AE Ventures

AE Ventures is the venture capital platform of AE Industrial Partners (AEI), a Boca Raton, Florida-based private investment firm with $9.2 billion in assets under management. Launched in 2017, AE Ventures invests in early-stage companies addressing the most critical challenges in aerospace, national security, and industrial markets. The firm operates alongside AEI's private equity and aerospace leasing strategies, drawing on deep sector knowledge and an extensive network across defense and industrial communities. Co-CEOs Mike Greene and David Rowe, alongside Managing Partners Kirk Konert (space) and Jon Nemo (aviation and aerospace), lead the investment effort. AE Ventures leads rounds and deploys initial checks of $1 million to $10 million, with 101 investments completed to date. In 2022, AEI partnered with Boeing to launch their second venture fund targeting innovative aerospace and defense startups. Notable portfolio companies include Second Front Systems, JuliaHub, Tidelift, Solestial, ALL.SPACE, Datch, BigBear.ai, Firefly Aerospace, Redwire, and York Space Systems, spanning software, space economy, AI, hardware, and national security applications. The firm brings an operationally grounded perspective to venture investing, leveraging AEI's 92-person team and its long track record in aerospace asset management. Startups gain access not only to capital but also to AEI's industry relationships across prime contractors, government agencies, and commercial operators — a network that can meaningfully accelerate time to first customer and contract in the defense and aerospace sectors.