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§ Venture Capital · Austin, TX, USA
Early-stage venture capital firm investing in deep tech startups in AI, robotics, advanced energy, and sustainable technologies.
Key people at Grit Ventures.
Grit Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California, specializing in deep tech startups transitioning from university labs to commercial launch. The firm targets sectors including AI, robotics, advanced energy, industrial automation, advanced manufacturing, logistics, and sustainable technologies focused on rebuilding physical infrastructure. Grit Ventures provides initial $100,000 lab investment checks to researchers and leads early-stage funding rounds with investments typically ranging from $1 million to $25 million. The firm's team, including Managing Partners Jennifer Gill Roberts and Kelly Coyne, and Venture Partner Adity Sharma, has prior investment experience with companies such as IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) and DarwinAI, acquired by Apple. Grit Ventures was established in 2019 by co-founders Jennifer Gill Roberts and Kelly Coyne.
Key people at Grit Ventures.
Grit Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2019 that specializes in deep technology sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, advanced materials, and clean energy. The firm’s mission is to transform pioneering lab innovations from top research universities into industrial powerhouses, addressing global challenges like climate change, labor shortages, waste, and food production. Their investment philosophy centers on impact investing with a focus on sustainability, diversity, and economic growth, targeting startups that demonstrate "grit"—passion and perseverance for long-term goals. Grit Ventures primarily invests in sectors including industrial automation, supply chain and logistics, energy and compute, aerospace, agriculture, construction, and manufacturing, leveraging a proprietary "Labs to Launch" strategy to bridge the gap between academic research and commercial viability[1][2][3].
Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, Grit Ventures was created to capitalize on the robotic revolution and the broader wave of deep tech innovation emerging from university labs. Key partners include Co-Founder and Managing Partner Jennifer Gill Roberts, with a background in optical and wireless equipment investments, and Venture Partner Erin Keller, who brings expertise in synthetic biology and automation. Managing Partner Christy Cardenas joined in 2020 to expand the firm’s focus into clean energy. The firm evolved by emphasizing impact investing and diversity, recognizing the importance of perseverance ("grit") in founders tackling complex, long-term problems. Grit Ventures has built a platform called Grit Labs to support startups in crossing the "valley of death" between research and venture funding, providing capital, go-to-market strategies, and diverse talent from the outset[1][2][3].
Grit Ventures is riding the wave of the current deep tech revolution, particularly the convergence of AI and physical world automation. The timing is critical as funding cuts in academia push researchers to commercialize innovations, creating a surge of startups emerging from university labs. Market forces such as labor shortages, climate change imperatives, and the need for supply chain modernization favor Grit’s focus on industrial automation, clean energy, and advanced materials. By bridging the gap between research and market, Grit Ventures influences the broader ecosystem by accelerating the commercialization of foundational technologies that can transform traditional industries like agriculture, construction, logistics, and manufacturing[1][3][6].
Looking ahead, Grit Ventures is positioned to capitalize on trillion-dollar opportunities in real assets and infrastructure by continuing to back deep tech startups that combine automation with sustainability and impact. Trends such as the expansion of the space economy, advances in AI-driven robotics, and the push for sustainable industrial processes will shape their investment journey. Their influence is likely to grow as they refine their "Labs to Launch" model, deepen industry partnerships, and foster diverse founder ecosystems, helping to build the next generation of tech titans that address critical global challenges with long-term vision and resilience[3][6].
Grit Ventures has more than 26 tracked investments across 21 companies. The latest tracked deal is $85.0M Series A in Havoc AI in October 2025.
