NextWave Ventures

NextWave Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2010, headquartered in Carlsbad, California. The firm specializes in seed to early-stage investments, focusing on commercializing advanced technologies derived from university-based research across North America. NextWave Ventures targets innovation gaps within large commercial markets, investing in sectors such as artificial intelligence, advanced materials, IoT, 3D bioprinting, and digital media. Their strategy involves forming new companies around university patents, typically making seed investments ranging from $500K to $1.5M, and Series A investments from $1M to $4M, with the ability to participate in larger follow-on rounds through syndicate partnerships. NextWave's approach is distinguished by its active operational involvement, leveraging a low overhead structure and shared resources to mitigate risk. The firm maintains strong strategic relationships with hundreds of university labs across the U.S., which allows it to tap into cutting-edge innovations. The leadership team, composed of experienced investors, entrepreneurs, researchers, and operators, plays a hands-on role in building and scaling the companies within their portfolio. Notable investments include innovative companies like SmartFoam, TRAQ, and Apical Technology, all of which are at the forefront of their respective fields. NextWave's investment philosophy is centered on bridging the gap between academia and commercial markets, ensuring that groundbreaking research translates into viable and impactful businesses​.