We help PhDs spin-out their deep-tech research and raise their Series A
We start with exceptional scientists, not orphaned patents. PhDs and PostDocs who already have commercially relevant, defensible work — then we pair them with operators and capital. Four moves, in sequence.
We identify high-potential university research & tech talent behind this research
We recruit proven second-time founders from our network to lead a seed and Series A, and secure pilot projects
We organize pre-seed funding via moonshots SPVs and partner VCs and government organizations
We build strategic corporate partnerships to accelerate distribution, investment, and future exit opportunities
Top Professors, PhDs and PostDocs generate world-changing breakthroughs, but often lack the commercial bridge to turn research into enterprise products. Moonshots provides that bridge—working side-by-side with scientific founders to build, fund, and scale the business while they drive technical innovation.
Exceptional PhDs, PostDocs, and labs with patent-protected innovations that create an unassailable market advantage.
Materials science, biomedical devices, industrial AI, clean energy systems, advanced sensors, and infrastructure technology.
IP is only transferred once a company is successfully funded. If the venture doesn't raise, IP reverts to the researcher with no strings attached.
Researchers become technical advisors in the resulting company, staying involved in commercialization while we handle operations and go-to-market.
Invite-Only Network of Exited Founders and Executives. Proven operators who've built, scaled, and exited—ready to assist, invest and in some cases lead the next deep-tech company.
Deep tech takes longer to commercialize than SaaS — but the defensibility is exponentially higher. We structure capital to match those realities, moving fast early and building the right relationships for the journey to exit.
Organized fast through our network. We close rounds in weeks, not quarters.
$500K – $1MAngels, family offices, pre-seed and seed funds, with direct relevance to each company's market and a natural path to exit.
$3M+Build strategic corporate partnerships to accelerate distribution, investment, and future exit opportunities
$10M+Most startups meet their corporate acquirer at the finish line. We introduce ours at the beginning — turning strategic partners into early customers, co-investors, and ultimately acquirers. The exit relationship is built in from formation.
We engage target corporates as early customers. Their domain expertise shapes the product and their buy-in de-risks the next funding round.
As traction builds, corporate partners invest alongside our funding — adding strategic weight to the cap table and signaling conviction to the market.
We build the corporate relationship so deeply from the start that acquisition becomes the natural next step — a well-paved path rather than a cold approach.
A growing portfolio of deep-tech companies spun out of university research, led by proven operators.
The most consequential technologies are being built right now by brilliant Professors, PhDs and PostDocs in university labs. What these scientific founders lack isn't engineering rigour—it's commercial co-founders, early capital, and institutional go-to-market playbooks.
Moonshots was built to be exactly that infrastructure. We're a deep-tech venture studio: part company builder, part investor, part talent network.
20+ years building and backing startups with multiple portfolio exits to buyers including Microsoft, Salesforce, Autodesk, Hootsuite, and others. Marco's edge is practical: finding strong ideas early, helping shape the company around them, and pushing from product and partnerships through to distribution and capital.
Founder and CEO of Tough Commerce (Y Combinator W21), where he raised $10M and grew to $10M in revenue. Previously founded StrongForce Homes and angel invested in multiple YC companies. He brings direct access to the Y Combinator founder network and deep relationships across US and Canadian venture ecosystems.