ATOMS is a hardtech venture firm built for inventors commercializing engineering and scientific breakthroughs that improve the human condition.

Our story

We believe the next generation of iconic companies will emerge from engineering and scientific breakthroughs. These are companies solving fundamental challenges in healthcare, energy, materials, infrastructure, and computing.  Their innovations require more than software or “bits”, they require hardware innovations or “atoms”.

We back founders who work at the intersection of atoms and bits—where deep science meets intelligent systems—to improve the human condition at scale.

“Two roads diverged in a wood, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

— Robert Frost

Our Thesis

Engineering and science-driven innovation backed by extensive intellectual property that addresses global needs.

The World Needs “Atoms”

Venture capital has become overwhelmingly concentrated in digital businesses. Meanwhile, critical technologies in areas such as medical devices, energy systems, and robotics remain underfunded. We invest in:

  • Physical technologies (“hardtech”)

  • Engineering and science-driven innovation with defensible intellectual property

  • Technologies that improve the human condition

Stage: Labels Disable

We invest at multiple stages with a primary focus on companies at or near commercialization. We eschew cookie-cutter industry labels of Seed, A, B, etc. A Series A company in Chicago is not the same as a Series A company in San Francisco. A Series A robotics company is not the same as a Series A SaaS company.

We place less emphasis on round type and look at each company independently evaluating risk, return, commercialization-monetization path, and capital requirements. If it has early and early-growth outcome potential, we’re interested.

There Are No “Fly Over” Geographies

Innovation is not confined to Silicon Valley. ATOMS invests anywhere in the U.S. and is especially interested in:

  • The Midwest and undercapitalized regions

  • Markets with strong talent but limited capital

  • Companies that scale more efficiently due to lower costs

We go where others don’t—and find what others miss.

Atoms + Bits

ATOMS portfolio companies combine:

  • Physical innovation (atoms)

  • Data, AI, and software (bits)

We invest in companies that:

  • Generate proprietary data through hardware

  • Use AI to improve performance over time

  • Build durable, defensible systems

What We Invest In

Health

‍Medical devices and equipment, diagnostics, therapeutics

Sustainability

Energy systems, advanced materials, water, agriculture

Automation

‍Robotics, electronics, semiconductors, advanced computing