About Breakthrough Energy
Breakthrough Energy is a venture capital firm founded in 2015. It is primarily based out of Kirkland, United States. As of Sep 2026, Breakthrough Energy is an active investor, having invested in 139 companies, with 7 new investments in the last 12 months. It primarily invests in Series A round in United States based startups. Its investments are spread across a wide range of sectors from Environment Tech to High Tech and Energy Tech. Most recently it participated in the $***** Series B round of Planted Solar Overall, Breakthrough Energy portfolio has seen 10 unicorns, 5 IPOs and 2 acquisitions including key companies like IonQ, QuantumScape and Impossible Foods. A lot of funds co-invest with Breakthrough Energy, with names like Prelude Ventures sharing a substantial percentage of its portfolio. Breakthrough Energy has team of 37 people including 17 partners.Key Metrics
Team Members
Portfolio Count
Portfolio Sectors
Portfolio Locations
Rounds of Entry
Series A, Seed & 5 more
Portfolio IPOs
Portfolio Unicorns
Deals in last 12 months
Breakthrough Energy's List of Top Investments
Breakthrough Energy has a portfolio of 139 companies, including 10 unicorns. Their most notable investments are in Blue Frontier and CarbonCure.Their portfolio spans across United States, Canada, United Kingdom and 12 more locations. They have invested in Environment Tech, High Tech, Energy Tech and 24 other sectors, across stages such as Series A, Seed and 5 more. Here is the list of top investments by Breakthrough Energy:_1573535680111.png?format=webp&height=120&width=120){kind=logo}
1. IonQ
Provider of cloud and trapped ion technology-based universal quantum computers. It provides users with a company that offers quantum computer that traps individual ionized ytterbium atoms in a 3D space and uses lasers for computation purposes.
Key facts about IonQ
- Founded Year: 2015
- Location: College Park (United States)
- Annual Revenue: $10M - $50M as on Dec 31, 2024
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $86M
- Employee Count: 1,394 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: Silver Lake, Amazon and 24 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series B, Jun 16, 2020, $*****
- Highlight: Public
2. QuantumScape
Developer of solid-state lithium-metal battery technology for electric vehicle applications. The company focuses on next-generation batteries designed for greater energy density and faster charging. The technology aims to enhance safety to support the transition to a lower carbon future. The company developed an anode-less cell design to deliver high energy density.
Key facts about QuantumScape
- Founded Year: 2010
- Location: San Jose (United States)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $1B
- Employee Count: 688 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: Fidelity Investments, TriplePoint Capital and 16 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Post IPO, Sep 04, 2020, $*****
- Highlight: Public
Provider of plant-based alternatives to traditional meat products. Its product catalog include meatballs, hotdogs, burgers, sausage, chicken nuggets, steak, and more.
Key facts about Impossible Foods
- Founded Year: 2011
- Location: Redwood City (United States)
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series H
- Total Funding till date: $2.01B
- Employee Count: 452 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: equitywestsecurities.com, SeedFord Partners and 112 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series H, Nov 17, 2021, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
4. Turntide
Provider of smart energy management solutions. It leverages computing and software control solutions with switched reluctance motor technology for space conditioning and refrigeration energy costs and has the capability to use energy only when it is needed. It also uses programmable IoT controls that facilitate maintenance savings and provides integration with existing building systems.
Key facts about Turntide
- Founded Year: 2013
- Location: Sunnyvale (United States)
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series D
- Total Funding till date: $535M
- Employee Count: 203 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: MDB4L Capital, For Good Ventures and 28 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series D, Jun 15, 2022, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
5. Mill
Provider of the smart bin. It offers technology that dries, shrinks, and de-stinks waste into fertilizer.
Key facts about Mill
- Founded Year: 2020
- Location: San Bruno (United States)
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $70M
- Employee Count: 537 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: Energy Impact Partners, Prelude Ventures and 11 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Dec 16, 2025, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
Breakthrough Energy's Year-on-Year Investment Trends
Breakthrough Energy has invested in 139 companies over the last 9 years, with an average of 17 new investments annually in the last 5 years. In 2025, it made 31 investments, while as of Sep 2026, it has made 16 investments in this year. Its most recent first time investment was in PSI and most recent follow-on round was in Planted Solar.Year | No. of Investments | ||
|---|---|---|---|
1st Round | Follow-on | Total | |
2026 (YTD) | 5 | 11 | 16 |
2025 | 14 | 17 | 31 |
2024 | 9 | 24 | 33 |
2023 | 12 | 17 | 29 |
2022 | 32 | 13 | 45 |
2021 | 28 | 18 | 46 |
2020 | 13 | 5 | 18 |
2019 | 12 | 1 | 13 |
2018 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
2017 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Breakthrough Energy's Investments by Stage
Breakthrough Energy has made 65 investments in Series A stage with an average round size of $42.3M, 27 investments in Seed stage with an average round size of $11.1M and 23 investments in Series B stage with an average round size of $34.7M.Stage of entry | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Series A | 65 |
Seed | 27 |
Series B | 23 |
Series C | 7 |
Grant (prize money) | 4 |
Others | 5 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Breakthrough Energy's Investments by Sector
Breakthrough Energy has a diverse portfolio, with companies operating in the Sustainability Tech, Environment Tech, High Tech, Energy Tech and Enterprise Applications. Notably, it has invested in 108 Tech companies, 106 Enterprise (B2B) companies, 41 Software companies and at least 40 companies focusing on Tech hardware.Sector | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Sustainability Tech | 75 |
Environment Tech | 65 |
High Tech | 59 |
Energy Tech | 47 |
Enterprise Applications | 29 |
Others | 131 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Breakthrough Energy's Investments by Geography
Breakthrough Energy has made most investments in United States (99), followed by Canada where it has made 6 investments.Country | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
United States | 99 |
Canada | 6 |
United Kingdom | 5 |
France | 4 |
Germany | 2 |
Others | 14 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Breakthrough Energy's recent investments
Breakthrough Energy has made 16 investments in 2026 so far. Planted Solar and PSI are the latest among them.Here are the most recent investments by Breakthrough Energy:
Filter this listDate | Company | Location | Round Details | Round Amount | Co-Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sep 15, 2026 | United States | Series B | 3368 | [+4] | |
Sep 01, 2026 | - | Seed | 7120 | [+7] | |
Aug 12, 2026 | United States | Series G | 6960 | [+17] | |
Jul 22, 2026 | United States | Series B | 4496 | [+12] | |
Jul 20, 2026 | United States | Series C | 8613 | [+12] |
Unicorns in Breakthrough Energy's Portfolio
Breakthrough Energy has 10 unicorns in its portfolio - Cowboy Space Corporation, Stoke, Electric Hydrogen and others. The most recent unicorn in their portfolio is Cowboy Space Corporation. It became a unicorn in 2026, 1 years after Breakthrough Energy first invested in it.Here is a list of unicorns in Breakthrough Energy's portfolio:
Tracxn Score | Company | Short Description | Founded year | Sector | Location | Company Stage | First Investment/ Acquisition Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
55 | Company developing vertically integrated infrastructure to power and run AI compute in orbit | 2024 | San Carlos | Series B | qpxpaqw | ||
60 | Manufacturer of reusable launch vehicles | 2019 | Kent | Series E | e{lnium | ||
64 | Manufacturer of advanced electrolyzer systems for clean hydrogen production solutions | 2020 | San Carlos | Series C | jzlottr | ||
65 | Developer of mineral exploration technology and operator of mining projects | 2018 | Berkeley | Series D | etartna | ||
62 | Manufacturer of battery cells, modules, and energy storage systems | 2020 | Novi | Series B | hxmhjel |
IPOs and Publicly Listed companies in Breakthrough Energy's Portfolio
5 of Breakthrough Energy's portfolio companies have become public. Fervo Energy got listed on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ), in May 2026 at marketcap of $7.45B and ESS got listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).Here are Breakthrough Energy's portfolio companies that went public:
Company | IPO Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
May 13, 2026 | Mar 18, 2021 | Series B | 1525 | |
Oct 11, 2021 | Oct 28, 2019 | Series C | 5618 | |
Oct 01, 2021 | - | - | 7420 | |
Aug 21, 2020 | - | - | 6117 | |
May 22, 2018 | Oct 10, 2017 | Series D | 4254 |
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Acquired companies in Breakthrough Energy's Portfolio
2 companies from Breakthrough Energy's portfolio have been acquired. The most recent acquisition was Pachama in Nov 2025 by Carbon Direct for $*****.Here are Breakthrough Energy's portfolio companies that got acquired most recently:
Company | Acquisition Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Nov 10, 2025 | Sep 17, 2020 | Series A | 7676 | |
Jun 01, 2001 | Jun 22, 2021 | Series A | 1163 |
Team profile of Breakthrough Energy
Breakthrough Energy has a team of 37 members including 17 Partners, 1 Venture Partner and 4 Principals located in United States and France. Breakthrough Energy's team sits on the board of 6 companies.Here is a list of top team members in Breakthrough Energy:
Name | Designation | Location | Board Memberships | Contact Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Partner | Boston | Arsenal Medical, Cool Planet and 1 more | ||
Partner | Boston | - | - | |
Partner | Washington | - | ||
Partner | France | - | - | |
Partner | San Francisco | - | ||
Partner | Kirkland | - | - | |
Partner | Boston | - | ||
Partner | Boston | - | - | |
Partner | Raleigh | - | - | |
Partner | France | - | - | |
Partner | Bozeman | - | - |
Co-investors of Breakthrough Energy
Over the past 9 years, 1096 investors have co-invested in Breakthrough Energy's portfolio companies. This includes funds and angels.
- Invested before Breakthrough Energy: OSTI, Europa and 225 others have invested in rounds before Breakthrough Energy. There are 11 companies where OSTI has invested before Breakthrough Energy and 8 companies where Europa has invested before Breakthrough Energy.
- Top Co-investors of Breakthrough Energy: 369 investors entered a company along with Breakthrough Energy. These include investors like Prelude Ventures (13 companies).
- Invested after Breakthrough Energy: A total of 500 investors have invested in Breakthrough Energy's portfolio after their investments. Top Investors include OSTI (12 companies), The Climate Pledge (7 companies) and Temasek (6 companies).
Recent News related to Breakthrough Energy
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Alaska Air Outlines Strategy for Low-Carbon FlyingGeekWire•Sep 23, 2026•Alaska Airlines, Breakthrough Energy
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Planted Raises $31.8 Million to Accelerate Autonomous Power DeploymentBusiness Wire•Sep 15, 2026•Khosla Ventures, Piva Capital, RA Capital Management, Google and 4 others
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WindBorne Systems Secures $37M Series B to Enhance AI Weather ForecastingThe SaaS News•Aug 06, 2026•Khosla Ventures, Galvanize Climate Solutions, WindBorne Systems, Mariana Minerals and 5 others
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Mariana Minerals Raises $310M in Series B FundingFinSMEs•Aug 04, 2026•StepStone Group, Mariana Minerals, Khosla Ventures, Greenoaks and 11 others
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Rize Raises $31 Million in Series B Funding for Sustainable Rice Farming ExpansionEntrackr•Jul 16, 2026•Rize, BNP Paribas Asset Management, Temasek, The Rockefeller Foundation and 5 others
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Arcturus Secures $8M Seed Funding to Revolutionize Metals with Carbon NanomaterialsMiningstockeducation•Jun 30, 2026•Initialized Capital, Arcturus Technologies, Wireframe Ventures, 1517 Fund and 2 others
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Mantle8’s €31M Series A Signals Maturing Bet on Natural Hydrogen, But the Hard Part Starts NowEnergynews•May 13, 2026•Mantle8, Bpifrance, Breakthrough Energy, Sandwater and 4 others
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Cowboy raises $275 million to build rockets with orbital data center upper stagesSpaceNews•May 11, 2026•Breakthrough Energy, Construct Capital, Blossom Capital, SAIC and 9 others
