Forward Deployed VC

ActiveVenture Capital

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Updated: Mar 20, 2026 ·

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Investments Made

Date	Company	Round	Lead Investor(s)	Co-Investor(s)
Jun 1, 2025	Biobot Analytics	$13.0M Series A	—	Atreides Management, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Matt Ocko, Hyperplane Venture Capital, Plum Alley Investments, Sinai Ventures, Soma Capital, The Engine, Vine Ventures LP, Y Combinator, Emmett Shear, Juha Paananen, Marc McCabe, Rob May
Dec 1, 2022	Civin	$20K Seed	—	Atreides Management, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Matt Ocko, Hyperplane Venture Capital, Plum Alley Investments, Sinai Ventures, Soma Capital, The Engine, Vine Ventures LP, Y Combinator, Emmett Shear, Juha Paananen, Marc McCabe
Mar 1, 2022	Mori	$50.0M Series B	—	Acre Venture Partners, Atreides Management, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Matt Ocko, Flagship Pioneering, Flagship Ventures, Andrew Wheeler, Hyperplane Venture Capital, iSelect Fund, Mercury Fund, Plum Alley Investments, Prelude Ventures, Sinai Ventures, Soma Capital, The Engine, VantagePoint Capital Partners, Vine Ventures LP, Y Combinator, Emmett Shear, Juha Paananen, Marc McCabe, Rob May
Apr 1, 2021	Mori	$16.0M Series B	—	Acre Venture Partners, Atreides Management, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Matt Ocko, Flagship Pioneering, Flagship Ventures, Hyperplane Venture Capital, Plum Alley Investments, Sinai Ventures, Soma Capital, The Engine, Vine Ventures LP, Y Combinator, Emmett Shear, Juha Paananen, Marc McCabe, Rob May
Jul 1, 2020	Mori	$12.0M Series A	—	Acre Venture Partners, Atreides Management, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Matt Ocko, Flagship Pioneering, Flagship Ventures, Hyperplane Venture Capital, Plum Alley Investments, Sinai Ventures, Soma Capital, The Engine, Vine Ventures LP, Y Combinator, Emmett Shear, Juha Paananen, Marc McCabe, Rob May
Aug 1, 2019	Mori	$4.0M Seed	—	Arkitekt Ventures, Atreides Management, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Buckley Ventures, Matt Ocko, Friále, Hyperplane Venture Capital, Laconia Capital Group, Plum Alley Investments, Refactor Capital, Sinai Ventures, Soma Capital, SOSV, The Engine, Valia Ventures, Vine Ventures LP, VZVC, Y Combinator, Chris Anderson, Emmett Shear, Juha Paananen, Justin Mateen, Marc McCabe, Rob May, Sean Rad
Mar 1, 2019	Pronto	$2.0M Seed	—	10100, Acrew Capital, Ambridge Capital, Atreides Management, B Capital Group, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Coalition Operators, Cowboy Ventures, Matt Ocko, Equity Venture Partners, Hack VC, Hyperplane Venture Capital, Insight Partners, Oyster Ventures, Plum Alley Investments, Quiet Capital, Sequoia Capital, Sinai Ventures, SNR, Soma Capital, The Engine, The General Partnership, Uncork Capital, Vine Ventures LP, Y Combinator, Emmett Shear, Greg Brockman, John Kobs, Juha Paananen, Khaled Helioui, Marc McCabe, Mathilde Collin, Michael Stoppelman, Rob May, Russ Heddleston, Samvit Ramadurgam, Bain Capital Ventures, Frederic Kerrest, LGF, Stanley Druckenmiller
Sep 1, 2018	Brizi	$3.0M Seed	—	Anti fund, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Scrum Ventures, Speedy Packets Inc., Y Combinator, Greg Brockman, Paul Holliman
Jul 1, 2018	Stronghold	$3.0M Seed	—	01 Advisors, 9Yards Capital, Kevin Hartz, Accel, Acrew Capital, Adverb Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures, Atreides Management, Audrey Capital, B Capital Group, Benchstrength, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Blitzscaling Ventures, Bond, Broadway Angels, Broom Ventures, C2 Investment, CapitalG, Catapult Capital, Coatue, Commerce Ventures, Cota Capital, Craft Ventures, Daffy, Matt Ocko, Dragoneer Investment Group, Flex Capital, FPV Fund, Freestyle Capital, General Catalyst, Hack VC, Hardware Club, Heretic Ventures, Hyperplane Venture Capital, Incite Ventures, LOI Venture, Moonshots Capital, NKM Capital, Nyca Partners, Oyster Ventures, Paradigm, Pear VC, Pelion Venture Partners, Plum Alley Investments, Quiet Capital, Redpoint Ventures, Science, SciFi VC, Seven Seven Six, Sherpalo Ventures, Sinai Ventures, Soma Capital, Sound Ventures, South Park Commons, SV Angel, Telstra Ventures, The Engine, The Hit Forge, Thomas Pentz, TQ Ventures, Tribe Capital, Union Square Ventures, Unpopular Ventures, Vine Ventures LP, Webb Investment Network, What If Ventures, Y Combinator, Aaron Levie, Aaron Patzer, Alex Pack, Aston Motes, Charlie Cheever, Clara Shih, Clark Landry, Dharmesh Shah, Doug Sleeter, Drew Houston, Emmett Shear, Eric Ries, Eric Ver Ploeg, Hiten Shah, Jared Leto, Jeff Seibert, Jeremy Stoppelman, Josh Silverman, Juha Paananen, Justin Rosenstein, Kris Duggan, Larry Augustin, Louis Beryl, Marc McCabe, Marco Zappacosta, Phil Libin, Rob May, Sam Altman, Samvit Ramadurgam, Seth Sternberg, Tien Tzuo, Tobias Lutke, Wayne Chang
Jul 1, 2018	Mammoth Biosciences	$23.0M Series A	—	AAF Management Ltd., Archangel Network of Funds, Atreides Management, Bam Ventures, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Cubit Investments Ltd, Matt Ocko, Engineering Capital, Flucas Ventures, General Catalyst, Hyperplane Venture Capital, Insight Partners, LOI Venture, Long Journey Ventures, Mayfield, NFX, O.G. Tech Partners, Plug & Play Ventures, Plum Alley Investments, Sarona Ventures, Sinai Ventures, Soma Capital, Sweet Capital, Tachyon Ventures, Tectonic Capital, The Engine, Triatomic Capital, Vine Ventures LP, Y Combinator, Emmett Shear, Juha Paananen, Marc McCabe, Rob May
May 1, 2018	Shield Bio	$8.0M Series A	—	Arkitekt Ventures, Atreides Management, Bain Capital, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Blisce, Buckley Ventures, Contour Venture Partners, Matt Ocko, Endeavor Venture Funds, Friále, Future Africa, Future Planet Capital, Goat Capital, Greycroft, Hambro Perks, Hyperplane Venture Capital, Ignition Partners, Keyhorse Capital, Left Lane Capital, Matrix, Plum Alley Investments, Refactor Capital, Sinai Ventures, Soma Capital, The Engine, Valia Ventures, Vine Ventures LP, VZVC, Y Combinator, Adora Cheung, Alexander Saint-Amand, Alex Oppenheimer, Chris Anderson, Emmett Shear, Eric Anschutz, Joe Greenstein, Juha Paananen, Justin Mateen, Louis Beryl, Marc McCabe, Prabhdeep Singh, Rob May, Sean Rad, Tikhon Bernstam
May 1, 2018	Pelago	$3.0M Seed	—	Kevin Hartz, Atreides Management, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Broadway Angels, Comeback Capital, Matt Ocko, DNX Ventures, Flex Capital, Hummingbird Ventures, Hyperplane Venture Capital, Insignia Ventures Partners, Lazerow Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Lionheart Ventures, MassMutual Ventures, Pear VC, Picus Capital, Plum Alley Investments, quadratura.it, Recursive Ventures, Richmond Global Ventures, Saints Capital, SignalFire, Sinai Ventures, Slow Ventures, SNR, Soma Capital, Spark Capital, The Engine, Vine Ventures LP, WGI Group, Y Combinator, Aaron Harris, Adam D'Angelo, Alexandre Prot, Andreas Ehn, Brian O'Kelley, Charlie Songhurst, Emmett Shear, Eric Stein, Ethan Beard, Evangelos Simoudis, Jay Weintraub, Jeremy Lizt, Joanna Rees, Joe Zawadzki, Kim Perell, Marc McCabe, Mark Gerson, Pierpaolo Barbieri, Rob May, Ron Hirson, Russell Fradin, Russ Fradin, Scott Faber, Steve Anavi, Tien Tzuo, Travis May, Warren Jenson
Apr 1, 2018	Rebel	$3.0M Seed	—	Atreides Management, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Matt Ocko, Hyperplane Venture Capital, La Famiglia, Plum Alley Investments, Sinai Ventures, Soma Capital, The Engine, Vine Ventures LP, Y Combinator, Emmett Shear, Juha Paananen, Marc McCabe, Rob May
Apr 1, 2018	Substack	$2.0M Seed	—	AAF Management Ltd., Atreides Management, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Matt Ocko, ENIAC Ventures, FasterCapital, Hyperplane Venture Capital, LG Technology Ventures, Plum Alley Investments, Polychain Capital, Sinai Ventures, Soma Capital, The Engine, TSVC Capital, Uncorrelated Ventures, UpHonest Capital, Vine Ventures LP, VU Venture Partners, Y Combinator, Fred van den Bosch, John M. Mueller, Jonathan Siegel, Juha Paananen, Koichiro Yoshida, Marc McCabe, Ravi Grover, Rob May, Yoshinari Yoshikawa
Apr 1, 2018	Biobot Analytics	$3.0M Seed	—	2.12 Angels, 500 Global, Kevin Hartz, Adverb Ventures, Airbus Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Angelic Ventures, Atreides Management, Better Tomorrow Ventures, C2 Investment, Camber Creek, CapitalG, Citi Ventures, Cleo Capital, Coelius Capital, Coinbase Ventures, Colle Capital, Concrete Ventures, Convective Capital, CSC Venture Capital, Curious Capital, Dawn Capital, Matt Ocko, DCVC (Data Collective), DFJ, Kevin Ding, Dispersion Capital, Dreamers VC, Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, Founders Fund, Goat Capital, Goodwater Capital, Greylock, Hardware Club, Homebrew, Hyperplane Venture Capital, Shawn Modarresi, Khosla Ventures, Kima Ventures, LocalGlobe, Locus Ventures, Marcy Venture Partners, Matrix, Mayfield, Menlo Ventures, MMC Ventures, N49P Ventures, Nex Cubed, Norwest Venture Partners, Nyca Partners, Off the Grid Ventures, Operator Partners, Pantera Capital, Pareto Holdings, Plum Alley Investments, Point Nine Capital, Prelude Ventures, sequel, Sinai Ventures, Soma Capital, South Park Commons, SV Angel, Target Global, Techstars, The Engine, The Hit Forge, Two Small Fish Ventures, Uncork Capital, UpHonest Capital, Verified Capital, Vine Ventures LP, Weekend Fund, Y Combinator, Alexandre Scialom, Andy Rankin, Anshu Sharma, Anthony Soohoo, Balaji Srinivasan, Brendan O'Driscoll, Chris Kelly, Daniel Graf, Don Hutchison, Drew Houston, Ed Baker, Emmett Shear, Eric Wu, Greg Brockman, Haroon Mokhtarzada, Immad Akhund, James Beshara, James Hong, Jared Leto, Jay Z, Jeff Seibert, Joe Greenstein, John Hennessy, Juha Paananen, Kyle Vogt, Louis Beryl, Marc McCabe, Marissa Mayer, Rob May, Ron Pragides, Sahin Boydas, Sam Altman, Shervin Pishevar, Tikhon Bernstam, Trevor Blackwell, Vishal Makhijani, Wayne Chang
Mar 1, 2017	Brex	$7.0M Series A	—	8-Bit Capital, 8VC, Across Capital Partners, Alpha JWC Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Anti fund, Ballistic Ventures, Bedrock Capital, CapitalG, Citi Ventures, Cyberstarts VC, DST Global, Emergence Capital, Fifth Wall, Founders Co-op, Founders Fund, FPV Fund, Gradient Ventures, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Hardware Club, Hoxton Ventures, Insignia Ventures Partners, Paradigm, PivotNorth Capital, Pnina International, Ribbit Capital, SciFi VC, Scrum Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Serena Ventures, South Park Commons, Speedy Packets Inc., The Hit Forge, Trust Ventures, Venture Highway, Verified Capital, Visionaire Ventures, Y Combinator, Ameet Patel, Balaji Srinivasan, Brandon Leonardo, Carlos Julio Garcia, David Vélez, Eric Wu, Greg Brockman, Jonathan Neman, Justin Mateen, Kara Egan, Konstantin von Unger, Loreanne Garcia, Mato Peric, Max Mullen, Mike Krieger, Paul Holliman, Roger Laughlin Carvallo, Scott Banister, Sri Batchu, Sumon Sadhu, Surojit Chatterjee
Feb 1, 2017	Replenish	$7.0M Venture Round	—	10100, Air Force Accelerator Powered by Techstars, Ambridge Capital, Bain Capital Ventures, Flint Capital, Greylock, Oyster Ventures, Saltagen Ventures, SNR, Speedy Packets Inc., Y Combinator, Elizabeth Iorns, Khaled Helioui
Oct 1, 2016	Rebel	$1.0M Seed	—	Atreides Management, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Matt Ocko, Hyperplane Venture Capital, Plum Alley Investments, Sinai Ventures, Soma Capital, The Engine, Vine Ventures LP, Y Combinator, Emmett Shear, Juha Paananen, Marc McCabe, Rob May
Oct 1, 2015	Paribus	$2.0M Seed	—	Addition, Anti fund, BoxGroup, Brand Foundry Ventures, General Catalyst, Great Oaks Venture Capital, K2 Global, Renegade Partners, Scrum Ventures, Shine Capital, Speedy Packets Inc., Y Combinator, Greg Brockman, Paul Holliman, Scott Belsky, Shervin Pishevar
Nov 1, 2014	Pluto TV	$13.0M Series A	—	ACME Capital, Anti fund, Barrel Ventures, Bond, Chicago Ventures, Dreamers VC, FJ Labs, Framework Ventures, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Interplay Ventures, Lobby Capital, Montage Ventures, Jeff Richards, Owl Rock Capital Partners, ParaFi Capital, Pelion Venture Partners, QueensBridge Venture Partners, Scrum Ventures, Semble Ventures, Shasta Ventures, Speedy Packets Inc., Techstars, Torch Capital, U.S. Venture Partners, Workday, Y Combinator, Anthony Saleh, Greg Brockman, James Beshara, Mark Gillespie, Matt Coffin, Paul Holliman, Sebastien Borget, Shervin Pishevar, Troy Carter
Oct 1, 2014	Pluto TV	$500K Seed	—	ACME Capital, Anti fund, Barrel Ventures, Bond, Chicago Ventures, Dreamers VC, FJ Labs, Framework Ventures, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Interplay Ventures, Kapor Capital, Lobby Capital, M13, Marcy Venture Partners, Montage Ventures, Jeff Richards, Owl Rock Capital Partners, ParaFi Capital, Pelion Venture Partners, QueensBridge Venture Partners, Science, Scrum Ventures, Semble Ventures, Shasta Ventures, Speedy Packets Inc., Spring Capital, Techstars, Torch Capital, Trust Ventures, Y Combinator, Anthony Choe, Anthony Saleh, Greg Brockman, Jonathan Neman, Mark Gillespie, Matt Coffin, Paul Holliman, Sebastien Borget, Shervin Pishevar, Troy Carter
Sep 1, 2013	Popular Pays	$200K Seed	—	Anti fund, Great Oaks Venture Capital, IrishAngels, Motivate Ventures, Scrum Ventures, Speedy Packets Inc., Y Combinator, Greg Brockman, Paul Holliman

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Leadership Team

Key people at Forward Deployed VC.

Leadership Team

Key people at Forward Deployed VC.

Deep Dive

High-Level Overview

Forward Deployed VC (FDVC) is a venture capital firm founded in 2022 with a mission to back early-stage startups in mission-critical sectors such as defense, energy, industrials, artificial intelligence, and advanced technology. The firm’s investment philosophy centers on being the “first call” for founders building technologies with strategic national security and infrastructure applications, prioritizing hands-on support and deep sector expertise. FDVC targets companies at the intersection of defense, industrial innovation, and security infrastructure, aiming to bridge the gap between early-stage innovation and real-world deployment in high-stakes environments. Its impact on the startup ecosystem is marked by a founder-first approach, leveraging strong industry networks and a unique understanding of defense procurement cycles to help startups navigate complex regulatory and operational landscapes.

Origin Story

Forward Deployed VC was founded in 2022 by Mark Scianna, a former founding member of Palantir’s defense team and a veteran forward deployed engineer with over a decade of experience building software for the U.S. military in conflict zones. Scianna’s operational background—deploying with U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Horn of Africa—shaped the firm’s ethos and gave it a distinctive edge in understanding the needs of defense and critical infrastructure startups. The firm’s name is a direct nod to Scianna’s time at Palantir, where he led the development of mission-critical products like Forward, Mobile, and Project Maven. After leaving Palantir in 2019, Scianna began angel investing and eventually launched FDVC Fund I in 2022, building on a track record of top-decile returns and a deep network in the defense-tech ecosystem.

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: FDVC specializes in early-stage investments in defense, energy, and industrials, focusing on startups with technologies that address national security and infrastructure challenges.
Network Strength: The firm leverages Mark Scianna’s extensive connections within defense, government, and industrial sectors, as well as alumni networks from leading defense-tech companies.
Track Record: Scianna has a 12-year track record as an investor, with a portfolio of 28 companies, achieving a 43% IRR, 27x TVPI, and 25x DPI between 2010 and 2021.
Operating Support: FDVC provides hands-on guidance, helping founders navigate the complexities of defense procurement, regulatory compliance, and scaling in mission-critical markets.
Founder-First Approach: The firm emphasizes trust-building and deep engagement with founders, positioning itself as a strategic partner rather than just a capital provider.

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Forward Deployed VC is riding the growing trend of dual-use technology—innovations that serve both commercial and national security needs. As geopolitical tensions rise and governments prioritize technological sovereignty, the demand for startups building in defense, energy, and critical infrastructure has surged. FDVC’s timing is particularly advantageous, as the U.S. and allied governments are increasing investment in advanced manufacturing, AI, and resilient supply chains. The firm’s deep sector expertise and operational background allow it to identify and support startups that can deliver real-world impact, influencing the broader ecosystem by accelerating the commercialization of mission-critical technologies and fostering a new generation of defense-tech entrepreneurs.

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Forward Deployed VC is poised to become a leading voice in the defense and industrial tech investment space, with its unique blend of operational experience, sector expertise, and founder-centric approach. As the firm continues to build its portfolio and expand its network, it is likely to play an increasingly influential role in shaping the future of national security and critical infrastructure innovation. The ongoing convergence of commercial and defense technologies, coupled with rising government investment, will further amplify FDVC’s impact. For founders in mission-critical sectors, FDVC represents not just a source of capital, but a strategic partner with the insight and connections to help them succeed in some of the most challenging and impactful markets.

Sources

High-Level Overview

Origin Story

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: FDVC specializes in early-stage investments in defense, energy, and industrials, focusing on startups with technologies that address national security and infrastructure challenges.
Network Strength: The firm leverages Mark Scianna’s extensive connections within defense, government, and industrial sectors, as well as alumni networks from leading defense-tech companies.
Track Record: Scianna has a 12-year track record as an investor, with a portfolio of 28 companies, achieving a 43% IRR, 27x TVPI, and 25x DPI between 2010 and 2021.
Operating Support: FDVC provides hands-on guidance, helping founders navigate the complexities of defense procurement, regulatory compliance, and scaling in mission-critical markets.
Founder-First Approach: The firm emphasizes trust-building and deep engagement with founders, positioning itself as a strategic partner rather than just a capital provider.