Precision capital for the physical future
Linear Systems Venture (LSV) backs engineers building the backbone of tomorrow: linear motion systems, robotics, factory AI, energy hardware and intelligent infrastructure. From pre-seed to Series B, we engineer growth — not just fund it.
We invest like
engineers, not tourists
Founded by control-systems PhDs and operators from Bosch, ABB and Tesla. We speak torque, tolerance and throughput.
From blueprint to breakout — venture studio + fund
Linear Systems Venture combines a $340M early-stage fund with a 12,000 m² prototyping campus in Munich + Austin. Founders get access to CNC, clean rooms, motion labs, and 40+ staff engineers who co-build alongside them. We don't just write checks — we debug servo loops at 2AM.
Every deal gets 80-hour technical teardown: CAD, firmware, unit economics.
240 plant managers & automation integrators as design partners.
10-year fund life + follow-on reserves up to $18M per company.
Hiring, certification (CE/UL), go-to-factory playbooks.
Why “Linear Systems”?
Linear systems are predictable, controllable, scalable — the opposite of hype. We look for startups where physics is the moat: sub-micron precision, 99.99% reliability, 30% energy savings. If it moves the physical world with mathematical elegance, it's LSV territory.
Explore our thesis →
“We funded our first linear-motor startup from a garage in 2016. Today it powers 40% of European e-commerce sortation. That's the LSV way: boring physics, explosive returns.”
— Dr. Markus Lindqvist, Managing PartnerPHD CONTROL THEORY • EX-SIEMENS
Where we place
precision bets
Robotics & Linear Motion
Direct-drive actuators, 7-axis cobots, high-speed gantries. Ticket: $1–4M. We love < 5µm repeatability.
12 INVESTMENTS • 3 EXITS
Factory AI & Autonomy
Vision QC, predictive maintenance, fleet orchestration. Software margins on hardware problems.
14 INVESTMENTS • 2 UNICORNS
Energy & Power Electronics
SiC inverters, linear generators, grid storage. Efficiency is the new growth.
9 INVESTMENTS • $210M FOLLOW-ON
Resilient Infrastructure
Space logistics, port automation, construction robotics. Hard problems, 10-year moats.
12 INVESTMENTS • NATO + EU GRANTS
47 companies.
Zero fluff.
FILTER: ALL / ROBOTICS / AI / ENERGY — 2021→2026
VectraDrive
Tubular linear motors with 3x power density. 480k units in warehouses. LSV led $12M.
ForgeSight
Vision QC that cuts scrap 62%. Deployed in 140 plants. 8.2x revenue in 2 years.
CellCore Solid
Semi-solid batteries for AGVs. 15-min charge, 12k cycles. Strategic exit to Tier-1.
LoopStack
OS for 1,000+ mobile robots. Interoperability layer for heterogeneous fleets.
OrbitalLift
Ground stations + linear launch assist. 34% cheaper LEO access.
GantryLabs
Cable-driven facade robots. From our venture studio, now $4M ARR.
From cold email
to term sheet in 21 days
Technical teardown
Send deck + CAD/video. Our engineers stress-test physics, not slides. NDA on day one.
Factory sprint
2-day on-site: customer calls, line trials, unit-economics model with your team.
Partner build
Term sheet + 100-day hiring & pilot plan. Design partners from our network.
Scale & follow-on
Prototyping campus, certification, Series A prep. Reserves up to $18M.
“LSV found a resonance flaw our own team missed — then helped redesign the gantry in three weeks. No other VC does that.”
“They opened 11 factory doors in Germany before wiring the money. Our pilot pipeline was full on day one.”
Operators,
PhDs & plant veterans
18 investors + 42 engineers. 60% of partners have run P&L in manufacturing.
What ticket sizes does LSV write? →
Pre-seed $250k–$800k (studio + cash), Seed $1–3M, Series A $4–8M, with up to $18M total per company. We lead or co-lead and take a board seat.
Do you invest outside EU/US? →
Yes — 30% of portfolio is in UK, Nordics, Japan and Israel, provided you have a pilot path in EU/US manufacturing corridors. Learn more in about us.
What do you need to pitch? →
A 12-slide deck, 2-min demo video of hardware moving, and unit economics. No warm intro needed — use the contact form.
Signals from
the shop floor
Linear Motion in 2026: $18B market, 3 winners to watch
Direct-drive vs ball-screw: cost curves, lead times and where LSV is doubling down...
Read story →Factory AI that pays: 90-day ROI checklist
How VectraDrive and ForgeSight deployed vision QC without stopping the line...
Read story →Why ports and warehouses are the next software frontier
From gantry robots to fleet OS — our infrastructure bet explained...
Read story →Let's build what moves
Founders: 48h response. LPs: Q3 2026 fund IV open. Operators: join our expert network.
WERK1, GRAFINGER STR. 6, MUNICH
MON–FRI 9:00–18:00 CET