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Motus Ventures

North America, California, United States, Redwood City

Description

Motus Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Redwood City, California, dedicated to investing in the transformative future of mobility and smart cities. Founded in 2014, the firm primarily targets companies at the Seed and Series A stages, seeking out disruptive technologies that are reshaping how people and goods move, and how urban environments function. Their investment thesis spans a broad spectrum within this domain, including autonomous systems, connected vehicles, smart infrastructure, and sustainable transportation solutions.

The firm's approach is characterized by partnering with exceptional founders who are developing innovative solutions in areas such as internet-connected cars and vehicle-to-vehicle communications, aligning with the rapid technological shifts and emerging consumer trends in the automotive and urban development sectors. Motus Ventures aims to provide more than just capital, often engaging with portfolio companies to offer strategic guidance and leverage their network within the mobility ecosystem.

Motus Ventures typically deploys initial investments ranging from $500,000 to $2,000,000, positioning them as a significant early-stage capital provider for promising startups. As of recent data, the firm has made approximately 28 investments across its portfolio, demonstrating a consistent commitment to its core investment themes. Notable companies within their portfolio have included Carbon Robotics, Xos Trucks, and Ridecell, illustrating their diverse yet focused interest in the evolving landscape of mobility and smart city technologies.

Investor Profile

Motus Ventures has backed more than 24 startups, with 2 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 10 rounds, about 42% of its total and boasts 6 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Seed, Series A, Series Unknown rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in United States, United Kingdom, Germany.
  • Strong thematic focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles.
  • Typical check size: $500K – $2M.

Stage Focus

  • Seed (46%)
  • Series A (25%)
  • Series Unknown (13%)
  • Series B (8%)
  • Convertible Note (4%)
  • Undisclosed (4%)

Country Focus

  • United States (92%)
  • United Kingdom (4%)
  • Germany (4%)

Industry Focus

  • Artificial Intelligence (Ai)
  • Robotics
  • Autonomous Vehicles
  • Software
  • Automotive
  • Machine Learning
  • 3d Technology
  • Mapping Services
  • Telecommunications
  • Renewable Energy
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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn who this investor regularly partners with—both firms and angels—and explore their latest activity.

Who does Motus Ventures frequently co-invest with?

TSVC
North America, California, United States, Los Altos
Co-Investments: 3
Autotech Ventures
North America, California, United States, Menlo Park
Co-Investments: 2
Western Technology Investment
North America, California, United States, Portola Valley
Co-Investments: 4
Co-Investments: 2
VGO Ventures
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 3
Bold Capital Partners
North America, California, United States, Santa Monica
Co-Investments: 2
Samsung Ventures
Asia, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, South Korea, Seoul
Co-Investments: 3
Reshape
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 10
Wicklow Capital
North America, Illinois, United States, Chicago
Co-Investments: 2
Khosla Ventures
North America, California, United States, Menlo Park
Co-Investments: 2

Which angels does Motus Ventures often collaborate with?

Joseph Hlady
North America, Alberta, Canada, Calgary
Shared Deals: 1
AA
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 1
AZ
Europe, England, United Kingdom, London
Shared Deals: 1
RN
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 1
SC
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 1

What are some of recent deals done by Motus Ventures?

MemryX

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

MemryX is an AI chip startup developing an innovative Edge AI Accelerator.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Information TechnologySoftware
Series BMar 27, 2025
Amount Raised: $44,000,000
Calicat

Chatsworth, California, United States

Calicat is a clean-energy company developing a proprietary electrocatalyst discovery process for electrolyser.

Clean EnergyCleanTechEnergyGreenTechRenewable Energy
Series AOct 23, 2024
Amount Raised: $3,000,000
Cranfield Aerospace

Cranfield, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom

Cranfield Aerospace is an aerospace company focusing on the prototyping of new aerospace concepts.

AerospaceManufacturing
Series UnknownApr 21, 2023
Amount Raised: $12,435,491
Qunnect

New York, New York, United States

Qunnect is a spin-off venture company enabling the quantum internet for quantum repeater operation.

Cyber SecurityInformation TechnologyQuantum ComputingTelecommunications
Series AOct 5, 2022
Amount Raised: $8,000,000
H2U Technologies

Chatsworth, California, United States

H2U Technologies is a clean-energy company developing a proprietary electrocatalyst discovery process for electrolyser.

Clean EnergyCleanTechEnergyGreenTechRenewable Energy
Series AOct 18, 2021
Amount Raised: $7,000,000
InOrbit

Mountain View, California, United States

InOrbit is a cloud-based robot management platform to help robotics developers and operators scale their robot fleets.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Cloud Data ServicesDevOpsEnterprise SoftwareRoboticsSaaS
SeedJul 9, 2020
Amount Raised: $2,650,000
RIOS

Palo Alto, California, United States

Robotics, Automation, Logistics

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
SeedJun 30, 2020
Amount Raised: $5,000,000
Qelzal

La Jolla, California, United States

Next Generation Obstacle Avoidance for Commercial Drones (UAS)

Artificial Intelligence (AI)B2BDronesMachine LearningSensorSoftware
UndisclosedDec 22, 2018
Toposens

Munich, Bayern, Germany

Toposens builds highly robust and low-cost near-field 3D ultrasonic vision technology for robotics and autonomous vehicles.

3D TechnologyAutomotiveAutonomous VehiclesConsumer ElectronicsManufacturingMapping ServicesRoboticsSensorSoftware
SeedOct 5, 2018
Amount Raised: $1,900,000
Locomation

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Locomation develops safe and reliable autonomous trucking solutions.

Autonomous VehiclesRoboticsTransportation
SeedJun 30, 2018
Amount Raised: $5,500,000