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Pre-seed defense and space investors in California

9 of 10 pre-seed defense and space firms that report a preference say they can lead.

Can leadMostly followsNot reportedRecently active
ACME Capital
California · Fund $240M (2022)
Hany Nada, Scott Stanford+3 on the team
Pre-seedSeedSeries ASeries BLeadsDeep tech +4
$1M to $30MCan lead
Costanoa Ventures
California · Fund Approximately $2.8B AUM
Greg Sands, Amy Cheetham+10 on the team
Pre-seedSeedSeries ALeadsFintech +3
Check size not reportedCan lead
Felicis Ventures
California · Fund $900M (2025)
Aydin Senkut, James Detweiler+7 on the team
Pre-seedSeedSeries ALeadsCybersecurity +4
$1M to $30M+Can lead
Outliers Fund
California
Poseidon Ho
Pre-seedSeedLeadsDeep tech +2
$1M to $10MCan lead
Quest Venture Partners
California
Andrew Ogawa, Maarten 't Hooft+2 on the team
Pre-seedSeedLeadsDeep tech +3
$100K to $3MCan lead
Radius Capital
California
Peter Shannon, Luka Tomljenovic
Pre-seedSeedLeadsDefense and space +2
$100K to $1MCan lead
Ravelin Capital
California
Lucas Vaz
Pre-seedSeedLeadsIndustrial +1Confirmed by the firm
$250K to $500KCan lead
Substance
California
Soso Sazesh
Pre-seedLeadsDefense and space +11Confirmed by the firm
Up to $500KCan lead
Trucks Venture Capital
California · Fund $70M Fund III (2025)
Jeffrey Schox, Kathryn Schox+2 on the team
Pre-seedSeedLeadsLogistics and mobility +2
$500K to $3MCan lead
Blackwing
California
Chad Cazel, Pete DiSalvo
Pre-seedSeedSeries ADeep tech +3
Check size not reportedLead not reported
Dolby Family Ventures
California
Andrew Krowne, Pascal Levensohn+5 on the team
Pre-seedSeedSeries ALife sciences +5
Check size not reportedLead not reported
Friends & Family Capital
California
Colin Anderson, John Fogelsong
Pre-seedSeedDefense and space +4
Check size not reportedLead not reported
Global Innovation Labs (GIL)
California
David Park, Todd Stavish+4 on the team
Pre-seedSeedDefense and space +3
Check size not reportedLead not reported
Harpoon
California · Fund $155M (2026)
Jeff Torrance, Larsen Jensen+6 on the team
Pre-seedSeedSeries ADeep tech +3
Check size not reportedLead not reported
Karman Ventures
California
Amr Al-Shihabi, Dave Clark+1 on the team
Pre-seedSeedSeries ASeries BVertical AI +3
Up to $250KMostly follows
Shorewind Capital
California
Andrew Rubenstein, Jake Poliskin+1 on the team
Pre-seedSeedSeries ADeep tech +3
Check size not reportedLead not reported

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Questions

How many pre-seed defense and space investors in california are there?

Mode VC tracks 16 firms on this list as of 2026-10-15. 0 have been active since September 2026.

What check size do pre-seed defense and space investors in california write?

The most reported band is $1M to $3M, reported by 5 firms on this list.

Which pre-seed defense and space investors in california lead rounds?

9 of 10 firms that report a preference say they can lead. Turn on "Leads rounds" to see only them.