Lux Capital

Lux Capital

Logo
Company type	Private
Industry	Venture capital
Founded	2000;25 years ago (2000)
Founders	Peter Hébert Robert Paull Josh Wolfe
Headquarters	New York, NY , United States
Total assets	$5.0 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]}

History

Lux Capital was founded in 2000 by Peter Hébert, Robert Paull and Josh Wolfe. ^[5] In April 2011, former McKinsey Senior Partner Richard N. Foster and former CIA Director James Woolsey joined the organisation in senior management roles. ^[6] In August 2012, former Pfizer head Jeff Kindler joined the organisation in similar capacities. ^[7]

The organisation had raised approximately $1 billion in investment funds by August 2019. By June 2021, it had raised approximately $1.5 billion in investment funds. ^{[8] [9]}

Criticism

Lux has been criticized recently for its investment in autonomous weapons. ^[10]

Offensive Military Technology

Lux Capital's investment in Anduril Industries, a defense technology company specializing in autonomous weapons systems, has drawn criticism.^{[ citation needed ]} Anduril's product lineup includes unmanned aerial systems, robotic submarines, and counter-drone technologies, which have been deployed in military operations and border surveillance. ^[11]

Critics argue that Lux's backing of Anduril aligns the firm with a company whose products have been associated with controversial applications, such as surveillance along the U.S.-Mexico border. ^[12] This association has led to concerns about the ethical implications of investing in companies whose technologies may be used in contentious or militarized contexts. ^{[10] [13]}

Portfolio companies

• 3Scan ^[14]
• AltspaceVR ^[15]
• Anduril ^[16]
• Applied Intuition ^[17]
• Armada ^{[18] [19]}
• Auris Health ^[20]
• Bright Machines ^[21]
• Clarifai ^{[22] [23]}
• Desktop Metal ^[24]
• Everspin Technologies ^{[25] [26]}
• Kymeta ^{[27] [28] [29]}
• Luxtera ^{[30] [31]}
• Magie ^[32]
• Nanosys ^{[33] [34]}
• Nervana Systems ^{[35] [36]}
• Orbital Insight ^[37]
• Planet Labs ^[38]
• Ramp ^[39]
• Siluria Technologies ^[40]
• Transphorm ^[41]

No longer operating:

• Tempo Automation ^[42]

See also

• Entrepreneurship
• Venture Capital
• Startup company

References

1. Fickenscher, Lisa (2003). "2003 40 Under 40". Crain's New York Business. Jan 27 - Feb 2, 2003: 15–31. ISSN   8756-789X. OCLC   11620213. Archived from the original on 2010-01-27.
2. Eden, Scott (2009). "Nano Wunderkinds". Dealmaker. December/January 2009: 35–37. ISSN   1937-304X. OCLC   132936538.
3. Kosoff, Maya (2 April 2015). "Venture firm Lux just got $350 million more to invests in robots, the future, and science". Business Insider. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
4. de la Merced, Michael (2 April 2015). "Lux Capital Raises $350 Million Fund to Back Science Start-Ups". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
5. "Lux Capital Overview" . Retrieved 14 October 2023.
6. "James Woolsey and Richard Foster Join Lux Capital as Venture Partners". Business Wire. 26 April 2011.
7. "Kindler, Former Pfizer Chief, Joins Lux Capital". Dealbook. 8 August 2012.
8. Marinova, Polina (August 1, 2019). "Exclusive: Lux Capital Raises More Than $1 Billion Across Two New Funds to Invest in Companies Building a Sci-Fi Future". www.fortune.com.
9. "Lux Capital raises $800 million for its first opportunity fund".
10. Shen, Lucinda. "Controversial surveillance startup Anduril gets a $1.9 billion valuation". Fortune. Retrieved 2025-06-06.
11. "Josh Wolfe's War: The Lux Capital Founder Blazes a Controversial Path in Defense Tech". The Information. Retrieved 2025-06-06.
12. Canales, Katie. "Trump administration pays Peter Thiel-backed startup hundreds of millions of dollars to build a virtual border wall". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-06-10.
13. ""Despite disgusting descriptions of the IDF, the world still wants Israeli tech": Lux's Josh Wolfe on global demand for defense innovation". ctech. 2025-05-26. Retrieved 2025-06-10.
14. "3Scan Raises $6.67 Million from Lux Capital, Dolby Ventures for New Technologies to Transform Pathology | FierceBiotech". www.fiercebiotech.com. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
15. "VR Chat Room AltspaceVR Raises $10.3M To Sell Virtual Events – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. 29 July 2015. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
16. Bogaisky, Jeremy (July 1, 2020). "Anduril Raises $200 Million To Fund Ambitious Plans To Build A Defense Tech Giant". Forbes. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
17. Konrad, Alex (22 October 2020). "Applied Intuition Reaches $1.25 Billion Valuation In New Funding For Its Autonomous Vehicle Testing Software". Forbes.
18. "Lux Capital". www.luxcapital.com. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
19. Konrad, Alex. "Startup Armada Is Bringing AI To Remote Places, Using SpaceX Starlink Satellites". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
20. Gormley, Brian; Chernova, Yuliya. "Venture Investors to Score Giant Win From $3.4 Billion Sale of Auris Health". The Wall Street Journal.
21. "Venture Monitor 4Q 2018" (PDF). Silicon Valley Bank. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
22. "Clarifai Lands $30M Series B Round". vcnewsdaily.com. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
23. Clarifai. "Clarifai Raises $60M in Series C Funding to Bring AI to Developers Everywhere". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
24. Kolodny, Lora (2018-03-19). "Ford, Future Fund invest $65 million in Desktop Metal 3-D printers". www.cnbc.com. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
25. "Everspin Raises $15M Growth Financing". www.businesswire.com. 2013-08-12. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
26. "Everspin Technologies Raises $15M in Series B Financing". FinSMEs. 2013-08-12. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
27. Sheetz, Michael (2020-08-25). "Bill Gates leads $85 million fundraising for satellite antenna specialist Kymeta to scale production". CNBC. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
28. de la Merced, Michael J. (2015-04-02). "Lux Capital Raises $350 Million Fund to Back Science Start-Ups". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-10-18.
29. "Bill Gates and other investors give $62M boost to Kymeta satellite antenna venture" . Retrieved 18 October 2023.
30. "Luxtera Completes $21.7M". FinSMEs. 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
31. "Luxtera gets $21 million in funding". Chicago Tribune. 2012-02-28. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
32. MacColl, Margaux (2024-08-22). "Lux Capital made its first investment in Brazil, a $4M seed for AI fintech Magie". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
33. "Nanosys Raises $30 Million". The Wall Street Journal. 2003-04-24. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2023-10-18.
34. Feder, Barnaby J. (2004-05-24). "TECHNOLOGY; Going Public Without Profits Or a Product? Yes, in 2004". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-10-18.
35. "Intel to buy artificial intelligence firm Nervana Systems". Reuters. 2016-08-09. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
36. Levy, Ari (2017-09-19). "Chip start-ups were 'almost toxic' before the A.I. boom — now investors are plowing money into them". CNBC. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
37. Insight, Orbital (2019-11-12). "Orbital Insight Announces $50 Million in Funding to Secure Global 2000 Market Leadership". GlobeNewswire News Room. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
38. Lawler, Ryan (2013-12-18). "Planet Labs Raises $52 Million From Yuri Milner To Build The Biggest (Little) Flock Of Satellites". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
39. Azevedo, Mary Ann (2021-08-24). "Ramp raises $300M at a $3.9B valuation, makes its first acquisition". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
40. "Siluria Technologies Attracts $20 Million for Technology Platform That Puts Methane to Use in Production of Fuels and Chemicals, Providing an Abundant, Sustainable Alternative to Oil". www.businesswire.com. 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
41. Lunden, Ingrid (2012-10-01). "Transphorm, An Energy Groundbreaker Backed By Google Ventures, Gets $35M From Japan Powerhouses". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
42. Heater, Brian (2016-06-29). "Prototype manufacturer Tempo Automation gets $8M Series A to upgrade factory". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-02-22.