Engine Ventures is a venture firm that invests in the next generation of Tough Tech founders by providing capital, operational expertise, and a powerful academic, commercial, and governmental network to build and scale companies unlocking massive opportunities in foundational industries.
The ways we build, heal, move, connect, and power the world are being rewritten by a new generation of technological breakthroughs. Surging energy demand, fragile health systems, and aging infrastructure cannot be solved through incremental progress. We require entirely new ways of producing energy, designing materials, manufacturing at scale, and delivering care.
Engine Ventures invests where progress is most imperative, backing founders rebuilding the systems the world depends on.
01.
Capital
We invest in the teams and technologies solving difficult problems to build solutions that accelerate innovation, redefine industries and bolster humanity’s resilience.
02.
Expertise
We combine deep technical literacy with decades of hands‑on company‑building experience, working with teams to overcome friction points that slow physical‑world innovation.
03.
Network
We bridge the gaps across academia, industry and government, convening the partners, policymakers, customers, talent, capital, and institutions needed to translate breakthrough technologies into the world.
“We believe in the value of solving hard problems–because the solutions that emerge reshape industries, strengthen economies, and generate durable, long-term returns.”
Israel RuizPresident & General Partner
Quaise millimeter wave plasma drilling, Teradar's advanced sensor chip system, Foray's lab-grown paper products, Foundation Alloy's Molyclast™, a new standard in refractory alloys.
Engine Ventures partners with founders tackling problems that sit at the edge of what’s technically possible and economically essential.
Foundational technologies face a uniquely complex path: deep scientific risk, first‑of-kind engineering, regulatory scrutiny, manufacturing scale-up, supply‑chain creation, and long deployment timelines.
We are a venture firm built for this reality.
We stay close through the entire arc, from early technical validation to industrial scale. We work alongside founders to define the milestones that matter, structure capital for endurance, build multidisciplinary leadership, and connect companies to the partners who can accelerate adoption.
Proximity to leading innovators
Engine Ventures invests and operates globally, while remaining rooted in one of the world’s densest innovation ecosystems. Our proximity to MIT, Harvard, and the broader Boston research community give us early access to breakthrough ideas, exceptional technical talent, and the interdisciplinary collisions where entirely new industries are born.
We invest with the technical rigor to engage deeply, and the experience and judgment to understand what can scale beyond the lab. Because our work spans energy, materials, infrastructure, computing, human health, and more, we have pattern recognition across sectors and a clear view of what it takes for a breakthrough to become a system.
Engine Ventures invests early and stays close through the most formative phases of company building. We work alongside founders as technologies move from proof to production, when sequencing matters as much as speed, and every decision matters.
Genomines' phytoextraction of critical metals in France, Atmos Zero's industrial steam heatpump installation in Colorado, and Form Energy's grid-scale battery factory in West Virginia.
Engine Ventures advisor, Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Katie Rae engaged in fireside chat at Engine Ventures Annual Meeting, October 2025.
A strategic network that helps technologies reach and change the world
Tough Tech either thrives or dies in the transition from breakthrough to real-world system—demanding teams to navigate technical validation, industrial scale-up, regulatory complexity, and long deployment timelines. Engine Ventures connects founders to the partners, policymakers, customers, talent, capital, and institutions required to move from discovery to deployment and build enduring industries.
Invested Companies
65
Assets Under Management
$1.1B
Capital Raised Across Portfolio
$7B+
Jobs Created
4000+
FAQs
Start the conversation by letting us know a bit about your team, the company, milestones reached, and your short-term goals. From there, we’ll reach out to have a more in-depth conversation with you.
We back companies from many different origins. Our mission is to support founders and companies building the backbone of the future economy. We were born at MIT, but operate globally.
No. While we are based in Cambridge, you do not need to be. We invest globally.
We’ve partnered with founders pre-incorporation, in the seed phase, and early in market.
Investment amounts will depend on the sector and the unique characteristics of each company. As such, the associated equity stake will be different for each company.
No. Engine Ventures and The Engine have been separate entities since 2024.
Engine Ventures is an independent venture capital firm that invests directly in Tough Tech portfolio companies.
The Engine is a nonprofit incubator and accelerator that provides Tough Tech companies with critical infrastructure, programs, resources, and community.
To be a portfolio company, Engine Ventures must invest in your company directly. Companies participating in The Engine’s residency or programming, do not need to be funded by Engine Ventures.
Learn more about The Engine on their website here.
