Mode VC
California

Prelude Ventures

Prelude Ventures, based in California, is a specialist that leads Seed and Series A rounds in Climate and Energy, writing checks from $100k to $10 million for companies like Mill and Arable.

Website LinkedInPortfolioPitch pageTeam page
Entry stageSeed, Series A
Check size$100K to $10M
Leads roundsYes
FocusClimate
Latest fundn/a
Investing team8 peopleNo activity since Sep

Who you would pitch at Prelude Ventures

8 people on the investing team, 8 of them partners who can make the call. Partners are listed first.

Gabriel Kra
Gabriel KraManaging DirectorHe holds multiple degrees and serves on several boards, focusing on climate change.
Mark Cupta
Mark CuptaManaging DirectorHe previously worked at Celanese Corporation, Terawatt Ventures, Chevron Technology Ventures, and Novomer.
Matt Eggers
Matt EggersManaging DirectorFocus: early-stage climatetech investments.
Tim Woodward
Tim WoodwardManaging DirectorFocus: energy, industrial, and environmental technologies.
Laura Baxter-SimonsFounderShe serves as General Counsel at Meritage Group LP.
Nat SimonsFounderHe serves as Chairman of Meritage Group LP and is a board member at Renaissance Technologies.
Juan Pablo Soulier
Juan Pablo SoulierPartnerHe has held senior roles at Tesla, Waymo, and Rivian, and co-founded Vammo, a battery-swapping company for electric two-wheelers.
Katie Clasen
Katie ClasenPartnerShe previously worked at Sila Nanotechnologies and Royal Dutch Shell, and holds degrees from the University of Washington and Northwestern University.

Work here and something is wrong? Ask for a correction.

Writes $100K to $10M 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

Ownership target7-10%
How to reach them[email protected]

Notable investments

MillArable

In their words

We invest in climatePrelude Ventures invests in and supports early-stage startups with the greatest potential to mitigate climate change. For us, climate is everything.www.preludeventures.com
Founders and investors at a Mode VC gathering

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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 Prelude Ventures is active

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

Firms like Prelude Ventures

Leap Forward Ventures$100K to $3M
Mercury Fund$100K to $10M · active Oct 14
Powerhouse Ventures$100K to $3M
AgFunder$25K to $10M
Autodesk Foundation$100K to $1M
igniteXL Ventures$100K to $500K

On these lists

Seed climate investors in California75Series A climate investors in California58Seed investors in United States2836Series A investors in United States1790Seed investors in California699Series A investors in California480Seed climate investors204Series A climate investors160

Questions

What stage does Prelude Ventures invest in?

Prelude Ventures reports entry at seed, series a.

How much does Prelude Ventures invest?

Prelude Ventures reports checks of $100K to $10M.

Does Prelude Ventures lead rounds?

Yes. Prelude Ventures says it can lead.

Who are the partners at Prelude Ventures?

Gabriel Kra (Managing Director), Mark Cupta (Managing Director), Matt Eggers (Managing Director), Tim Woodward (Managing Director), Laura Baxter-Simons (Founder), Nat Simons (Founder).

Is Prelude Ventures active right now?

No recent activity since September 2026.

Work at Prelude Ventures? Claim or correct this profile.