Investor Profile: HAX - Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

If you are building a physical product and asking how to get funding from HAX, HAX has a simple test: if you drop it on your foot, does it hurt? HAX is SOSV's hard tech accelerator, for founders whose technology lives in hardware, materials, machines and industrial systems, not only in software. It backs pre-seed and seed companies tackling human and planetary health, with capital, labs and engineering help that most early investors cannot provide.

Thesis and focus

HAX backs industrial decarbonisation, electrification, critical minerals, diagnostics, future manufacturing, energy storage, robotics and future fuels, among other hard tech areas. Its thesis is that the hardest problems in climate and health cannot be solved by code alone, and that early hard tech is underfunded because traditional investors find prototypes, supply chains and manufacturing risk difficult to underwrite. HAX therefore invests earlier and works more hands on than a typical seed fund.

The programme is intensive and practical. HAX describes a 120 day programme and a six month residency at its facilities, anchored by a 35,000 sq. ft. Newark headquarters with chemistry, analytics, electrical engineering and mechatronics labs, plus a planned 10,000 sq. ft. HAX Plasma Forge in Princeton for high energy and advanced materials research.

Funding terms

HAX states that it provides up to $550,000 in initial pre-seed funding, structured to help founders hit technical milestones that traditional investors often find too risky. Beyond that first cheque, it participates in follow on rounds and gives founders access to SOSV's network of more than 7,700 global investors. SOSV's own FAQ states that it has over $1.6 billion in assets under management, is investing from SOSV Fund V and SOSV Select, a $100 million follow on fund, and can deploy follow on investment up to Series C. HAX's standalone fund size, separate from SOSV, is not publicly disclosed.

Notable portfolio and partners

HAX's wider SOSV portfolio is often cited alongside names such as NotCo, Perfect Day, UPSIDE Foods, Opentrons and Formlabs, although founders should check which programme each company came through, because SOSV operates more than one programme. HAX's own leadership described in its public material includes partners Susan Schofer, Ji Ke and Andy Gollach, alongside SOSV managing partner Sean O Sullivan. HAX maintains offices in Newark in New Jersey, Pune in India, Tokyo and Shenzhen.

Programmes and support

The core HAX programme is the offer: capital plus facilities plus hands on engineering. Founders apply with an initial prototype, customer insight and vision, then build alongside in house mechanical, electrical and chemical engineers. Support also covers design, sourcing, business development, marketing and fundraising strategy. The stated goal is that every team graduates with a functional product, a seed funding round in progress and a vision that can scale.

How to apply for funding

Apply through the application route on hax.co/program, where HAX states that applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Come with a prototype or a credible path to one, evidence that you understand your customer, and a clear account of the technical milestone the first cheque must unlock. Hard tech founders should be ready to discuss materials, manufacturing, safety and supply chain risks, not only software and market size.