund focuses on six sectors: semiconductors, robotization, generative AI, manufacturing on-shoring and friend-shoring, energy building blocks, and life science automation. Within these sectors, the fund aims to invest in companies that provide the ""picks and shovels"" for these trends, as well as contribute to new innovations and technologies. Matter Venture Partners is looking to invest in between 15 and 20 companies with the new fund, with a goal to support portfolio companies across several rounds. The firm believes that the oversubscription of the fund is due to the increased realization of the importance of foundational hard tech technologies in today's society. The fund also prides itself on having operating partners, including Mel Tang, who provides expertise in operations, supply chain management, and manufacturing unit economics to support hard tech startups.

The Wellington Climate Innovation Fund seeks to invest in private companies developing solutions to help mitigate and adapt to climate change. The Fund targets late-venture and early-growth companies that are developing tech-enabled solutions such as software, software-enabled hardware, sensors, AI, data and analytics. These solutions are focused on areas including energy transition, sustainable buildings and cities, transportation and mobility, industrial automation, enterprise digitization, sustainable consumer, and food and agriculture innovation. The fund is located in Boston, Massachusetts. The Fund’s client base is broadly diversified and includes sovereign wealth funds, pensions, insurance companies, banks, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals. The Fund seeks to generate attractive returns for its investors while addressing the existential threat of climate change. The fund closed with US$385 million in commitments. The Fund is managed by Greg Wasserman and the CIF investment team, who have extensive experience investing in climate solutions. The team leverages Wellington’s broader investment, research, and sustainability capabilities in public and private markets, along with a research collaboration with leading climate change research institute, Woodwell Climate Research Center.