Ravelin Capital

Ravelin Capital is an early-stage technology investment firm founded in 2023 by Lucas B. C. Vaz, headquartered in San Francisco. It backs software-defined companies building in what it calls "Critical Industries" — infrastructure, defense, energy, and manufacturing. Vaz previously invested in early rounds of companies like Apex, Hadrian, Pylon, and Traba before formalizing Ravelin, and the firm frames its mission around empowering founders tackling large-scale, real-world institutional and infrastructure challenges through technology. The firm's sector focus spans aerospace, defense, energy, robotics, and industrial/manufacturing technology. Portfolio companies include Hadrian, Apex, Base Power, Chariot, Epsilon3, Galvanick, Orchard Robotics, Traba, and Integrate, reflecting a thesis centered on hard-tech and verticalized software for legacy industries. Ravelin typically writes checks in the $100K–$500K range, with a sweet spot around $250K, primarily at the seed stage. Its investment approach favors mission-driven founders building high-conviction, technically ambitious companies in industries it views as foundational to national and economic resilience.