Kompas VC raises 150 million euros to back industrial startups

Kompas VC has raised €150 million for Fund II, deepening a wager that some of the most durable venture returns will come from the physical economy rather than software alone. The early-stage firm said it is doubling down on companies working at the intersection of industrial transformation, sustainability and resilience, with a mandate built around manufacturing, energy, logistics, infrastructure and the built environment.

The raise comes as geopolitics and industrial policy have changed what investors are willing to underwrite. Kompas said in January that volatility had become the new normal and argued that critical industries now need higher productivity, sturdier supply chains, stronger cyber defences and lower emissions. That view has gained force as US-China tensions and the war in Ukraine push capital toward more familiar markets, while companies in a more fragmented global economy put resilience ahead of pure efficiency.

Founded in 2021, Kompas said it now manages €300 million across two fund generations. Its current themes include baseload power, the modern grid and other industrial hardware and software aimed at productivity gains. The firm has singled out geothermal and nuclear fission as sources of 24/7 firm power, while also backing technologies such as solid-state transformers that can help modernize legacy grids.

Kompas’s portfolio already spans climate risk analytics, construction software, advanced materials and acoustic simulation, alongside startups focused on industrial AI and warehouse automation. The firm says its broader mission is to partner with founders driving the industrial transition, reducing emissions while also boosting resilience in sectors that are often capital-intensive, regulated and slow to digitize.

The strategy also reflects a shift in venture capital itself. TechCrunch’s April profile of Kompas described the firm as focused on “the physical world” and said it sees reshoring as increasingly relevant across markets, a sign that industrial localization is moving from policy slogan to investment thesis. Kompas’s team spans Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Tel Aviv, and its materials emphasize decarbonization and digital transformation across building and manufacturing industries. In a market crowded with AI deals, Kompas is making a different case: in a more unstable world, the best tech bets may be the ones that keep factories, grids and supply chains running.