Investor Profile: Embedded Ventures — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

Embedded Ventures is a Los Angeles-based early-stage deep-tech venture capital firm founded in 2020. It calls itself the "skunkworks of venture capital": a next-generation firm investing in dual-use space startups — technologies with both commercial and national-security customers — operating at the intersection of innovation and defence from the heart of LA's aerospace industry.

Investment thesis

Embedded's thesis is that very few VCs do early-stage deep tech well, and even fewer take actionable steps to learn how the government buys technology — so the startups best positioned to become "dual use" are systematically underfunded at the start. The firm fills that gap with operator-investors who evaluate technically, diligence more thoroughly than most, and actively bridge founders to defence customers. Its calling card is a first-of-its-kind Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the United States Space Force signed in 2021 — described by the firm as an open-door conversation that helps put founders' technologies in front of the people deciding what to adopt and where congressional funding flows.

Sectors and stage

The firm backs pre-seed and seed-stage startups in space operations, digital engineering and advanced manufacturing, spanning aerospace, defence, in-space manufacturing, energy and logistics, principally across the US, Canada and the UK. It launched its inaugural $100 million fund in January 2023 (reported by CNBC at launch and by fund databases as closed in 2024); earlier investments had been made on a deal-by-deal basis. The firm has not publicly disclosed a standard cheque size, and its process is deliberately selective — co-founder Jenna Bryant has said the firm is willing to miss deals rather than shortcut diligence.

Notable portfolio

The firm's announced investments include Chromatic 3D Materials, Inversion Space, KittyCAD (a hardware-design infrastructure company the firm incubated), Slingshot Aerospace, Skyryse, Akash Systems, Anduril and OurSky. Tracxn's records also show a 2025 seed investment in Persona and follow-on activity in Chromatic 3D Materials, confirming the firm stays active behind its early bets.

Partners

Embedded was co-founded by Jenna Bryant, CEO and General Partner — previously a deep-tech investor and before that LA's go-to recruiter for hard-to-fill engineering roles at early startups — and Jordan Noone, CTO and General Partner, who co-founded Relativity Space and served as its CTO, and was the youngest individual to receive FAA clearance to fly a rocket into space. The partnership's blend of technical depth and team-building experience is the core of its "operators, not bankers" positioning.

How to apply for funding from Embedded Ventures

Founders can reach the team through the contact details on the firm's official website, embedded.ventures. The firm says it looks for founders building dual-use technologies beyond launch who value thorough diligence and hands-on support navigating regulated defence markets. Its STEM outreach work, including Project Payload with USC Viterbi, shows a genuine appetite for engaging early-stage technical talent — a pitch that leads with technical substance lands best.