 Logo | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Venture capital |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founders | Peter Hébert Robert Paull Josh Wolfe |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Total assets | $7.0 billion |
| Website | luxcapital.com |
Lux Capital is a venture capital firm based in New York City. It was founded in 2000, and focuses on investments in emerging technologies. [1] [2] [3] [4] Lux Capital has 9 core funds. [5] To date, the firm has over $7 billion in total assets under management. [6]
Lux Capital was founded in 2000 by Peter Hébert, Robert Paull and Josh Wolfe. [7] In April 2011, former McKinsey Senior Partner Richard N. Foster and former CIA Director James Woolsey joined the organisation in senior management roles. [8] In August 2012, former Pfizer head Jeff Kindler joined the organisation in a similar capacity. [9] The company’s first outside investor was The Carlyle Group co-founder, Bill Conway. [10]
Lux Research was founded by Lux Capital in 2004, with Lux Capital's co-founder Peter Hebert leading the spin-off, making Lux Research a portfolio company initially backed by the firm. Lux Research was later sold to Bregal Sagemount in 2017, creating a historical link rather than an active parent-child relationship. [11]
In 2008, Lux Capital recruited a team of scientists to develop new ways of cleaning up nuclear waste, forming the company Kurion, which aided in the cleanup of the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011. In 2016, Kurion was acquired by Veolia, French nuclear cleanup specialist, for $350 million. [12]
In 2020, Lux Capital joined a group of technology companies investing in Anduril Industries, a defense technology company. [13] Anduril's product lineup includes unmanned aerial systems, robotic submarines, and counter-drone technologies, which have been deployed in military operations and border surveillance. [14]
Retired 4-star General and former commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Tony Thomas joined the firm as a Venture Partner in 2020. [15]
In 2026, Lux Capital raised its ninth core fund, with $1.5 billion in committed capital. This brought the company's total assets under management to $7 billion. [6] Lux funds invest in early-stage deep technology companies in the sectors of life sciences, defense, manufacturing, aerospace, and artificial intelligence. [5] [15]
In 2024, the company developed an initiative called Riskgaming, assembling a group of leaders and proposing complex problems for them to solve, such as AI-based election threats, ethical trade dilemmas, and national disasters. [16] [17]
Neuroscientist Thomas Reardon joined Lux as a venture partner in 2024, [18] [19] followed by American diplomat Brett McGurk in 2025. [20]
The firm has created more than 20 new companies since its founding, formalizing this process in 2024 as Lux Labs. [21]
