Idealab
We believe that entrepreneurship can unlock human potential and make the world a better place. We look for big problems in the world that have technology solutions and test many ideas in parallel.
Check Size—
StagesIncubation, Seed, Early
LocationUS
Data quality57good
Investment thesis
We believe that entrepreneurship can unlock human potential and make the world a better place. We look for big problems in the world that have technology solutions and test many ideas in parallel.
70 confidence · stated by fund
Partners
BG
Bill Gross
Chairman
MG
Marcia Goodstein
Chief Executive Officer and President
TM
Tom McGovern
Managing Director
What sets Idealab apart
- Longest running technology incubator (founded 1996)
- 150+ companies created with 45+ IPOs/acquisitions
- In-house ideation and parallel testing methodology
- Strong cleantech/energy transition focus with regulatory expertise
Recent investments
Branch, Carbon Capture, Elementary Robotics, Lumin, Papaya Payments, Xosphere
Investment profile
- Stages
- Incubation, Seed, Early
- Sectors
- Cleantech, Energy, Enterprise_software, Consumer_internet, Robotics, Fintech, Education_tech
- Cold inbound
- Warm intro preferred
Frequently asked questions
- What does Idealab invest in?
- Idealab is a incubation, seed, early stage Cleantech, Energy, Enterprise_software, Consumer_internet, Robotics, Fintech, Education_tech investor, primarily investing in US. Their thesis: We believe that entrepreneurship can unlock human potential and make the world a better place. We look for big problems in the world that have technology solutions and test many ideas in parallel.
- Is Idealab actively deploying capital?
- Idealab is actively deploying capital. What we observed: Current companies section shows active portfolio (Branch, Candy Club, Carbon Capture, Elementary Robotics, Lumin, Mighty Text, Papaya Payments, X1 Discovery, Xosphere); recent IPOs (Heliogen NYSE:HLGN, Energy Vault NYSE:NRGV) and acquisitions (Sellbrite to GoDaddy, GameMix to Kik) indicate ongoing deployment.
- What makes Idealab different from other funds?
- Idealab stands out on 4 points: Longest running technology incubator (founded 1996); 150+ companies created with 45+ IPOs/acquisitions; In-house ideation and parallel testing methodology; Strong cleantech/energy transition focus with regulatory expertise.
- What has Idealab invested in recently?
- Recent investments DryPowder has tracked from Idealab include Branch, Carbon Capture, Elementary Robotics, Lumin, Papaya Payments, Xosphere.
- What other funds are similar to Idealab?
- Funds with overlapping stage and sector focus include Caffeinated Capital, FundersClub, AME Cloud Ventures. See the full list below, or use DryPowder's AI fund matching to rank all tracked funds by fit with your specific startup.
- How do I reach out to Idealab?
- Idealab doesn't generally take cold inbound — a warm introduction from a founder or investor they already know is the reliable path in. Use DryPowder's AI fund matching to see how your startup aligns with Idealab's thesis and focus areas (Cleantech, Energy, Enterprise_software, Consumer_internet, Robotics, Fintech, Education_tech) — it returns a fit score and specific talking points for your outreach.