Investor Profile: 360 Capital — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

360 Capital funding is one of Europe's longest-running bets on deep tech and climate innovation. Founded in 1997 with offices in Paris and Milan, 360 Capital is an early-stage European VC managing €700M in assets, with more than 70 portfolio companies and over 170 startups backed since inception. Its thesis — deeptech, climate tech and digital from pre-seed to Series B — is now powered by two dedicated vehicles: the €140M climate fund 360 LIFE II and the €85M technology-transfer fund Poli360 2.

Thesis & focus

The firm calls itself "An Early Stage European VC, investing from Pre-Seed to Series B" and says it believes "in a sustainable Technological Progress". Poli360 2 (run with universities and research centres) targets Industry Automation — robotics, Industry 4.0, semiconductors, cybersecurity, AI, IoT, industrial machinery — and Sustainability — new materials, energy transition, circular economy — with at least 80% of capital deployed in Italy. 360 LIFE II, an SFDR Article 9 climate fund, targets energy transition, the circular economy and urban sustainability.

Sectors & stages

The core franchise invests pre-seed to Series B across deeptech, climate tech and digital. 360 LIFE II concentrates at Series A and B with a deeptech and hardware tilt. This is a firm for founders building hard technology — energy storage, robotics, industrial systems, climate infrastructure — rather than pure consumer software.

Fund size & cheque size

360 Capital states €700M in assets under management. Poli360 2 closed at €85M in March 2026, targeting €100M, with LPs including the European Investment Fund, CDP Venture Capital, Italian pension funds, family offices and corporates Brembo, MBDA and Lucchini RS. 360 LIFE II reached a first close of €140M in December 2024 with anchors A2A (€40M) and De Nora (€10M), plus Bpifrance and CDP Venture Capital. A standard cheque-size range is not publicly stated by the firm.

360 Capital funding: notable portfolio

Homepage-flagged portfolio companies include Unseenlabs (radio-frequency maritime domain awareness), Energy Dome (long-duration energy storage), Circular Materials (recovery of metals and critical raw materials) and Exotec (Skypod warehouse robotics, described as the first French industrial unicorn). The Poli360 1 portfolio includes Isaac, Phononic Vibes, PhotonPath, Inxpect and Equixly. Notable exits include Preligens, acquired by Safran in 2024 in a deal reported at €220M. Recent leading activity: Spark Cleantech's €30M Series A (December 2025) and Temelion's €3.2M seed (September 2025).

Partners & team

Partners are Fausto Boni, Alessandro Zaccaria, Cesare Maifredi and Lucrezia Lucotti in Milan, and François Tison, Alexandre Mordacq and Thomas Nivard in Paris. 360 LIFE II is led by Cesare Maifredi, Alexandre Mordacq, Alessandro Zaccaria and Thomas Nivard.

How to apply for funding

360 Capital publishes no public pitch email, application form or contact channel — the only documented route is the website, 360cap.vc. In practice, warm introductions through the European deeptech ecosystem (universities, research centres and co-investors, given the Poli360 technology-transfer mandate) are the realistic path. The firm runs the 360 Capital Founders' Summit and a 360 Radar tech-trends series, but no public accelerator or fellowship. No portfolio credits or perks programme has been disclosed.