Mode VC
California

Leap Forward Ventures

Leap Forward Ventures is a California-based specialist that leads Pre-Seed and Seed rounds in Climate, Energy, and Industrial startups, with checks from $100k to $3 million.

WebsitePortfolioPitch pageTeam page
Entry stagePre-seed, Seed
Check size$100K to $3M
Leads roundsYes
FocusClimate, Industrial
Latest fundn/a
Investing team1 peopleNo activity since Sep

Who you would pitch at Leap Forward Ventures

1 person on the investing team, 1 of them partners who can make the call. Partners are listed first.

David Rusenko
David RusenkoManaging PartnerHe has over a decade of experience investing in and advising startups, and serves on the board of Building Decarb Coalition.

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Writes $100K to $3M checks. Its smallest check is larger than 5% of firms in the atlas.

Bars: how many firms in the atlas report each band. Highlighted: this firm.

No recent activity since September 2026. Quiet does not mean closed.

Weekly count of activity updates. Activity is not a confirmed deal.

Before you pitch

How to reach them[email protected]

Notable investments

CopperCala SystemsBayou EnergyPhoenix Hydrogen

In their words

Leap Forward VenturesLeap Forward is a venture capital firm investing in early stage startups making real-world systems more intelligent, adaptable, and cleaner. We help exceptional founders leapforward.vc
Founders and investors at a Mode VC gathering

Send Mode VC your deck

Raising a pre-seed or seed round? We write $1M to $5M first checks and help founders with distribution. A partner reads every deck.

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Alert me when Leap Forward Ventures is active

One email when this firm shows new activity. Nothing else.

Firms like Leap Forward Ventures

Autodesk Foundation$100K to $1M
Mercury Fund$100K to $10M · active Oct 14
SE Ventures$100K to $250K
DCVC$10M to $30M+ · active Oct 8
Eclipse Ventures$10M to $30M+ · active Oct 7
Hitachi Ventures$1M to $30M · active Oct 15

On these lists

Seed climate investors in California75Seed industrial investors in California67Pre-seed climate investors in California44Pre-seed industrial investors in California39Seed investors in United States2836Pre-seed investors in United States1561Seed investors in California699Pre-seed investors in California434

Questions

What stage does Leap Forward Ventures invest in?

Leap Forward Ventures reports entry at pre-seed, seed.

How much does Leap Forward Ventures invest?

Leap Forward Ventures reports checks of $100K to $3M.

Does Leap Forward Ventures lead rounds?

Yes. Leap Forward Ventures says it can lead.

Who are the partners at Leap Forward Ventures?

David Rusenko (Managing Partner).

Is Leap Forward Ventures active right now?

No recent activity since September 2026.

Work at Leap Forward Ventures? Claim or correct this profile.