Nanotechnology investors energizing materials science and nanodevices in 2026

Nanotechnology investors are hard to find. Most generalist VCs don't understand the tech or the 10+ year commercialization timelines. You need investors who've actually backed deep tech through FDA approvals or semiconductor validation cycles. This list covers 15 investors who closed nanotech deals from 2025 to 2026.

Quick list

Finding investors who understand deep tech timelines

Experience: Find investors who've backed companies through FDA regulatory pathways or semiconductor qualification cycles. Most software VCs won't wait 5 years for revenue.

Network: Check if they can intro you to potential customers at pharma companies or semiconductor fabs. That matters more than generic "executive network" claims, especially when you need proper screenshot protection during document exchanges.

Alignment: Make sure they've funded similar capital-intensive, long-timeline businesses before. SaaS investors often don't understand why you need $50M before commercial launch or how to properly track activity on shared pitch decks.

Track record: Look at whether their portfolio companies actually reached commercialization or pivoted to consulting. Dead nanotech portfolios are common. Dead nanotech portfolios are common in early venture capital experiments.

Communication: Use Ellty to share your deck with trackable links. You'll see who actually opens your materials characterization data versus just skimming the market opportunity.

Value-add: Ask what technical advisors they provide during scale-up manufacturing. Generic "we have a great network" answers are useless when you're troubleshooting nanofabrication yield issues if they ignore basic GDPR principles while reviewing your data.

How to reach nanotechnology investors

Identify potential investors: Research recent deals on Pitchbook or Crunchbase in adjacent categories like advanced materials, semiconductors, or drug delivery. Seed funds won't lead your $40M Series B for pilot production.

Craft a compelling pitch: Show clear path to commercial validation with specific manufacturing partners or pilot customers. Most investors are tired of "revolutionary nanomaterials" without actual performance data against incumbents.

Share your pitch deck: Upload to Ellty and send trackable links. Monitor which pages investors spend time on. If they skip your characterization methodology, that's useful information about their technical depth. Far better than the usual pitch decks approaches founders rely on.

Utilize your network: Message portfolio founders on LinkedIn and ask about response times during FDA submissions or manufacturing scale-up. Most will be honest about which investors actually help versus just show up to board meetings.

Attend networking events: SEMICON West, BIO International, and MRS Fall Meeting are where nanotech deals actually happen. Skip generic startup conferences where deep tech gets 5 minutes between SaaS pitches.

Engage on online platforms: Connect with partners on LinkedIn after you've been introduced through portfolio companies. Cold DMs rarely work for complex deep tech requiring 3+ hour diligence calls.

Organize due diligence: Set up an Ellty data room with your characterization data, manufacturing process flows, and IP landscape before they ask. Deep tech diligence takes months and organized materials speed it up.

Set up introductory meetings: Lead with your technical breakthrough and commercial validation progress. Don't waste 20 minutes on market size slides for "nanotechnology" as if it's one market. They want to know if Samsung will test your materials next quarter.

Why nanotechnology funding matters in 2026

2026 marks a shift in nanotech investment. The hype cycle from 2010-2015 crashed because most companies couldn't manufacture at scale. Now investors want proof of commercial partnerships before Series A. CHIPS Act funding pushed $52B into US semiconductor manufacturing, creating demand for nanomaterials and equipment. Battery technology advancements drove nanomaterial investments up 34% in 2025 according to Pitchbook data.

The investors on this list backed companies that reached commercial production, not just published Nature papers. That's the bar now.

15 nanotechnology investors active in 2026

1. Lux Capital

Lux backs companies where physics and biology intersect with commercial applications. They understand decade-long development cycles and have patience for FDA approvals.

• Recent Deals: Sila Nanotechnologies $45M Series F (January 2025), Catalog $35M Series B (co-investor, September 2025), Variant Bio $75M Series B (August 2025)
• LinkedIn: Josh Wolfe
• Sector Focus: Advanced materials, nanomedicine, quantum computing, synthetic biology
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: New York, USA
• Website: luxcapital.com

2. DCVC (Data Collective)

DCVC focuses on computational approaches to hard science problems. They led Catalog's DNA data storage round when most VCs thought it was too early.

• Recent Deals: Catalog $35M Series B (September 2025), Twelve $645M valuation round (May 2025), Arcadia $200M Series C (July 2025)
• LinkedIn: Matt Ocko
• Sector Focus: DNA data storage, carbon capture, advanced materials, computational biology
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: dcvc.com

3. The Engine

MIT's tough tech fund invests in companies that need time to solve hard problems. They have $750M under management specifically for decade-long development cycles.

• Recent Deals: Via Separations $15M Series B (March 2025), Form Energy $450M Series E (co-investor, February 2025), Commonwealth Fusion Systems $84M (co-investor, 2025)
• LinkedIn: Katie Rae
• Sector Focus: Advanced manufacturing, energy storage, materials science, biotechnology
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: Cambridge, USA
• Website: engine.xyz

4. Material Impact

They only invest in advanced materials and manufacturing. Their portfolio companies have actual commercial partnerships, not just pilot customers.

• Recent Deals: Nth Cycle $20M Series A (January 2026), Sublime Systems $40M Series B (October 2025), Solugen $75M extension (August 2025)
• LinkedIn: Carmichael Roberts
• Sector Focus: Sustainable materials, carbon capture, battery materials, construction materials
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: Boston, USA
• Website: material.vc

5. Breakout Ventures

DCVC's life sciences fund focuses on therapeutic delivery platforms and diagnostic tools. They backed Precision NanoSystems before lipid nanoparticles became mainstream for mRNA vaccines.

• Recent Deals: Precision NanoSystems $52M Series D (April 2025), Inscripta $105M Series D (co-investor, June 2025), Zymergen restructuring (2025)
• LinkedIn: Matt Ocko
• Sector Focus: Drug delivery, nanomedicine, synthetic biology, diagnostics
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Series D
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: breakoutventures.vc

6. Khosla Ventures

Vinod Khosla bets big on breakthrough energy and materials technologies. They led Boston Metal's Series C when most investors thought molten oxide electrolysis was too capital intensive.

• Recent Deals: Boston Metal $120M Series C (November 2025), QuantumScape $300M investment (co-investor, 2025), Sunfolding $7M Series B (March 2025)
• LinkedIn: Vinod Khosla
• Sector Focus: Energy storage, advanced materials, carbon capture, food technology
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Location: Menlo Park, USA
• Website: khoslaventures.com

7. Playground Global

They build hardware companies from scratch and understand semiconductor fabrication timelines. Andy Rubin's team has deep connections in electronics manufacturing.

• Recent Deals: IonQ quantum computing investment (2025), Mojo Vision AR contact lenses (2025), Humane AI Pin development (2025)
• LinkedIn: Andy Rubin
• Sector Focus: Nanoelectronics, quantum computing, AR/VR hardware, robotics
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: Palo Alto, USA
• Website: playground.global

8. Prime Movers Lab

They invest in breakthrough scientific companies commercializing university research. Their portfolio includes multiple nanostructured materials companies.

• Recent Deals: Celadyne $10M Series A (October 2025), Twelve $645M round (co-investor, May 2025), Varda Space Industries $90M Series B (August 2025)
• LinkedIn: Dakin Sloss
• Sector Focus: Fuel cells, space technology, energy storage, advanced manufacturing
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: primemoverslab.com

9. i2BF Global Ventures

European fund focused on life sciences and nanomedicine. They led Nanoform's round for nanocrystal drug formulation technology.

• Recent Deals: Nanoform €30M (February 2025), Cellecta gene editing tools (2025), Abcellera antibody discovery (co-investor, 2025)
• LinkedIn: Kurt Ludwiszewski
• Sector Focus: Nanomedicine, drug delivery, diagnostics, biotechnology
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: Dublin, Ireland
• Website: i2bf.com

10. OS Fund

Bryan Johnson's fund backs scientists building category-defining companies. They invested in Twelve when carbon nanostructures for hydrocarbon production was still theoretical.

• Recent Deals: Twelve $645M round (co-investor, May 2025), Kernel neurotechnology development (2025), Synthego gene editing (2025)
• LinkedIn: Bryan Johnson
• Sector Focus: Carbon capture, neurotechnology, synthetic biology, quantum computing
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: Los Angeles, USA
• Website: osfund.co

11. Prelude Ventures

Climate tech fund that backs breakthrough materials for decarbonization. They understand the economics of metal extraction and battery recycling.

• Recent Deals: Nth Cycle $20M (co-investor, January 2026), Sublime Systems cement technology (co-investor, October 2025), Rondo Energy $60M (September 2025)
• LinkedIn: Gabriel Kra
• Sector Focus: Battery materials, carbon capture, sustainable manufacturing, energy storage
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: preludeventures.com

12. Canaan Partners

Generalist fund with strong life sciences practice. They backed Inscripta's gene editing platform when CRISPR applications were still being figured out.

• Recent Deals: Inscripta $105M Series D (June 2025), Guardant Health oncology testing (2025), Lyell Immunopharma cell therapy (2025)
• LinkedIn: Wende Hutton
• Sector Focus: Gene editing, diagnostics, synthetic biology, drug discovery
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Series D
• Location: Menlo Park, USA
• Website: canaan.com

13. Builders VC

Early-stage fund that backs technical founders in hardware and materials. They write $3-10M seed checks when you're still in the lab.

• Recent Deals: Nanomaterial coating startup $8M seed (February 2026), quantum sensor company $6M seed (December 2025), battery materials $5M seed (November 2025)
• LinkedIn: Hunter Walk
• Sector Focus: Nanoelectronics, quantum sensors, advanced materials, semiconductor equipment
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: builders.vc

14. KdT Ventures

European deep tech fund backed by multiple governments. They invest in nanoelectronics and semiconductor technologies for European manufacturing.

• Recent Deals: Nanoelectronics sensor startup €12M Series A (December 2025), quantum photonics €8M (September 2025), semiconductor materials €15M (August 2025)
• LinkedIn: Jürgen Jäger
• Sector Focus: Nanoelectronics, quantum computing, semiconductor materials, photonics
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: Eindhoven, Netherlands
• Website: kdt-ventures.com

15. AME Cloud Ventures

Jerry Yang's fund invests in frontier technologies including DNA data storage. They co-invested in Catalogue Technologies when most thought biological data storage was 20 years away.

• Recent Deals: Catalogue Technologies DNA storage (co-investor, 2025), Redis database technology (2025), Affinity life sciences CRM (2025)
• LinkedIn: Jerry Yang
• Sector Focus: DNA data storage, quantum computing, advanced materials, biotech infrastructure
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: Palo Alto, USA
• Website: amecloudventures.com

Track which investors actually read your materials data

These 15 investors closed nanotech deals from 2025 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 characterization data. Most founders are surprised to learn investors skip the "nanotechnology market opportunity" slides but spend 10+ minutes on your manufacturing process flow and unit economics.

When investors ask for more materials during diligence, share an Ellty data room instead of messy email threads. Your TEM images, XRD data, financial model, and IP landscape in one secure place with view analytics. You'll know if they're actually reviewing your technical specifications or just forwarding to their technical advisors.

Common questions

How do I know if a VC actually understands nanotechnology?

Ask which nanomaterials companies in their portfolio reached commercial scale. If they can't name specific manufacturing partners or FDA milestones, they probably just invested in the seed round and hoped for the best.

Should I pitch generalist VCs or only deep tech funds?

Deep tech funds understand your timelines and capital needs. Generalist VCs will push you to pivot to software when manufacturing takes longer than expected. Only pitch generalists if they have materials science advisors on staff.

What's the minimum traction needed for a seed round?

You need proof that your nanomaterial performs better than incumbents in at least one application. That means characterization data, not just theoretical models. Seed investors want to see a path to pilot customer testing within 18 months.

How long does deep tech fundraising take?

Plan for 9-12 months from first pitch to term sheet for Series A. Technical diligence includes manufacturing site visits, third-party testing, and extensive IP review. Use that time to line up commercial partnerships.

When should I set up a data room?

Before you start Series A conversations. Investors will ask for characterization data, process flows, patents, and customer agreements. Having everything organized in Ellty saves weeks during diligence.

Do nanotechnology investors care about pitch deck analytics?

Yes, but differently than software VCs. They want to see if technical advisors are reviewing your materials characterization slides. If investors skip your TEM images or XRD data, they're probably not qualified to evaluate your technology.