Get Free Access to The Founder's Handbook

This free Notion document contains the best 100+ resources you need for building a successful startup, divided in 4 categories: Fundraising, People, Product, and Growth.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
The Founder's Handbook
Download Our Free Guide: The Perfect Pitch Deck

This free eBook goes over the 10 slides every startup pitch deck has to include, based on what we learned from analyzing 500+ pitch decks, including those from Airbnb, Uber and Spotify.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
The Perfect Pitch Deck
Download Our List of The Top 100 Accelerators & Incubators

This free sheet contains 100 accelerators and incubators you can apply to today, along with information about the industries they generally invest in.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
100 Accelerators & Incubators
Download Our List of The Top 100 Venture Capital Firms

This free sheet contains 100 VC firms, with information about the countries, cities, stages, and industries they invest in, as well as their contact details.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
VC Firm Lead Magnet
Download The List of the 100 Highest-Valued Unicorns

This free sheet contains all the information about the top 100 unicorns, including their valuation, HQ's location, founded year, name of founders, funding amount and number of employees.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
100 Top Unicorns

Top 11 Automotive Venture Capital Firms (2026)

Description

CTA

Getting a new automotive idea off the ground requires more than just a great concept; it needs the right financial backing. The good news is there are many investors looking to fund the future of how we get around.

Firms like Viola Ventures have made over 280 investments and seen more than 50 exits, while EQT Ventures and Gobi Partners have each backed over 230 companies. These investors are actively shaping the industry.

Below is our list of the best 11 Automotive VC firms.

Failory's Top 10 Picks

Fundraising OS
Tool
Fundraising OS

Everything you need to raise funding for your startup, including 3,500+ investors, 7 tools, 18 templates and 3 learning resources.

Buy It For $97 $297

With a team of former founders and operators, EQT Ventures backs ambitious tech startups across Europe, providing multi-stage funding and hands-on support. Their data-driven approach, powered by an in-house AI platform called Motherbrain, helps them identify and support future global success stories like Wolt.

HeadquartersStockholm, Stockholms Lan, Sweden
Year Founded2016
FoundersHjalmar Winbladh, Kees Koolen, Lars Jörnow
Total Funding€1.4B
Average Check Size€50M
IndustriesCybersecurity, Biotech, Social, Media, E-Commerce, AR & VR, AI & ML, Fintech, Gaming, Internet & Mobile, Developer Tools, Manufacturing, Automotive, SaaS
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage
Nº of Investments233 (134 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits25 (1 IPO'd)
Top Portfolio StartupsPeltarion, Verto Analytics, Nectarine Health

GoAhead Ventures writes $1M checks for pre-seed and seed stage startups across all industries. The firm differentiates itself with a founder-friendly process that delivers a funding decision the day after a partner pitch.

HeadquartersMenlo Park, California, United States
Year Founded2015
FoundersClancey Stahr, Phil Brady, Takeshi Mori
Total Funding$120M
Average Check Size$1M
IndustriesAI & ML, AR & VR, Transportation, Cybersecurity, Healthcare, E-Commerce, Education, IoT, Life Sciences, Gaming, Food & Beverage, Supply Chain & Logistics, SaaS, Proptech & Real Estate, Marketplace, Automotive
Investment StageEarly Stage, Seed, Pre-Seed
Nº of Investments73 (38 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits7
Top Portfolio StartupsDeskfirst, Omnisearch, Cake
Contactpitch@goaheadvc.com / (650) 275-2465

Afore Capital exclusively backs product-centric founders at the pre-seed stage, often leading their first institutional round of funding. The firm's partners draw on their founding product experience from Android and Twitter to guide companies through their initial development.

HeadquartersSan Francisco, California, United States
Year Founded2016
FoundersAnamitra Banerji, Gaurav Jain
Total Funding$300M
Average Check Size$1.5M
IndustriesFintech, Consumer, SaaS, Automotive, Marketplace, Construction, AR & VR, Enterprise, Crypto & Blockchain, Developer Tools, Gaming, Healthcare, E-Commerce
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage, Seed, Pre-Seed
Nº of Investments209 (87 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits15
Top Portfolio StartupsZuul Kitchen, Stream, Pinch
Contact(415) 562-7342

Viola Ventures empowers early-stage Israeli tech startups to become global leaders, focusing on ambitious teams in AI, deeptech, and consumer products. Their portfolio of transformational companies includes well-known names like ironSource, Payoneer, Lightricks, and Redis Labs.

HeadquartersHerzliya, Tel Aviv, Israel
Year Founded2000
FoundersAvi Zeevi, Shlomo Dovrat
IndustriesAI & ML, Biotech, Cybersecurity, Enterprise, InsurTech, Proptech & Real Estate, Internet & Mobile, Media, Travel & Hospitality, Climate & Sustainability, DTC, Automotive, Agriculture, SaaS
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage, Seed, Series A, Series B
Nº of Investments284 (105 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits57 (4 IPO'd)
Contactinfo@viola.vc

As a $50M Pan-African fund, Ingressive Capital invests in pre-seed and seed stage tech companies led by indigenous founders across the continent. They support startups that build for Africa's youth and increase the continent's value chain ownership, with a portfolio that includes successes like Paystack and Bamboo.

HeadquartersLagos, Lagos, Nigeria
Year Founded2017
FoundersMaya Horgan Famodu
Total Funding$10M
Average Check Size$400k
IndustriesFintech, Devops, Transportation, Biotech, Supply Chain & Logistics, Proptech & Real Estate, API, Cloud, Automotive, Agriculture
Investment StageEarly Stage, Seed, Pre-Seed
Nº of Investments58 (9 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits3
Top Portfolio StartupsPaystack, Bamboo, 54gene
Contactcommunications@ingressive.vc
Inventure Logo

Inventure backs early-stage founders across the Nordics and Baltics, fighting fiercely for a select few they believe can build transformative futures. This dedicated approach has helped launch successful companies like the delivery platform Wolt, proving their model of building lasting, two-way trust.

HeadquartersHelsinki, Southern Finland, Finland
Year Founded2005
FoundersKevin Lösch, Sami Lampinen, Timo Tirkkonen
Total Funding$230M
Average Check Size$10M
IndustriesSaaS, Deep Tech & Hard Science, AI & ML, Healthcare, Education, Gaming, Devops, Cybersecurity, IoT, Consumer, InsurTech, Hardware, AR & VR, Food & Beverage, Enterprise, Marketplace, Big Data & Analytics, Manufacturing, Marketing, Automotive, Telecommunications
Investment StageEarly Stage, Seed, Series A
Nº of Investments162 (78 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits21 (1 IPO'd)
Top Portfolio StartupsMojo, Coudescene, Wolt
Contacthello@inventure.vc / +46 76 600 95 60

Focusing on the Nordics and Baltics, Icebreaker.vc provides pre-seed and seed funding to tech companies built by founders with deep industry experience. They cultivate a large community to support their portfolio, which includes HoxHunt, helping them build a position of strength and avoid the post-accelerator slump.

HeadquartersHelsinki, Southern Finland, Finland
Year Founded2017
FoundersAleksi Partanen, Lasse Lehtinen, Riku Seppälä, Teddie Wardi
Total Funding€126M
Average Check Size€800k
IndustriesCybersecurity, IoT, Travel & Hospitality, Advertising, AI & ML, Big Data & Analytics, Proptech & Real Estate, AR & VR, Automation, Developer Tools, Media, Entertainment, Automotive, Energy, Human Resources, Legal, SaaS, Hardware, E-Commerce, Education
Investment StageConvertible Note, Early Stage, Seed, Pre-Seed
Nº of Investments126 (71 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits4
Top Portfolio StartupsHoxHunt, Logmore, Flowhaven
Contactinfo@icebreaker.vc

Maniv Mobility invests in startups creating the next generation of transportation technology, from vehicle autonomy to new mobility business models. With a portfolio that includes companies like Turo, they support founders from seed to late stage who are working to solve issues like traffic fatalities, congestion, and pollution.

HeadquartersTel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel
Year Founded2014
FoundersMichael Granoff
IndustriesSupply Chain & Logistics, Robotics, Transportation, Automotive, Mobility
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage, Seed
Nº of Investments81 (23 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits7 (2 IPO'd)
Top Portfolio StartupsClairLabs, Pact, Turo
Contact(201) 727-1411

With its TIDE Africa funds, TLcom Capital Partners backs entrepreneurs building tech companies with disruptive business models across the continent. They invest in sectors from financial services to education, helping to scale companies like the learning platform uLesson.

HeadquartersLondon, England, United Kingdom
Year Founded1999
FoundersMaurizio Caio
Total Funding$300M
Average Check Size$10M
IndustriesMedia, Internet & Mobile, DTC, Supply Chain & Logistics, Transportation, Education, InsurTech, Healthcare, Automotive
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage
Nº of Investments59 (31 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits9
Top Portfolio StartupsKobo, Cuebiq, uLesson
Contactinfo@tlcomcapital.com / +44 208 2377070

As one of the most interconnected Pan-Asian venture capital firms, Gobi Partners backs entrepreneurs from the early to growth stages, focusing on emerging and underserved markets. The firm has invested in over 350 startups and cultivated 10 unicorns, including the prominent gaming and metaverse company Animoca Brands.

HeadquartersKuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Year Founded2002
FoundersThomas Tsao
Total Funding$430.5M
IndustriesAI & ML, Biotech, Crypto & Blockchain, E-Commerce, Education, Food & Beverage, Hardware, Healthcare, Supply Chain & Logistics, Marketplace, Media, SaaS, Transportation, AR & VR, Agriculture, Automotive, Sports, Fintech
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage, Seed, Series A
Nº of Investments238 (102 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits18 (4 IPO'd)
Top Portfolio StartupsAnimoca Brands, Liveme, Tuniu
Contactmail@gobi.vc / +861084554115

1 Additional Automotive VC Firm Worth Pitching

The firms we've highlighted so far are just part of the story. Other investors are also backing founders, with this next one having made over 150 investments.

These investments have led to successful exits, showing there are many paths to building a great company. Here is another venture capital firm funding what's next in the automotive space.

VC FirmCountryYear FoundedNº InvestmentsNº Exits
Backstage Capital logo Backstage CapitalUnited States20151566

Description

CTA
The All-In-One Newsletter for Startup Founders

90% of startups fail. Learn how not to with our weekly guides and stories. Join +40,000 other startup founders!

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.