Starburst Ventures

ActiveVenture Capital

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Updated: Jan 22, 2026 ·

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Investments Made

Date	Company	Round	Lead Investor(s)	Co-Investor(s)
Oct 1, 2023	Thread	$15.0M Series A	—	Balderton Capital, Beringea, Draper Triangle, Greylock, Innovation Works, The Founder Coach, Waverley Capital, David Haywood Smith, Errol Damelin, Ian Hogarth, Jared Kopf, Kevin O'Leary, Michael Birch, Nirav Tolia
Jun 1, 2021	Moonshot	$7.0M Series A	—	Balderton Capital, Beringea, Draper Triangle, Greylock, Innovation Works, The Founder Coach, Waverley Capital, David Haywood Smith, Errol Damelin, Ian Hogarth, Jared Kopf, Kevin O'Leary, Michael Birch
Jun 1, 2019	Infarm	$100.0M Series B	—	Alate Partners, Jana Messerschmidt, Balderton Capital, Beringea, Cherry Ventures, Craft Ventures, CRV, Draper Triangle, Goat Capital, Goldcrest Capital, Greycroft, Greylock, Index Ventures, Innovation Works, M13, MATH Venture Partners, Relay Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Spark Capital, The Founder Coach, Tusk Venture Partners, Waverley Capital, David Haywood Smith, Errol Damelin, Ian Hogarth, Jan Deepen, Jared Kopf, Kevin O'Leary, Michael Birch, Ning Sung, Oskar Hartmann, Stefan Jeschonnek, Steve Salis, Travis Vanderzanden
Feb 1, 2018	Infarm	$25.0M Series A	—	Balderton Capital, Beringea, Cherry Ventures, Draper Triangle, Greylock, Innovation Works, The Founder Coach, Waverley Capital, David Haywood Smith, Errol Damelin, Ian Hogarth, Jan Deepen, Jared Kopf, Kevin O'Leary, Michael Birch, Oskar Hartmann, Stefan Jeschonnek
Mar 1, 2016	Netomi	$3.0M Seed	—	01 Advisors, Alpha JWC Ventures, Atreides Management, Balderton Capital, Beringea, Bessemer Venture Partners, Betaworks Ventures, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Bowery Capital, BoxGroup, C2 Investment, Charge Ventures, Convective Capital, DG Incubation, Draper Triangle, DST Global, Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, Flashpoint VC, Founders Fund, Goat Capital, Greylock, Gutter Capital, Hannah Grey, Indicator Ventures, Innovation Works, Javelin Venture Partners, Jungle Ventures, Kima Ventures, Locus Ventures, Matrix, Next Level Ventures, Jeff Richards, Primary Venture Partners, Silicon Badia, Social Starts, Supernode Ventures, The Founder Coach, The Valley Fund, Waverley Capital, Y Combinator, David Haywood Smith, Drew Houston, Emmett Shear, Eric Wu, Errol Damelin, Ian Hogarth, James Beshara, Jared Kopf, Joe Greenstein, Kevin O'Leary, Kyle Vogt, Marissa Mayer, Michael Birch, Sam Altman, Tikhon Bernstam, Trevor Blackwell
Mar 1, 2016	Charlie	$1.0M Seed	—	50 Partners, Anorak Ventures, Balderton Capital, Beringea, BlueYard Capital, byFounders, Cherry Ventures, Draper Triangle, FirstMark Capital, Greylock, Innovation Works, Partech Ventures, The Founder Coach, Waverley Capital, Andrew Lacy, Brendan Iribe, David Haywood Smith, Errol Damelin, Jan Erik Solem, Jared Kopf, Kevin O'Leary, Maxime Paradis, Michael Birch, Oleg Tscheltzoff, Shriya Nevatia, Stefan Lindeberg
Jan 1, 2016	Citymapper	$40.0M Series B	—	Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, AXA Strategic Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, Balderton Capital, Benchmark, Beringea, Caffeinated Capital, Cherry Ventures, Kevin Ding, DN Capital, Draper Triangle, DST Global, Electric Capital, Felicis Ventures, FJ Labs, Founder Collective, FPV Fund, General Atlantic, General Catalyst, Giza Polish Ventures, Greylock, Human Augmentation Syndicate, ICONIQ Capital, Index Ventures, Innovation Works, InterWest, Kapor Capital, Kleiner Perkins, Lowercarbon Capital, Piton Capital, Sherpalo Ventures, Sound Ventures, SV Angel, The Founder Coach, The Hit Forge, Vertex Ventures, Waverley Capital, Y Combinator, Brian Sugar, Errol Damelin, Felix Jahn, Ian Hogarth, Jared Kopf, Joshua Schachter, Kevin O'Leary, Michael Birch, Nils Johnson, Oskar Hartmann, Sam Altman
Oct 1, 2015	Insureon	$31.0M Series B	—	Armilar Venture Partners, Balderton Capital, Beringea, Citi Ventures, Draper Triangle, Greylock, Innovation Works, Oak HC/FT, PruVen Capital, Sapphire Ventures, The Founder Coach, Waverley Capital, David Haywood Smith, Errol Damelin, Ian Hogarth, Jared Kopf, Kevin O'Leary, Michael Birch
Jan 1, 2015	Sendbloom	$1.0M Seed	—	1Flourish Capital, 5eyes Ventures, 8VC, A Capital, Advisors Fund LLC, Balderton Capital, Beringea, Bessemer Venture Partners, Bling Capital, Broadway Angels, Caffeinated Capital, CapitalG, David Namdar, CRV, Zachary Bogue, Draper Triangle, Flex Capital, Founders Fund, Freestyle Capital, Global Founders Capital, Gradient Ventures, Greylock, M.G. Siegler, Human Augmentation Syndicate, IDG Ventures, Innovation Endeavors, Innovation Works, iNovia Capital, Ironspring Ventures, Javelin Venture Partners, Jigsaw VC, Khosla Ventures, KRM Interests LLC, LAUNCH, Liquid 2 Ventures, Long Journey Ventures, Menlo Ventures, NEO, Nirmata-ai, Offline Ventures, Oyster Ventures, Partners Resolute, Practical Venture Capital, PS Investments, QueensBridge Venture Partners, Alexander Rosen, Gil Penchina, Roosh Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Slow Ventures, Soma Capital, Streamlined Ventures, Summit Partners, The Founder Coach, The Hit Forge, Tiger Global Management, Triatomic Capital, Ulu Ventures, Uncork Capital, Upfront Ventures, Vayner RSE, Vertex Ventures Israel, Viola Ventures, Waverley Capital, Winklevoss Capital, Y Combinator, AJ Vaynerchuk, Akash Garg, Anil Dharni, Anthony Soohoo, Carmelo Anthony (Melo7 Tech Partners), David Haywood Smith, Dharmesh Shah, Eric Ries, Errol Damelin, Hadi Partovi, Ian Hogarth, Iqram Magdon-Ismail, Jabez Dewey, James Hong, Jared Kopf, Jeremy Stoppelman, Jim Lanzone, John Collison, Jonathan Boutelle, Josh Spear, Joshua Schachter, Karl Mehta, Kevin O'Leary, Konstantin von Unger, Marc Benioff, Mark Britto, Mark Goines, Matt Cutts, Matt Mazzeo, MG Siegler, Mike Hennessey, Narendra Rocherolle, Ofer Zinger, Othman Laraki, Philip Kaplan, Ralph Gootee, Rashaun Williams, Ronny Conway, Russell Fradin, Russ Fradin, Ryan Spoon, Scott Banister, Scott Belsky, Sumon Sadhu, Tim Ringel, Tracy Young, William Hockey, Yan-David Erlich, Ziv Kop
Sep 1, 2014	SchoolMint	$2.0M Seed	—	Balderton Capital, Beringea, Draper Triangle, Greylock, Innovation Works, REMUS Capital, The Founder Coach, Waverley Capital, Y Combinator, David Haywood Smith, Errol Damelin, Ian Hogarth, Joshua Schachter, Kevin O'Leary, Michael Birch, Steve Chen
Jul 1, 2014	EarnIn	$4.0M Seed	—	Kevin Hartz, ACME Capital, Balderton Capital, Beringea, Caffeinated Capital, Catapult Capital, Coatue, Cota Capital, Craft Ventures, CrunchFund, Draper Triangle, Felicis Ventures, Gideon Yu, General Atlantic, Greylock, Haystack, Innovation Works, Khosla Ventures, Lakestar, Glenn Solomon, Offline Ventures, Saga, SciFi VC, Seven Seven Six, The Founder Coach, The Hit Forge, Thrive Capital, Tribe Capital, Trinity Ventures, True Ventures, Waverley Capital, Y Combinator, Aaron Levie, Andy Rankin, Charlie Cheever, David Haywood Smith, Ian Hogarth, Jared Kopf, Jeff Seibert, Jeremy Stoppelman, Joe Greenstein, Karim Elsahy, Kevin O'Leary, Louis Beryl, Michael Birch, Oliver Thylmann, Sam Altman, Wayne Chang

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Leadership Team

Key people at Starburst Ventures.

Leadership Team

Key people at Starburst Ventures.

Deep Dive

High-Level Overview

Starburst Ventures is a leading global venture capital firm and accelerator focused exclusively on the aerospace, aviation, space, and defense sectors. Its mission is to foster innovation and accelerate early-stage startups with breakthrough technologies that address critical challenges in these industries. The firm invests in companies developing advanced technologies such as launchers, spacecraft, aircraft, drones, AI, cybersecurity, new materials, and energy solutions. By leveraging a global network of innovation hubs, corporate partners, government agencies, and investors, Starburst Ventures aims to drive transformative growth and maintain technological leadership in aerospace and defense[1][2][4][6].

Origin Story

Founded in 2012, Starburst Ventures emerged as the first venture capital fund dedicated to aerospace and defense innovation. It was created by industry veterans and founders passionate about bridging the gap between startups, industrial players, and allied governments. Over time, the firm evolved from an accelerator into a comprehensive ecosystem builder combining venture investing, strategy consulting, and startup acceleration. Key partners include experienced aerospace and defense professionals who bring deep domain expertise and operational know-how, enabling Starburst to support companies from formation through acquisition[1][4][6].

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: Focused exclusively on aerospace, aviation, space, and defense sectors, investing from idea stage through early revenue with check sizes typically between $200K and $1M[3].
Global Network Strength: Operates innovation hubs worldwide, connecting startups with corporates, governments, and investors to facilitate collaboration and market access[1][6].
Domain Expertise: Team comprises aerospace and defense veterans with backgrounds as founders, operators, and investors, providing tailored support in business development, government affairs, and strategic partnerships[3][4].
Comprehensive Support: Combines venture capital with acceleration programs and consulting services, offering mentorship, go-to-market strategy, and capital raising assistance[6].
Track Record: Over 30 deals with notable exits, emphasizing disruptive technologies and data-driven investment decisions[1].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Starburst Ventures rides the wave of increasing global focus on aerospace and defense innovation driven by geopolitical shifts, climate change imperatives, and rapid technological advances such as AI, autonomous systems, and new materials. The timing is critical as governments and industries seek to regain technological advantage and develop new deterrence capabilities. Starburst’s role as a connector and enabler accelerates the commercialization of deep tech innovations that impact space exploration, clean aviation, national security, and more. Its ecosystem approach helps align startups, corporates, and governments to collectively advance the aerospace sector’s future[1][4][6].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Looking ahead, Starburst Ventures is well-positioned to capitalize on growing investment interest in aerospace and defense technologies, especially in areas like hypersonic flight, green aviation, AI-enabled systems, and space infrastructure. As global priorities shift toward sustainability, security, and technological sovereignty, Starburst’s influence is likely to expand through deeper partnerships and broader geographic reach. The firm’s commitment to being a hands-on partner and ecosystem builder will continue to differentiate it, helping startups scale and shape the future of aerospace and defense innovation.

In sum, Starburst Ventures stands as a pioneering force in aerospace venture capital, uniquely blending investment, acceleration, and consulting to drive the next generation of aerospace breakthroughs.

Sources

High-Level Overview

Origin Story

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: Focused exclusively on aerospace, aviation, space, and defense sectors, investing from idea stage through early revenue with check sizes typically between $200K and $1M[3].
Global Network Strength: Operates innovation hubs worldwide, connecting startups with corporates, governments, and investors to facilitate collaboration and market access[1][6].
Domain Expertise: Team comprises aerospace and defense veterans with backgrounds as founders, operators, and investors, providing tailored support in business development, government affairs, and strategic partnerships[3][4].
Comprehensive Support: Combines venture capital with acceleration programs and consulting services, offering mentorship, go-to-market strategy, and capital raising assistance[6].
Track Record: Over 30 deals with notable exits, emphasizing disruptive technologies and data-driven investment decisions[1].