18 manufacturing investors sponsoring automation, robotics, and industrial tech in 2026

Tariffs changed the math on U.S. manufacturing in 2026. Companies that spent years offshoring production are now scrambling to build domestic capacity. That created a massive opportunity for manufacturing startups - if you can find investors who actually understand hardware economics.

Most software VCs don't get manufacturing. Long development cycles, capital intensity, supply chain complexity - these aren't bugs in the model, they're features. You need investors who've actually built physical products before.

The investors below closed manufacturing deals from 2023 through November 2025. Some focus on early-stage automation. Others write growth checks for advanced materials. A few only do robotics. Know the difference before you waste three months on the wrong pitch.

Quick list

Finding investors who actually understand manufacturing

Experience: Find investors who've backed companies through hard pivots when your initial manufacturing process doesn't scale. Software investors freak out when you need 18 months for tooling validation.

Network: Ask if they can intro you to contract manufacturers in Asia or automation integrators in the Midwest. Generic "we know everyone" claims are useless without specific facility contacts, especially when evaluating real professional services support.

Alignment: Seed investors often don't understand Series B burn rates. Growth investors won't touch you until you hit $10M ARR. Make sure they've funded similar business models at your stage before—review how they handled sensitive docs and whether they required you to password-protect files.

Track record: Check if their portfolio companies raised follow-on rounds. Dead portfolio companies are a red flag, especially in capital-intensive hardware. Also look at founder reviews and whether any cited GDPR sharing mistakes during diligence.

Communication: Use Ellty to share your deck with trackable links. You’ll see who actually opens your financial projections vs. just skimming the intro, making it easy to track investor activity.

Value-add: Ask what operational support they provide during supply chain crises. Most say they have manufacturing expertise - press for specifics like "which CM did you help your last portfolio company negotiate with."

Approaching manufacturing investors without wasting time

Identify potential investors: Research recent deals on Crunchbase for your specific subsector. Robotics investors won't fund materials science, no matter how good your pitch is.

Craft a compelling pitch: Show your manufacturing cost curve and how it improves with scale. Investors are tired of "we'll figure out production later" without actual CM quotes—details you should keep clean and properly formatted before you send the deck.

Share your pitch deck: Upload to Ellty and send trackable links. Monitor which pages investors spend time on - if they skip your unit economics, that's useful information.

Utilize your network: Message portfolio founders on LinkedIn and ask about response times and actual value-add during their last factory audit. Most will be honest.

Attend networking events: MFG Summit and RoboBusiness are where manufacturing deals actually happen. Skip the small local startup events unless they attract serious early-stage startup investors.

Engage on online platforms: Connect with partners on LinkedIn after you've been introduced by a portfolio founder. Cold DMs rarely work in hardware.

Organize due diligence: Set up an Ellty data room with your financial model, cap table, and supplier contracts before they ask. It speeds up the process.

Set up introductory meetings: Lead with your manufacturing innovation and current production status. Don't waste 20 minutes on TAM slides they've seen 100 times.

Why manufacturing investments matter in 2026

U.S. tariffs introduced friction into cross-border dealmaking in 2026, widening bid-ask spreads and stalling transactions with international exposure PwCIndustry Today. That pushed more capital into domestic manufacturing.

Strategic buyers and investors doubled down on automation, defense, and energy transition - sectors where policy support and resilience drive premium valuations PwCIndustry Today. The labor shortage isn't getting better. Manufacturing automation went from nice-to-have to survival requirement.

18 top manufacturing investors

1. Eclipse Ventures

Leads early and growth-stage rounds for companies solving physical industry problems through automation and AI.

• Recent Deals: Genesis AI ($105M seed, July 2025), Fulfil Solutions ($60M Series B, 2024), Bright Machines ($100M Series B equity, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Lior Susan LinkedIn, Seth Winterroth LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Industrial automation, robotics, manufacturing software, supply chain, energy storage
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth
• Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
• Website: eclipse.capital

2. Lightspeed Venture Partners

Multi-stage investor backing enterprise, fintech, and industrial technology globally.

• Recent Deals: Castelion ($350M Series B, July 2025), DualBird ($25M Series A, November 2025), Ramp ($300M investment, November 2025)
• LinkedIn: Lightspeed Venture Partners LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Enterprise software, robotics, manufacturing, defense, cleantech
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Location: Menlo Park, California, United States
• Website: lsvp.com

3. SOSV (HAX)

Pre-seed deep tech investor operating startup development programs for hardware and life sciences.

• Recent Deals: HAX Plasma Forge partnership ($49M, June 2025), Level Zero ($6.9M round, February 2025), Princeton Critical Minerals (seed funding, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Duncan Turner LinkedIn, Sean O'Sullivan LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Industrial automation, climate tech, manufacturing, robotics, health tech, plasma technology
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed
• Location: Princeton, New Jersey / Newark, New Jersey / San Francisco, California, United States
• Website: sosv.com

4. Anzu Partners

Industrial technology investor providing capital and operational expertise to manufacturing and cleantech companies.

• Recent Deals: ExOne acquisition (July 2025), Voxeljet acquisition (March 2025), ExOne Global Holdings formation (October 2025)
• LinkedIn: Whitney Haring-Smith LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Advanced manufacturing, 3D printing, battery technology, clean energy, materials science
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Acquisitions
• Location: Washington DC, United States
• Website: anzupartners.com

5. Khosla Ventures

Venture capital firm focused on AI, sustainability, and transformative industrial technology.

• Recent Deals: Genesis AI ($105M seed, July 2025), Fulfil Solutions ($60M Series B co-investor, 2024), Varda ($187M Series C, 2025)
• LinkedIn: Samir Kaul LinkedIn, Kanu Gulati LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: AI, robotics, space manufacturing, clean energy, industrial automation
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: Menlo Park, California, United States
• Website: khoslaventures.com

6. Bee Partners

Pre-seed deep tech investor writing first checks to founders building AI, robotics, and manufacturing technology.

• Recent Deals: Octave (Seed, May 2025), Pow.Bio ($9.5M seed extension, 2025), Erthos ($6.5M seed, 2025)
• LinkedIn: Michael Berolzheimer LinkedIn, Kira Noodleman LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Manufacturing automation, robotics, AI, industrial tech, biological machines
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed
• Location: San Francisco, California, United States
• Website: beepartners.vc

7. Altimeter Capital Management

Growth-stage investor backing technology companies scaling operations.

• Recent Deals: Castelion ($350M Series B co-investor, July 2025)
• LinkedIn: Altimeter Capital LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Defense technology, manufacturing, enterprise software
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, Growth
• Location: Menlo Park, California, United States
• Website: altimeter.com

8. Applied Ventures

Corporate venture arm of Applied Materials backing semiconductor and manufacturing technology.

• Recent Deals: Portfolio includes semiconductor manufacturing equipment and materials science companies
• LinkedIn: Applied Ventures LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Semiconductor manufacturing, materials science, automation, nanotechnology
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: Santa Clara, California, United States
• Website: appliedventures.com

9. Bessemer Venture Partners

Multi-stage investor backing enterprise and industrial technology companies globally.

• Recent Deals: DualBird (co-investor in Series A, November 2025)
• LinkedIn: Bessemer Venture Partners LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Enterprise software, manufacturing automation, industrial AI, supply chain
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Location: San Francisco, California / New York, New York, United States
• Website: bvp.com

10. Accel

Global venture capital firm investing in technology companies from seed to growth stage.

• Recent Deals: Portfolio includes manufacturing software and industrial automation companies
• LinkedIn: Accel LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Enterprise software, industrial tech, automation, supply chain software
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth
• Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
• Website: accel.com

11. Sequoia Capital

Venture capital firm backing transformative technology companies across stages.

• Recent Deals: Portfolio includes industrial automation and manufacturing technology companies
• LinkedIn: Sequoia Capital LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Enterprise technology, manufacturing software, robotics, industrial AI
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Late Stage
• Location: Menlo Park, California, United States
• Website: sequoiacap.com

12. Alumni Ventures

Diversified venture capital firm providing access to startup investments through alumni networks.

• Recent Deals: Portfolio includes manufacturing and industrial technology companies
• LinkedIn: Alumni Ventures LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Manufacturing, IoT, robotics, enterprise software, deep tech
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: Manchester, New Hampshire, United States
• Website: av.vc

13. General Catalyst

Multi-stage venture capital firm backing transformative technology companies.

• Recent Deals: CookUnity ($250M investment, November 2025 - co-investor with Lightspeed)
• LinkedIn: General Catalyst LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Industrial technology, manufacturing automation, enterprise software, robotics
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
• Website: generalcatalyst.com

14. Draper Associates

Seed-stage venture capital firm backing technology entrepreneurs.

• Recent Deals: Portfolio includes hardware and manufacturing startups
• LinkedIn: Tim Draper LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Hardware, robotics, manufacturing, deep tech, space technology
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Location: San Mateo, California, United States
• Website: draper.vc

15. Innova Memphis

Pre-seed and seed investor focused on biosciences, technology, and agtech in Tennessee.

• Recent Deals: Portfolio includes manufacturing and industrial automation companies
• LinkedIn: Innova Memphis LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Manufacturing, biomanufacturing, agtech, automation, technology
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed, Early Stage
• Location: Memphis, Tennessee, United States
• Website: innovatememphis.com

16. Ironspring Ventures

Early-stage venture capital firm focused on digital industrial sectors.

• Recent Deals: Portfolio includes construction, manufacturing, and logistics technology
• LinkedIn: Ironspring Ventures LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Digital industrials, construction tech, manufacturing, logistics, automation
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Location: Austin, Texas, United States
• Website: ironspringventures.com

17. DCVC

Deep tech venture capital firm backing transformational science and technology companies.

• Recent Deals: Fulfil Solutions ($60M Series B co-investor, 2024)
• LinkedIn: DCVC LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Advanced manufacturing, materials science, robotics, industrial AI, computational biology
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: San Francisco, California, United States
• Website: dcvc.com

18. Bpifrance

French sovereign investment bank backing innovation and industrial companies globally.

• Recent Deals: Genesis AI ($105M seed co-investor, July 2025)
• LinkedIn: Bpifrance LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Manufacturing, cleantech, industrial technology, advanced materials, robotics
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth
• Location: Paris, France
• Website: bpifrance.com

Start tracking your outreach now

These 18 investors closed deals from 2023 to 2026. Before you start reaching out, set up proper tracking.

Upload your deck to Ellty and create a unique link for each investor. You'll see exactly which slides they view and how long they spend on your financials. Most founders are surprised to learn investors skip their market size slides but spend 5+ minutes on unit economics.

When investors ask for more materials, share an Ellty data room instead of messy email threads. Your cap table, financial model, and supplier contracts in one secure place with view analytics.

Common questions

How do I know if an investor is still active in manufacturing? Check their recent deals on Crunchbase or their portfolio page. If their last manufacturing investment was 3+ years ago, they've probably shifted focus. Look for 2024-2026 deals.

Should I cold email manufacturing investors or get introductions? Introductions through portfolio founders work better. Cold emails to hardware investors have sub-5% response rates unless you have extraordinary traction.

What's the difference between seed and Series A manufacturing investors? Seed investors expect you're still in prototyping or pilot production. Series A investors want to see you've manufactured at least 1,000 units and have proven unit economics.

How many investors should I reach out to for a manufacturing round? 50-100 for seed rounds, 30-50 for Series A. Manufacturing deals take 6-12 months to close, longer than software. You need a bigger pipeline.

When should I set up a data room for manufacturing diligence? Before your first investor meeting. Manufacturing due diligence is intense - they'll want supplier contracts, quality control processes, and detailed cost breakdowns immediately.

Do investors actually care about pitch deck analytics? Yes. If they spend 10 minutes on your deck but skip your manufacturing section entirely, that tells you they're not serious about hardware. It saves you time.