SOSV 2027: Deadline, Funding and How to Apply

SOSV is a deep tech venture firm founded in 1995 by Sean O'Sullivan, who co-founded the mapping company MapInfo. It runs pre-seed programs for science and engineering startups and describes itself as the most active pre-seed deep tech investor. Its two best-known brands are HAX, the hard tech program now based in a 35,000 square foot headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, and IndieBio, the biotech program that now operates as SOSV SF and SOSV NY. SOSV invests up to $550,000 at pre-seed and says it needs to reach above 10% ownership for that check. It makes about 60 new pre-seed investments a year and about 150 follow-on investments, and it can keep investing through Series B. Focus areas include life sciences, decarbonization, robotics, industrial automation, medtech, energy and transportation. It does not invest in enterprise software, fintech, crypto, cybersecurity or ecommerce. What sets SOSV apart is infrastructure. Its locations include wet labs, engineering shops and in-house scientists and engineers, which matters for companies whose first product is a molecule or a machine. SOSV reports more than 800 portfolio companies with founders from 82 countries. IndieBio alone reports 310 graduates from 2015 to 2025 who raised $3.6 billion. Portfolio companies include NotCo, Opentrons, Upside Foods and R-Zero.

SOSV programs run for about four to six months, and founders must be in the US for that period at SOSV SF, SOSV NY or HAX in Newark. Companies work out of SOSV facilities, which include wet lab space for biology and chemistry teams and engineering and prototyping space at HAX. In-house scientists, engineers and investment partners work with each team on technical milestones, product development, manufacturing and fundraising. HAX plans an additional 10,000 square foot Plasma Forge in Princeton. The program ends with founders pitching to SOSV's network of more than 2,700 co-investors. After the program, SOSV continues to support companies and can invest in follow-on rounds through Series B, but only in companies it backed at pre-seed.

SOSV looks for pre-seed deep tech teams solving large physical-world problems with science or engineering. It wants more than one founder, fewer than 10 people, under $1M in annual revenue and usually under $1M in prior equity raised. Companies that already raised a VC-backed seed or Series A are too late. Angel notes and non-dilutive grants such as SBIR are fine. Founders must be able to spend four to six months in the US.