Anthropocene Ventures

Anthropocene Ventures is a global, early-stage venture capital firm investing in pre-seed and seed-stage climate tech companies that leverage hard science and novel engineering to align the global economy with the Earth's ecology. Founded by Managing Partners Matt McGraw, Alicia Cha Umphreys, and Jim Boettcher, the firm is headquartered in San Francisco, California. The team combines founder and institutional-investing backgrounds: McGraw previously founded Rocket Science, Dispatch Labs, and Constellation Labs; Umphreys held senior roles at Formation 8, 8VC, and Brookfield's built-environment VC fund; and Boettcher founded Focus Ventures, with over $1.1 billion in lifetime AUM and a Forbes Midas List recognition. Its focus centers on undercapitalized climate verticals — renewable energy, decarbonization, water, built environment, and alternative materials — targeting exponential technology and hard-science solutions rather than software-only plays, on the thesis that most generalist firms overlook deep, physical-science-based startups. Portfolio companies include FuelX, Gecko Materials, Maxterial, Novineer, Corigin, and Mycocycle. The firm's investment approach emphasizes being an early, hands-on partner — helping deep-tech founders and scientists build the business (not just the technology), pursuing MOIC over ownership percentage at this stage, and preparing portfolio companies for Series A introductions 2 to 4 years out.