Stage FocusPre-Seed
GeographyUS
TypeFellowship Program
Last Activity2025
Industry Focus
Industries
Climate TechDefenseAgritechAdvanced ManufacturingEnergy TechAdvanced MaterialsHardwareBiotech
Technical BenchStrong
Investor TypeDeepTech Purist
ExposureMostly DeepTech Investments
Bio
Activate is not a traditional VC but rather one of the most important institutions in the American deep tech ecosystem — a two-year fellowship program that transforms scientists into entrepreneurs. Founded in 2015, it accepted a record 62 fellows (50 companies) in its 2024 cohort from 1,040 applicants. The cumulative numbers tell the story: 106 companies created, $3.5B raised by alumni (over $2B i...
Notable Investments
T
TwelveZ
ZanskarP
PascalSimilar Funds
Fifty Years
San Francisco, United States
Pure DeepTechClimate TechSynthetic BiologyBiotechPre-SeedSeed
IS
Impact Science Ventures
San Francisco, US
Pure DeepTechClimate TechEnergy TechAdvanced MaterialsPre-SeedSeed
TD
Third Derivative (D3)
United States
Pure DeepTechClimate TechAdvanced MaterialsEnergy TechPre-SeedSeed
Third Sphere
Brooklyn, United States
Pure DeepTechClimate TechMobilityRoboticsPre-SeedSeed
360 Capital
Paris, France
Pure DeepTechClimate TechAIRoboticsPre-SeedSeed
C
Carbon13
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Pure DeepTechClimate TechAdvanced MaterialsEnergy TechPre-SeedSeed