Awesm Ventures

Awesm Ventures is a San Mateo, California-based early-stage investment firm founded in 2015 by Tommaso Di Bartolo. The firm invests in startups developing Physical AI solutions — companies applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to real-world mobility and physical-world applications. Awesm operates at the intersection of AI and established mobility industries, including automotive, aviation, maritime, railroad, and oil and energy sectors, with checks ranging from $100,000 to $2 million at seed and Series A stages. The firm has built a portfolio of 12 companies and partners with mobility corporations to drive external innovation through data-driven startups. This corporate partnership model creates a distinctive dynamic: portfolio companies gain direct access to large industry incumbents as potential pilot customers, data partners, and strategic acquirers, while corporate partners gain a structured window into emerging Physical AI technologies before those technologies mature and become difficult to integrate. Awesm's differentiation lies in this bridge role between early-stage AI startups and established mobility corporations. Rather than funding companies and hoping for eventual enterprise adoption, Awesm actively cultivates relationships with mobility industry incumbents and introduces them to portfolio companies at an early stage — compressing the typical go-to-market timeline for founders selling into complex industrial buyers. For startups building AI for physical environments where data access and industry relationships are critical moats, Awesm's corporate network is a meaningful competitive advantage beyond the capital it provides.