Frontier tech startups — those focusing on augmented or virtual reality, drones, and outer space — have raised a combined $3.15B in equity financing since 2014 across 183 deals, including nearly $2.2B in the first half of 2015.
Quarterly investment has now surpassed $500M and 30 deals for three straight quarters, with $1.3B in Q1’15 funding being the highest quarterly total of all-time, an amount largely buoyed by SpaceX’s $1B Series D financing from Fidelity Investments and Google.
In all, there have been 9 $50M+ financings to frontier tech companies since 2014, including rounds to Planet Labs ($70M Series C), Magic Leap ($542M Series B), and 3D Robotics ($50M Series C).
Active frontier tech investors
Rothenberg Ventures and Google Ventures have invested in the most frontier tech companies since 2012. Rothenberg Ventures has made multiple early-stage bets including Altspace VR, Matterport, and Dronebase. Google Ventures’ early-stage bets span all areas of frontier tech as well, including drones with Airware and Skycatch, space with Orbital Insight, and AR/VR with AltspaceVR.
The full list of most active frontier tech investors is below.
| Rank | Investor | Rank | Investor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rothenberg Ventures | 3 | Intel Capital |
| 1 | Google Ventures | 7 | Felicis Ventures |
| 3 | Andreessen Horowitz | 8 | Founders Fund |
| 3 | Qualcomm Ventures | 8 | Bessemer Venture Partners |
| 3 | Lux Capital | 8 | Promus Ventures |
Want more frontier tech data and analysis? Download the Future of Frontier Tech report, login to CB Insights, or sign up for free below.
This report was created with data from CB Insights’ emerging technology insights platform, which offers clarity into emerging tech and new business strategies through tools like:
- Earnings Transcripts Search Engine & Analytics to get an information edge on competitors’ and incumbents’ strategies
- Patent Analytics to see where innovation is happening next
- Company Mosaic Scores to evaluate startup health, based on our National Science Foundation-backed algorithm
- Business Relationships to quickly see a company’s competitors, partners, and more
- Market Sizing Tools to visualize market growth and spot the next big opportunity