FONTINALIS PARTNERS, LLC

Thesis

Fontinalis Partners is a venture capital firm founded in 2009, with a strategic focus on investing in early-stage companies that are shaping the future of mobility, industrial innovation, and energy. The firm operates from offices in Detroit, Michigan, and Boston, Massachusetts, aiming to bridge the industrial mobility and technology ecosystems. Their core investment thesis revolves around supporting entrepreneurs who are 'boldly reshaping mobility,' investing in companies that are either directly enabling efficient movement today or developing 'horizontal' enabling technologies for the future of mobility. The firm's investment strategy is broad, encompassing areas such as electric vehicles, supply chain and logistics automation, artificial intelligence, enterprise SaaS, semiconductor fabrication, clean hydrogen, and autonomous vehicles. They primarily target early-stage companies, with a sweet spot for pre-seed, seed, and Series A rounds, though they are described as stage- and size-agnostic, investing as a strategic partner across all facets of global mobility systems. Fontinalis typically leads its investment rounds. The firm manages approximately $270 million in assets under management (AUM), with three funds raised. The typical check size per investment deal ranges from $250,000 to $5 million for early-stage companies, with other sources indicating a sweet spot check size of $1 million, and an average investment range of $1 million to $50 million, and even $50 million+. Deals in the range of $10 million to $50 million are considered common for the fund. Fontinalis Partners primarily invests in U.S.-based companies, with a specific mention of the Midwest Region and Detroit, MI. However, their geographic scope also includes Boston, MA, and they have also invested in companies in Europe and Canada.

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