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Nomadic Venture Partners
Dan Gross and Michael Dearing's Denver-based Nomadic Venture Partners places concentrated early-stage bets on climate, deep tech, and industrial...
Nomadic Venture Partners
Nomadic Venture Partners was established by Dan Gross and Michael Dearing, two operators-turned-investors with track records at firms including Harrison Metal and Google. The firm operates from Denver, Colorado, positioning itself outside the coastal venture hubs while maintaining active syndicate relationships with Bay Area seed funds. Its founding thesis centers on backing technical founders solving large-scale industrial and environmental challenges that require patient, early-stage capital. The firm targets pre-seed and seed-stage companies across climate technology, advanced manufacturing, enterprise software, and AI/ML applications for physical-world industries. Nomadic typically co-invests alongside established seed managers, functioning as a force-multiplier rather than a lead investor. The portfolio includes exposure to grid-scale energy storage, industrial robotics, and carbon removal technologies. The firm has backed companies such as AMP Robotics, which builds AI-guided sorting systems for recycling facilities, and Span.IO, the smart electrical panel manufacturer acquired by a strategic buyer. Its geographic focus spans North America with occasional exposure to European deep-tech startups. Nomadic maintains a deliberately small team structure with fewer than ten professionals, emphasizing partner-level engagement with every portfolio company. Gross, a former Google PM and serial founder, brings operating pattern-matching that informs the firm's hands-on approach to portfolio support. Dearing, known for his tenure at Harrison Metal, provides continuity across the firm's early-stage syndication model. In 2023 the firm participated in follow-on rounds for several climate-tech portfolio companies as the Inflation Reduction Act accelerated capital flows into US-based clean manufacturing. Nomadic's structural differentiator lies in its syndication-first model. Rather than raising large flagship funds that demand ownership targets, the firm operates with a nimble capital base that can participate in rounds led by Benchmark, Union Square Ventures, or other top-quartile seed managers. This architecture allows Nomadic to access competitive deals at favorable terms without bearing the full operational burden of a scaled venture platform. Succession and governance are tied closely to the active involvement of both named partners, making the firm a true boutique partnership without institutional LPs driving fund-cycle pressure.
General information
Firm type
Venture Capital
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Denver
Corporate office
Denver, CO, United States
Principals
Dan Gross
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Michael Dearing
Co-Founder & General Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Nomadic Venture Partners?
Dan Gross and Michael Dearing share investment decision-making authority as the firm's co-founders. Gross, a former Google product manager and serial founder, and Dearing, previously a general partner at Harrison Metal, both sit on the investment committee. The firm's lean structure means every investment receives partner-level diligence and board engagement.
How does Nomadic source proprietary deal flow?
Nomadic relies heavily on syndication relationships with top-tier Bay Area seed funds, including Benchmark and Union Square Ventures, to access competitive rounds. Gross and Dearing leverage personal networks built through prior operating and investing roles. The firm also cultivates relationships within the Colorado and broader Mountain West technical founder community.
Does Nomadic lead rounds or primarily co-invest?
Nomadic primarily operates as a co-investor and syndicate participant, not a lead investor. The firm's capital base is intentionally sized to participate in rounds led by established seed managers rather than competing for allocation control. This allows Nomadic to access deals at favorable terms without deploying the infrastructure required to lead rounds.
What sectors does Nomadic explicitly avoid?
Nomadic avoids consumer internet, enterprise SaaS without a physical-world interface, and traditional biotech or pharmaceutical plays. The firm's mandate is restricted to hard-tech climate, industrial automation, and enterprise software applications that interact with physical infrastructure or supply chains, consistent with its planetary-scale thesis.
How does Nomadic's syndication model affect follow-on strategy?
Nomadic reserves capital for follow-on investments in portfolio companies that meet technical and commercial milestones. The firm's participation in subsequent rounds is typically proportional and coordinated with the original lead investor. The IRA-driven acceleration of US clean manufacturing capital flows has increased follow-on velocity in the climate-tech portion of the portfolio.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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