# Prelude Ventures: portfolio, investments and team

> Prelude Ventures is a vc firm based in United States. 30 investments on record, 6 in the last 12 months, latest Aug 2026.

Source: https://millionrounds.com/fund/prelude-ventures (Millionrounds; every figure on the page links to its filing or article)

United States · [Investor](https://millionrounds.com/investors)

# Prelude Ventures

Last cheque observed Aug 2026; 30 cheques on record.

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Deploying now New fund, Oct 2023 VC firm

Pre-seed Seed Series A Solar Smart Grid Biodiversity

Follow Prelude Ventures and see its new cheques in your feed. [Start following](https://millionrounds.com/login?join=1&why=follow&next=%2Ffund%2Fprelude-ventures)

Deploying now

**100%** of best year **6** **cheques in 12 months**, 30 on record

Since the last cheque **81** days **00** hrs **00** min **00** sec

Median round **$30M** Cheque size, as they say **$100K – $25M** Rounds led **8 of 30** Sole investor **1 rounds** Mostly in **United States, 93%**

Pitch Prelude Ventures

## Prelude Ventures highlights

- 01 6 cheques in the last 12 months
- 02 Mostly Series A and Series B: 68% of its rounds
- 03 Sole investor in 1 rounds, median undisclosed

## What they do

> Prelude Ventures invests in and supports early-stage startups with the greatest potential to mitigate climate change. From their own website

- **Type:** VC firm (from a list, unverified)
- **Cheque size:** $100K – $25M as they say
- **Stages:** Pre-seed Seed Series A Series B Growth
- **Sectors:** Solar Smart Grid Biodiversity
- **Based in:** San Francisco, United States
- **Cold pitches:** Not stated

## The record

Every round we can evidence, newest first **30 appearances**

- **2026** 5 rounds
- **Aug** **[Form Energy](https://millionrounds.com/company/form-energy)** Series G · US · TechCrunch **$750M** With 19 others
- **Jul** **[Quaise Energy](https://millionrounds.com/company/quaise-energy)** Series B · US · Ventureburn **$134M** *Led*
- **May** **[Thea Energy](https://millionrounds.com/company/thea-energy)** Series B · US · TechCrunch **$100M** With 16 others
- **Mar** **[Rhoda AI](https://millionrounds.com/company/rhoda-ai)** Series A · US · Ventureburn **$450M** With 9 others
- **Feb** **[Lunar Energy](https://millionrounds.com/company/lunar-energy)** Series D · US · TechCrunch **$232M** *Led*
- **2025** 3 rounds
- **Dec** **[Ripple Foods](https://millionrounds.com/company/ripple-foods)** US · AlleyWatch **$17M** With 9 others
- **Aug** **[Copper](https://millionrounds.com/company/copper)** Series A · US · Building Ventures **$28M** *Led*
- **Mar** **[Terabase Energy](https://millionrounds.com/company/terabase-energy)** Growth · US · SJF Ventures **$130M** With 9 others
- **2024** 2 rounds
- **Nov** **[Vaulted Deep](https://millionrounds.com/company/vaulted-deep)** US · TechStartups **$32M** *Led*
- **Jan** **[Lightship](https://millionrounds.com/company/lightship)** Series B · US · Firms' own news pages **$34M** *Led*
- **2022** 1 round
- **Apr** **[Pyka](https://millionrounds.com/company/pyka)** Series A · US · Lightbank VC **$37M** *Led*
- **2019** 6 rounds
- **Oct** **[Citrine Informatics](https://millionrounds.com/company/citrine-informatics)** Series B · US · FinSMEs **$20M** *Led*
- **Aug** **[Form Energy](https://millionrounds.com/company/form-energy)** Series B · US · FinSMEs **$40M** With 4 others
- **Aug** **[BEynd](https://millionrounds.com/company/beynd)** Seed · US · TechCrunch **$2.0M** With 1 other
- **Jul** **[Powerhive](https://millionrounds.com/company/powerhive)** Series B · US · FinSMEs **$9.3M** With 7 others
- **Jun** **[Sense Photonics](https://millionrounds.com/company/sense-photonics)** Series A · US · TechCrunch **$26M** With 4 others
- **Apr** **[Zapata](https://millionrounds.com/company/zapata)** Series A · US · FinSMEs **$21M** *Led*
- **2017** 3 rounds
- **Oct** **[Voltus](https://millionrounds.com/company/voltus)** US · FinSMEs **$10M** With 1 other
- **Sept** **[ClearMetal](https://millionrounds.com/company/clearmetal)** Series A · US · FinSMEs **$9.0M** With 4 others
- **Feb** **[MineSense](https://millionrounds.com/company/minesense)** CA · BetaKit: funding **$15M** With 5 others
- **2016** 1 round
- **Jul** **[Ripple Foods](https://millionrounds.com/company/ripple-foods)** **$30M** With 11 others
- **2015** 3 rounds
- **Aug** **[Benson Hill Biosystems](https://millionrounds.com/company/benson-hill-biosystems)** Series A · US **$7.3M** With 5 others
- **Jul** **[Simplus](https://millionrounds.com/company/simplus)** Seed · US **$4.2M** With 6 others
- **Jun** **[MineSense Technologies](https://millionrounds.com/company/minesense-technologies)** Series B · CA **$6.4M** With 3 others
- **2014** 4 rounds
- **Sept** **[Citrine Informatics](https://millionrounds.com/company/citrine-informatics)** Seed · US **Undisclosed** With 5 others
- **Jul** **[EnergySavvy](https://millionrounds.com/company/energysavvy)** Series C · US **$8.3M** With 3 others
- **Apr** **[Renewable Funding](https://millionrounds.com/company/renewable-funding)** Venture · US **$20M** With 4 others
- **Apr** **[Yerdle](https://millionrounds.com/company/yerdle)** Series A · US **$5.0M** With 5 others
- **2013** 1 round
- **Jan** **[Heliotrope Technologies](https://millionrounds.com/company/heliotrope-technologies)** Seed · US **Undisclosed** Sole investor
- **2011** 1 round
- **Sept** **[Project Frog](https://millionrounds.com/company/project-frog)** Venture · US · techcrunch.com **$22M** With 4 others

An announcement gives the size of the round, not the size of this investor's cheque: the only rounds that imply a cheque are those where they were the sole named investor.

## The team

Named by the firm itself, on a filing, its Form ADV or its company registration **3 named**

DW **Davis Warnock** Director i Filing they signed

GW **Greg Warnock** Director i Filing they signed

ZS **Zach Sivertson** Director i Filing they signed

We also hold **13** people at this firm from the lists this database was built from: a weaker source than the filings, since a list does not say when a title ended. Login to see them.

## What they claim to have backed

From their own portfolio page (on their website)

**10** of 14 we have independently watched raise

[ClearMetal](https://millionrounds.com/company/project44)[CoverCress](https://millionrounds.com/company/covercress)[Fervo Energy](https://millionrounds.com/company/fervo-energy)[GreenLight Biosciences](https://millionrounds.com/company/greenlight-biosciences)[Planet](https://millionrounds.com/company/planet)[Powerhive](https://millionrounds.com/company/powerhive)[QuantumScape](https://millionrounds.com/company/quantumscape)[Sense Photonics](https://millionrounds.com/company/ouster)[Unspun](https://millionrounds.com/company/unspun)[Zymergen](https://millionrounds.com/company/ginkgo-bioworks) EnergySavvy PLANT PV Raxium SolarBridge Technologies

Weaker than a round we watched, stronger than a list somebody sold us. A firm is far less willing to put a company on its own site that it never funded.

New fund on file

**Raised**

a new fund in Oct 2023

From its SEC filing, not a journalist: a firm that has just raised has money to deploy.

## The cheque

Pre-seed Seed Series A

Median round joined **$30M** the round, not its cheque Alone, median **-**

Led 8 of 30 rounds **27%**

- **Said size:** $100K – $25M
- **Sole investor:** 1 rounds
- **Last cheque:** Aug 2026

Rounds by stage said on their site

- Series A said *8*
- Series B said *7*
- Seed said *4*
- Venture *2*
- Series C *1*
- Pre-seed said *-*
- Growth said *-*

Cheques by month Led Joined

Dec 2023 Nov 2026

Often in the room with

- [Breakthrough Energy](https://millionrounds.com/fund/breakthrough-energy) 3
- [Claremont Creek Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/claremont-creek-ventures) 3
- [Khosla Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/khosla-ventures) 3
- [Alumni Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/us-strategic-tech-fund-an-alumni-ventures-fund) 2
- [Caterpillar Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/caterpillar-ventures) 2
- [Congruent Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/congruent-ventures) 2

**Pitching Prelude Ventures?** Put them on your fundraising board with this record on the card, and follow them to hear when they write a new cheque.

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## Who they invest alongside

The investors most often in the same rounds as Prelude Ventures. A count of rooms they were both in, not a relationship either has claimed.

[**Breakthrough Energy** VC firm **3** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/breakthrough-energy)[**Claremont Creek Ventures** VC firm **3** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/claremont-creek-ventures)[**Khosla Ventures** VC firm **3** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/khosla-ventures)[**Alumni Ventures** VC firm **2** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/us-strategic-tech-fund-an-alumni-ventures-fund)[**Caterpillar Ventures** Corporate VC **2** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/caterpillar-ventures)[**Congruent Ventures** VC firm **2** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/congruent-ventures)[**Export Development Canada** Government **2** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/export-development-canada)[**Innovation Endeavors** VC firm **2** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/innovation-endeavors)[**Lowercarbon Capital** VC firm **2** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/lowercarbon-capital)[**Tao Capital** Growth equity **2** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/tao-capital)[**Tim Koogle** Angel **2** rounds together](https://millionrounds.com/fund/tim-koogle)

## Recently backed

The latest companies Prelude Ventures put money into.

[**Form Energy** $750M · Aug 2026](https://millionrounds.com/company/form-energy)[**Quaise Energy** $134M · Jul 2026](https://millionrounds.com/company/quaise-energy)[**Thea Energy** $100M · May 2026](https://millionrounds.com/company/thea-energy)[**Rhoda AI** $450M · Mar 2026](https://millionrounds.com/company/rhoda-ai)[**Lunar Energy** $232M · Feb 2026](https://millionrounds.com/company/lunar-energy)[**Ripple Foods** $17M · Dec 2025](https://millionrounds.com/company/ripple-foods)

## On podcasts

1 episode naming Prelude Ventures in the title, and 3 more that mention it.

- [Inevitable](https://millionrounds.com/podcasts/inevitable) 28 Mar 2022 · 1h 10m Ep. 202: Gabriel Kra, Managing Director and Co-founder at Prelude Ventures With [Gabriel Kra](https://millionrounds.com/person/gabriel-kra) Mentions [Prelude Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/prelude-ventures)[Breakthrough Energy](https://millionrounds.com/fund/breakthrough-energy)[Deutsche Bank](https://millionrounds.com/fund/deutsche-bank) Apple PodcastsShow page

### Mentioned in

- [Inevitable](https://millionrounds.com/podcasts/inevitable) 9 Mar 2023 · 1h 9m Startup Series: Mill Apple PodcastsShow page
- [Inevitable](https://millionrounds.com/podcasts/inevitable) 26 May 2022 · 1h 5m Startup Series: Electric Hydrogen Apple PodcastsShow page
- [Inevitable](https://millionrounds.com/podcasts/inevitable) 11 Jul 2019 · 45 min Ep 18: Joshua Posamentier, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Congruent Ventures Apple PodcastsShow page

## Quick answers about Prelude Ventures

### What does Prelude Ventures invest in?

Prelude Ventures invests most often at Series A and Series B (68% of the rounds on record), in sectors such as Solar, Smart Grid and Biodiversity.

### How active is Prelude Ventures?

30 investments on record, 6 of them in the last 12 months, and it led 8. The most recent was in Aug 2026.

### What has Prelude Ventures invested in recently?

Its most recent investments on record: Form Energy (Series G, Aug 2026), Quaise Energy (Series B, Jul 2026) and Thea Energy (Series B, May 2026).

### How big are Prelude Ventures's cheques?

The median round it joins is $30M. It says it writes cheques of $100K to $25M.

### Does Prelude Ventures lead rounds?

Yes: it led 8 of its 30 investments on record (27%).

### Where does Prelude Ventures invest?

Most of the companies it backs are in the United States (93%) and Canada (7%).

### Is Prelude Ventures investing now?

Yes: it is actively investing, with 6 investments in the last 12 months.

### Who does Prelude Ventures invest alongside?

Most often Breakthrough Energy (3 rounds together), Claremont Creek Ventures (3 rounds together) and Khosla Ventures (3 rounds together).

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Built from the rounds we watched, its filings and its own website, refreshed every night. [How we count](https://millionrounds.com/methodology) · [Report a correction](https://millionrounds.com/corrections?slug=prelude-ventures) · [Is this your firm? Claim it](https://millionrounds.com/claim?org=prelude-ventures)