Top DeepTech Investors for Startups 2026
Find the investors backing deep tech startups across AI infrastructure. Investor Hunt lists 2,090 deep tech investors.
Investor Data Snapshot
DeepTech investors in the Investor Hunt database: 2,090
Top countries represented: Germany, United States, United Kingdom, France, India, Israel
Top states and regions represented: Île-de-France, California, New York, Massachusetts, England, Bavaria
Top cities represented: Paris, San Francisco, London, Boston, New York City, Bengaluru
Top industries covered: Robotics, Quantum Computing, Advanced Materials, Semiconductor Tech, AI, Space Technology
Data reflects investors currently available in the Investor Hunt database and is updated regularly.
What DeepTech Investors Are Actually Funding?
Deep tech means startups built on a hard scientific or engineering advance.
AI infrastructure takes the largest share. Computers, chips, and the physical systems that run AI models. Robotics is next.
Defense and space draw serious capital. Satellite intelligence, autonomous systems, and sovereign technology, pulled by government demand.
Top Five Hot Trends in DeepTech
Five forces shape where deep tech money goes in 2026.
AI Infrastructure
The biggest draw by far. Computers, chips, and the systems AI runs on. Prometheus raised $12 billion, and infrastructure sits at the center of the current capital surge.
Robotics
Physical AI reached the factory floor. NEURA Robotics raised $1.4 billion at a $7 billion valuation.
Defense and Space
Government demand pulled capital into satellite intelligence and autonomous systems. A recent example is ICEYE, which has raised over $1 billion.
Quantum
Nine deals so far in 2026, with a median round near $100 million.
Semiconductors
Money goes to design, photonics, and packaging rather than large manufacturing builds. The rounds here have been much steadier.
The Top 7 DeepTech Investors
Following is the list of 7 highly active DeepTech investors.
1. Nabeel Hyatt
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Investor types: Venture Capital, Corporate Venture Capital, Investment Partner, Investor
- Markets include: DeepTech, AI, Hardware, Robotics, Enterprise Software
Hyatt is a general partner at Spark Capital and a multi-time founder before that. He writes checks from $100K to $15 million and judges companies by their product first.
2. Hemant Mohapatra
- Location: Bengaluru, India
- Investor types: Venture Capital, Corporate Venture Capital, Micro VC, Investment Partner
- Markets include: DeepTech, AI, Enterprise Software, Material Science, Developer Tools
Mohapatra is a partner at Lightspeed and backs early-stage deep tech, AI, and enterprise companies. He came from operating roles at Google and AMD, so he reads technical teams closely.
3. Gil Ben-Artzy
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Investor types: Venture Capital, Angel/Individual, Investment Partner, Investor
- Markets include: DeepTech, AI, Cybersecurity, Enterprise Software, FinTech
Ben-Artzy co-founded UpWest and has led over a dozen pre-seed and seed rounds, mostly for Israeli-rooted founders entering the US market. He backs companies at the earliest stage, before revenue.
4. Romy Schnelle
- Location: Bonn, Germany
- Investor types: Venture Capital, Angel/Individual, Investor
- Markets include: DeepTech, Robotics, Energy, IoT, Quantum Computing
Schnelle invests in German deep tech with a focus on hardware, robotics, and energy. Her profile leans toward the engineering-heavy end of the category, which fits founders building physical technology.
5. Michel de Lempdes
- Location: Paris, France
- Investor types: Venture Capital, Private Equity Firm, Fund of Funds
- Markets include: DeepTech, Space Technology, Energy, Quantum Computing, Robotics
De Lempdes covers deep tech from Paris across space, energy, quantum, and robotics. His fund-of-funds role means he sees the category broadly, and he fits founders in frontier and infrastructure technology.
6. Eric Chen
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Investor types: Venture Capital, Angel/Individual, Micro VC, Investment Partner
- Markets include: DeepTech, AI, Robotics, Cloud Computing, IoT
Chen invests out of San Francisco across deep tech, AI, and robotics. His tags span both the software and hardware sides, which fits founders building at the intersection of the two.
7. Guillaume Meulle
- Location: Paris, France
- Investor types: Venture Capital, Angel/Individual, Finance Operator, Investor
- Markets include: DeepTech, AI, Cybersecurity, Digital Infrastructure, Enterprise Software
Meulle invests from Paris across deep tech, AI, and cybersecurity. One of two France-based investors on this list, and is a useful contact for European founders building technical infrastructure.
What DeepTech Investors Look For
There are some things DeepTech investors are always looking for and these include:
- A regulatory path. In health, energy, and defense, they want a clear plan for approvals and certifications.
- Real market demand. The science has to solve a problem someone will pay for.
- Capital efficiency counts as deep tech burns cash fast. A founder who spends carefully through the R&D stage stands out from one who doesn't.
- A technical team because someone who can actually build the science carries more weight than a strong business pitch.
How Much Do DeepTech Investors Invest?
Deep tech rounds run larger than software because the science costs more to build. Seed rounds land between $1 million and $5 million. Series A runs $10 million to $30 million.
Frontier fields raise far more, and the largest 2026 rounds in AI infrastructure and robotics passed a billion dollars.
Which DeepTech Investors Are Right for Your Startup?
Deep tech isn’t a SINGLE TO-DO category.
An investor who backs quantum computing and one who backs synthetic biology both list deep tech, and they fund nothing alike. The tag alone won't tell them apart.
On Investor Hunt, an investor's profile shows every market they cover and the companies they've already funded.
That’s a major difference. A robotics founder can find the investors who have backed robotics before, and skip the ones who only touch software or biotech. A quantum founder can do the same.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do deep tech startups get funding?
A: Through specialist deep tech funds, angels, and government or corporate strategic capital. Generalist software VCs mostly pass, since deep tech takes longer and costs more.
Q: How much do deep tech startups raise?
A: Seed rounds run $1 to 5 million, Series A $10 to 30 million.
Q: Do deep tech investors fund pre-revenue companies?
A: Often, yes. Deep tech takes years to reach revenue, so investors back a strong technical team and a clear proof point well before sales.
Q: Why don't generalist VCs invest in deep tech?
A: Timelines and capital. A software VC expects revenue in months and margins that scale fast. Deep tech takes years, needs more money, and carries technical and regulatory risk.
Q: What do deep tech investors want to see in a pitch?
A: Proof the science works, a plan to clear regulation, and a business behind the breakthrough.
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