About Forward Deployed VC
Forward Deployed VC is a venture capital firm founded in 2022. It is primarily based out of San Francisco, United States. As of Apr 2026, Forward Deployed VC is an active investor, having invested in 31 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 Enterprise Applications to High Tech and Retail. Most recently it participated in the $***** Series B round of Turion Space Overall, Forward Deployed VC portfolio has seen 2 unicorns, 4 IPOs and 1 acquisition including key companies like Lyft, Palantir and SpaceX. A lot of funds co-invest with Forward Deployed VC, with names like Andreessen Horowitz sharing a substantial percentage of its portfolio. Forward Deployed VC has team of 5 people including 3 partners.Key Metrics
Team Members
Portfolio Sectors
Portfolio Locations
Rounds of Entry
Series A, Seed & 1 more
Portfolio Acquisitions
Deals in last 12 months
Forward Deployed VC's List of Top Investments
Forward Deployed VC has a portfolio of 31 companies, including 2 unicorns. Their most notable investments include Lyft and Palantir.Their portfolio spans across United States, Canada, France and 1 more locations. They have invested in Enterprise Applications, High Tech, Retail and 18 other sectors, across stages such as Series A, Seed and 1 more. Here is the list of top investments by Forward Deployed VC:1. Lyft
Network facilitating on-demand transportation and ride scheduling services for individuals. It provides options for immediate rides, scheduled pickups, and various vehicle types. The network offers programs for business transportation needs. It also focuses on safety measures and community support initiatives.
Key facts about Lyft
- Founded Year: 2007
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $5.02B
- Employee Count: 3,913 as on Dec 31, 2025
- Investors: HTIF, SeedFord Partners and 161 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series I, Aug 06, 2018, $*****
- Highlight: Public
2. Palantir
Platform that provides data analysis and management solutions. It is a software company that specializes in big data analytics and provides software platforms for analyzing and integrating large amounts of data. Its software powers real-time, AI-driven decisions in critical government and commercial enterprise, from the factory floors to the front lines.
Key facts about Palantir
- Founded Year: 2003
- Location: Denver (United States)
- Annual Revenue: $1B+ as on Dec 31, 2025
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $2.46B
- Employee Count: 5,858 as on May 31, 2026
- Investors: Western Technology Investment, Glynn Capital and 165 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Post IPO, Aug 31, 2023, $*****
- Highlight: Public
3. SpaceX
Provider of advanced aerospace and space transportation services. It delivers advanced launch services using reusable rocket systems designed to transport crew and cargo for missions to orbit, the Moon, Mars, and deep space exploration. It also develops and operates large-scale satellite networks that provide high-speed, low-latency internet connectivity across the globe, including remote and underserved regions. It supports human spaceflight programs aimed at expanding long-duration space exploration and increasing access to space for both commercial and governmental missions.
Key facts about SpaceX
- Founded Year: 2002
- Location: Hawthorne (United States)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $11.9B
- Employee Count: 19,280 as on May 31, 2026
- Investors: TrueBridge, equitywestsecurities.com and 259 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series J, Mar 17, 2026, $*****
- Highlight: Public
4. Anduril
Provider of AI-driven defense and autonomous systems across air, land, sea, and space domains. It develops integrated platforms that enhance situational awareness, real-time decision-making, and operational effectiveness for defense and security applications. It delivers a range of autonomous systems and software-defined defense infrastructure, including surveillance systems, unmanned platforms, and command-and-control technologies designed to operate in complex and contested environments. Its solutions support modern military needs such as border security, force protection, and multi-domain mission coordination.
Key facts about Anduril
- Founded Year: 2017
- Location: Costa Mesa (United States)
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series H
- Total Funding till date: $11.3B
- Employee Count: 6,214 as on Nov 12, 2025
- Investors: Fidelity Investments, Avitas Capital and 75 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series H, May 13, 2026, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
5. Oklo
Developer of small modular reactor. It is designing and deploying advanced fission power plants to provide clean, reliable, affordable energy. It provides clean, reliable, affordable energy through the deployment of next-generation fast fission technology and recycling nuclear waste.
Key facts about Oklo
- Founded Year: 2013
- Location: Santa Clara (United States)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $120K
- Employee Count: 322 as on May 31, 2026
- Investors: Draper, Y Combinator and 9 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Grant (prize money), Apr 11, 2025, $*****
- Highlight: Public
Forward Deployed VC's Year-on-Year Investment Trends
In 2025, it made 7 investments, while as of Apr 2026, it has made 1 investment in this year. Its most recent first time investment was in Turion Space.Year | No. of Investments | ||
|---|---|---|---|
1st Round | Follow-on | Total | |
2026 (YTD) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
2025 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
2024 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Forward Deployed VC's Investments by Stage
Forward Deployed VC has made 4 investments in Series A stage with an average round size of $29.2M, 3 investments in Seed stage with an average round size of $6.67M and 3 investments in Series B stage with an average round size of $51.7M.Stage of entry | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Series A | 4 |
Seed | 3 |
Series B | 3 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Forward Deployed VC's Investments by Sector
Forward Deployed VC has a diverse portfolio, with companies operating in the Enterprise Applications, High Tech, Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech, Industrial Goods and Manufacturing and Vertical SaaS. Notably, it has invested in 27 Enterprise (B2B) companies, 26 Tech companies, 19 Software companies and at least 11 companies focusing on Saas.Sector | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Enterprise Applications | 5 |
High Tech | 4 |
Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech | 3 |
Industrial Goods and Manufacturing | 2 |
Vertical SaaS | 2 |
Others | 5 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Forward Deployed VC's Investments by Geography
Forward Deployed VC has made most investments in United States (10).Forward Deployed VC's recent investments
Forward Deployed VC has made 1 investments in 2026 so far - Turion Space.Here are the most recent investments by Forward Deployed VC:
Filter this listDate | Company | Location | Round Details | Round Amount | Co-Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apr 15, 2026 | United States | Series B | 3598 | ||
Dec 11, 2025 | United States | Series A | 1455 | [+9] | |
Dec 11, 2025 | United States | Seed | 7670 | [+2] | |
Nov 19, 2025 | United States | Series A | 6984 | [+10] | |
Oct 22, 2025 | United States | Seed | 4587 | [+3] |
Unicorns in Forward Deployed VC's Portfolio
Forward Deployed VC has 2 unicorns in its portfolio - Castelion and Anduril. The most recent unicorn in their portfolio is Castelion. It became a unicorn in 2025, 1 years before Forward Deployed VC first invested in it.Here is a list of unicorns in Forward Deployed VC's portfolio:
Tracxn Score | Company | Short Description | Founded year | Sector | Location | Company Stage | First Investment/ Acquisition Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
66 | Defense company applying modern hardware development and manufacturing processes to national security challenges | 2022 | El Segundo | Series B | grehvnl | ||
75 | Provider of AI-driven defense and autonomous systems across air, land, sea, and space domains | 2017 | Costa Mesa | Series H | knopcue |
IPOs and Publicly Listed companies in Forward Deployed VC's Portfolio
4 of Forward Deployed VC's portfolio companies have become public. SpaceX got listed on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ), in Jun 2026 at marketcap of $996B and Oklo got listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).Here are Forward Deployed VC's portfolio companies that went public:
Company | IPO Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jun 12, 2026 | - | - | 4996 | |
May 10, 2024 | - | - | 5967 | |
Oct 02, 2020 | - | - | 5834 | |
Mar 29, 2019 | - | - | 7029 |
Acquired companies in Forward Deployed VC's Portfolio
1 company from Forward Deployed VC's portfolio has been acquired. The most recent acquisition was StatusPage.io in Jul 2016 by Atlassian for $*****.Here are Forward Deployed VC's portfolio companies that got acquired most recently:
Company | Acquisition Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jul 14, 2016 | - | - | 7942 |
Team profile of Forward Deployed VC
Forward Deployed VC has a team of 5 members including 3 Partners and 1 Venture Partner located in United States. Forward Deployed VC's team does not sit on the board of any company as of now.Here is a list of all team members in Forward Deployed VC:
Name | Designation | Location | Board Memberships | Contact Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Partner | United States | - | ||
Partner | San Francisco | - | - | |
Partner | Denver | - | - | |
Venture Partner | Los Angeles | - |
Co-investors of Forward Deployed VC
Over the past 2 years, 96 investors have co-invested in Forward Deployed VC's portfolio companies. This includes funds and angels.
- Invested before Forward Deployed VC: Andreessen Horowitz, Point72 Ventures and 27 others have invested in rounds before Forward Deployed VC. There is 1 company where Andreessen Horowitz has invested before Forward Deployed VC and 1 company where Point72 Ventures has invested before Forward Deployed VC.
- Top Co-investors of Forward Deployed VC: 50 investors entered a company along with Forward Deployed VC. These include investors like Andreessen Horowitz (3 companies).
- Invested after Forward Deployed VC: A total of 17 investors have invested in Forward Deployed VC's portfolio after their investments. Top Investors include Point72 (1 company), SVB (1 company) and Bain Capital Ventures (1 company).
Recent News related to Forward Deployed VC
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Turion Space Raises $75 Million to Expand Maneuverable Satellite FleetSpaceNews•Apr 15, 2026•Thewashingtonharbour, Turion Space, FoundersX Ventures, Center15 Capital and 6 others
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Fortastra Lands $8M Seed to Develop Orbital Defense SatsPayload•Dec 11, 2025•Generational Partners, Bloomberg Beta, Upfront Ventures, Forward Deployed VC and 2 others
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Truffle Security Secures $25M Series B to Protect AI-Era Non-Human IdentitiesTechStartups.com•Nov 06, 2025•Truffle Security, Intel Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, CVS Health Ventures and 13 others
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Rune Technologies Closes $24M Series A to Deploy AI-Enabled Software for Military LogisticsThe Joplin Globe•Jul 21, 2025•Rune Technologies, Pax VC, Washington Harbour Partners, Andreessen Horowitz and 3 others
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Mobile communications service company Cape received US$40 million in Series B investment, led by a16zChainCatcher•Apr 18, 2024•Andreessen Horowitz, Cape, XYZ Venture Capital, exante and 6 others
