45 defense tech investors in California
We list 45 defense tech investors in California as of November 2026: each has an SEC filing on file, and the list was last checked on 6 Nov 2026. The cities with the most head offices on this list are San Francisco (9), Menlo Park (7) and Palo Alto (4).
Top 5 defense tech investors in California, ranked by recent fund activity
Among firms with a published profile and a dated fund or deal in the last 24 months. The rule: Activity score out of 100: recency of the latest fund filing or dated deal (35: full marks within 3 months, then stepping down at 6, 12 and 24 months), share of the observed portfolio in this sector (25; half of that when the sector is stated only), stated focus on the US (15: full marks when the firm names the US as where it invests, half when it says global), size of the fund on file on a log scale (15) and completeness of the public record (10). Regional focus is our research, not an SEC figure. It is a measure of activity and fit, not of quality or returns. The same rule orders the whole list; it is repeated in the method box.
Forgepoint Capital
Type: VC firm · HQ: San Mateo, CA · Stages: Seed, Series A · Focus: Defense Tech, Cybersecurity, Future of Work, AI · Latest activity: Portfolio news, Oct 2026 · Private fund assets: $1.2B (SEC Form ADV)
Portfolio news dated Oct 2026; $1.2B on file (SEC Form ADV); states defense tech as a focus; 8 named decision-makers on file.
Felicis
Type: VC firm · HQ: Menlo Park, CA · Stages: Seed, Series A · Focus: Defense Tech, AI, Developer Tools, Healthtech · Latest activity: New deal, Oct 2026 · Fund size on file: $900M (SEC Form D, 2025)
Dated new deal in Oct 2026; $900M fund on file (SEC Form D, 2025); states defense tech as a focus; 8 named decision-makers on file.
Geodesic
Type: VC firm · HQ: Foster City, CA · Stages: Series B, Any stage · Focus: Defense Tech, AI, Developer Tools, Fintech · Latest activity: New deal, Oct 2026 · Fund size on file: $500M (SEC Form D, 2021)
Dated new deal in Oct 2026; $500M fund on file (SEC Form D, 2021); states defense tech as a focus; 8 named decision-makers on file.
Riot Ventures
Type: VC firm · HQ: Venice, CA · Focus: Defense Tech, AI, Industrial Tech, Robotics · Latest activity: New deal, Jul 2026 · Fund size on file: $160M (SEC Form D, 2024)
Dated new deal in Jul 2026; $160M fund on file (SEC Form D, 2024); states defense tech as a focus; names the US as where it invests; 2 named decision-makers on file.
Initialized
Type: VC firm · HQ: San Francisco, CA · Stages: Pre-seed, Seed · Focus: Defense Tech, AI, Generalist, Fintech · Latest activity: New fund, Sep 2026 · Fund size on file: $520M (SEC Form D, 2021)
Latest fund filing dated Sep 2026; $520M fund on file (SEC Form D, 2021); states defense tech as a focus; 8 named decision-makers on file.
First 22 of 45 defense tech investors in California
| Investor | Type | HQ | Stagesour research | Focusour research | Latest fund or deal | Fund sizeas filed or stated | Checked | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forgepoint Capital | VC firm | San Mateo, CA | Seed, Series A | Defense Tech, Cybersecurity, Future of Work, AI | Portfolio news, Oct 2026 | $1.2B (SEC Form ADV) | 5 Nov 2026 | 8 names, firm email · Unlock |
| Felicis | VC firm | Menlo Park, CA | Seed, Series A | Defense Tech, AI, Developer Tools, Healthtech | New deal, Oct 2026 | $900M (SEC Form D, 2025) | 5 Nov 2026 | 8 names · Unlock |
| Geodesic | VC firm | Foster City, CA | Series B, Any stage | Defense Tech, AI, Developer Tools, Fintech | New deal, Oct 2026 | $500M (SEC Form D, 2021) | 5 Nov 2026 | 8 names, firm email · Unlock |
| Riot Ventures | VC firm | Venice, CA | Defense Tech, AI, Industrial Tech, Robotics | New deal, Jul 2026 | $160M (SEC Form D, 2024) | 4 Nov 2026 | 2 names · Unlock | |
| Initialized | VC firm | San Francisco, CA | Pre-seed, Seed | Defense Tech, AI, Generalist, Fintech | New fund, Sep 2026 | $520M (SEC Form D, 2021) | 4 Nov 2026 | 8 names · Unlock |
| DCVC | VC firm | Palo Alto, CA | Defense Tech, Energy, Healthtech, AI | New fund, Oct 2026 | $800M (SEC Form D, 2025) | 4 Nov 2026 | 4 names · Unlock | |
| Costanoa | VC firm | Palo Alto, CA | Seed, Series A | Defense Tech, AI, Fintech, Developer Tools | New fund, Sep 2026 | $300M (SEC Form D, 2026) | 4 Nov 2026 | 2 names, firm email · Unlock |
| MVP Ventures | VC firm | Menlo Park, CA | Seed | Defense Tech, AI, Cybersecurity, Space | New fund, Aug 2026 | $120M (SEC Form D, 2024) | 4 Nov 2026 | 7 names · Unlock |
| Harpoon Ventures | VC firm | San Diego, CA | Defense Tech, AI, Mobility, Space | New fund, Feb 2026 | $140M (SEC Form D, 2026) | 4 Nov 2026 | 3 names · Unlock | |
| Refactor Capital | VC firm | Burlingame, CA | Seed | Defense Tech, AI, Healthtech, Biotech | New fund, May 2026 | $50M (SEC Form D, 2021) | 4 Nov 2026 | 3 names · Unlock |
| Center15 Capital | VC firm | Los Angeles, CA | Growth | Defense Tech, Space, AI, Data | New fund, Jan 2026 | $31M (SEC Form D, 2026) | 4 Nov 2026 | 7 names, firm email · Unlock |
| Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) | VC firm | Menlo Park, CA | Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth | Defense Tech, AI, Healthtech, Consumer | New fund, Aug 2026 | 4 Nov 2026 | 2 names · Unlock | |
| Veteran | VC firm | San Francisco, CA | Seed | Defense Tech, AI, Mobility, Space | New fund, Mar 2026 | $20M (SEC Form D, 2022) | 4 Nov 2026 | 8 names, firm email · Unlock |
| Mdsv Capital | Fund manager | San Francisco, CA | Growth | Defense Tech, AI, B2B, SaaS | New fund, Feb 2026 | $25M (SEC Form D, 2023) | 4 Nov 2026 | 4 names · Unlock |
| NightDragon | VC firm | San Francisco, CA | Growth | Defense Tech, Cybersecurity, AI, Quantum | New deal, Aug 2026 | $435M (SEC Form D, 2022) | 5 Nov 2026 | 8 names · Unlock |
| Shield Capital | VC firm | Burlingame, CA | Seed | Defense Tech, AI, Cybersecurity, Space | New fund, Jul 2026 | $350M (SEC Form D, 2024) | 4 Nov 2026 | 6 names · Unlock |
| NPU Ventures | VC firm | Berkeley, CA | Pre-seed, Seed | Defense Tech, AI, Biotech, Deep Tech | New fund, Sep 2026 | $5M (SEC Form D, 2026) | 4 Nov 2026 | 2 names · Unlock |
| IceNine Capital | VC firm | San Diego, CA | Seed | Defense Tech, Space, Industrial Tech, Deep Tech | New fund, Oct 2026 | 4 Nov 2026 | 5 names, firm email · Unlock | |
| Celesta Capital | VC firm | San Mateo, CA | Seed, Series A, Series B | Defense Tech, AI, Healthtech, Deep Tech | New fund, Sep 2025 | $102M (SEC Form D, 2024) | 4 Nov 2026 | 8 names, firm email · Unlock |
| Crosscut | VC firm | Santa Monica, CA | Seed, Series A | Defense Tech, Energy, AI, Govtech | New fund, Nov 2025 | $75M (SEC Form D, 2024) | 4 Nov 2026 | 6 names · Unlock |
| Multiball Capital | VC firm | Los Angeles, CA | Seed | Defense Tech, AI, Industrial Tech, Healthtech | New fund, Jul 2026 | $30M (SEC Form D, 2025) | 4 Nov 2026 | 1 name, firm email · Unlock |
| Commodity Capital | VC firm | Culver City, CA | Defense Tech, Space, AI, Energy | New fund, Aug 2026 | $40M (SEC Form D, 2026) | 4 Nov 2026 | 3 names · Unlock |
You are seeing 22 of 45. The full list adds 23 more investors and 178 named decision-makers.
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How these 45 break down
By metro area
| Metro area | On this list | Share |
|---|---|---|
| The San Francisco Bay Area | 31 | 69% |
| Silicon Valley | 16 | 36% |
| Los Angeles | 11 | 24% |
| San Diego | 2 | 4% |
Silicon Valley is counted inside the San Francisco Bay Area as well.
By city
| City | On this list | Share |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 9 | 20% |
| Menlo Park | 7 | 16% |
| Palo Alto | 4 | 9% |
| Los Angeles | 3 | 7% |
| Santa Monica | 3 | 7% |
| San Mateo | 2 | 4% |
| Venice | 2 | 4% |
| San Diego | 2 | 4% |
| Burlingame | 2 | 4% |
By stage
| Stage | On this list | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Seed | 9 | 20% |
| Seed | 26 | 58% |
| Series A | 12 | 27% |
| Series B | 4 | 9% |
| Growth | 7 | 16% |
Stage is our research. A firm can back more than one stage.
By type
| Type | On this list | Share |
|---|---|---|
| VC firm | 44 | 98% |
| Fund manager | 1 | 2% |
Method and limits
- Source
- All 45 rows carry an SEC filing (Form D or Form ADV). All 45 have a website we checked. Filing date and fund size are SEC data where a filing exists. Stage, sector and check size are our research.
- Inclusion rule
- Organizations that back startups. Individuals, buyout funds and firms we found to be inactive are left out. Sector: the firm states defense tech as a focus on its own site, or we observed it in the firm's portfolio. Place: head office in California.
- Order
- Firms with a published profile come first. Activity score out of 100: recency of the latest fund filing or dated deal (35: full marks within 3 months, then stepping down at 6, 12 and 24 months), share of the observed portfolio in this sector (25; half of that when the sector is stated only), stated focus on the US (15: full marks when the firm names the US as where it invests, half when it says global), size of the fund on file on a log scale (15) and completeness of the public record (10). Regional focus is our research, not an SEC figure. It is a measure of activity and fit, not of quality or returns.
- Last refreshed
- November 2026. Rows on this list were checked between 4 Nov 2026 and 6 Nov 2026.
- Fill rates
- Of 45 rows: stage 33, sector 45, fund size 40, website 45. In the paid file: named decision-makers on 43 rows, firm email on 15, LinkedIn page on 28, check size on 3.
- Corrections
- Email [email protected] or use the update form. We act within 5 working days.
Questions
How many defense tech investors in California are there?
We list 45 as of November 2026. 28 of the 45 have a fund filing or a dated deal in the last 12 months. The cities with the most are San Francisco (9), Menlo Park (7) and Palo Alto (4).
Which defense tech investors in California raised a new fund in the last 12 months?
23 of the 45 have a fund filing dated in the last 12 months. The most recent on this list are DCVC (Oct 2026), IceNine Capital (Oct 2026) and Costanoa (Sep 2026).
What is the typical fund size of defense tech investors in California?
The median fund size on file for this list is $88M, across the 38 firms with a size on an SEC Form D. The fund on file is each firm's main fund, which is not always its newest. The other 7 do not disclose a size there.
How do I contact defense tech investors in California?
The paid file holds 178 named decision-makers across 43 of these 45 and a firm email for 15. We publish the address a firm lists itself, never a personal email. Each free row links to a profile with the firm's website.
Where does the data on defense tech investors in California come from?
All 45 rows have an SEC filing on file (Form D or Form ADV). Filing date and fund size come from the filing. Stage, sector and check size are our research. Rows on this list were last checked on 6 Nov 2026 at the latest. The whole file is re-verified twice a year.
Broader lists
Defense tech venture capital firms in the US (130)Venture capital firms in California (1,038)
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