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Lux Capital

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Lux Capital
Company typePrivate
IndustryVenture capital
Founded2000; 25 years ago (2000)
FoundersPeter Hébert
Robert Paull
Josh Wolfe
Headquarters
New York, NY
,
United States
Total assets$5.0 billion
Websiteluxcapital.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

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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

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

Offensive Military Technology

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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

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No longer operating:

See also

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References

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  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. ^ a b 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.
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