Third Sphere

Third Sphere, formerly known as Urban Us, is a climate-focused venture capital firm founded in 2013 and based in Brooklyn, New York. With nearly 100 portfolio companies and over a decade of experience, it invests in early-stage startups tackling climate change through unconventional, hardware-enabled approaches. The firm also provides credit and asset finance structures like leasing vehicles to minimize founder dilution, plus a proprietary Sync platform connecting portfolio companies with investors, customers, and talent, alongside AI-powered tools and hands-on coaching. Roughly 80% of its portfolio involves hardware paired with software, split between climate mitigation (electrification) and resilience/adaptation. Notable investments include OneWheel, ChargeLab, Cove Tool, Bowery Farming, Mark43, and Shellworks, with over 40 exits to date across nearly 150 total investments. Third Sphere concentrates on pre-seed and seed stages, typically investing $250K to $1M initially, with up to $2M reserved for follow-on rounds. Their approach is highly hands-on, prioritizing founder character and vision, favoring SAFEs, and pioneering a capital-efficient "seedstrapping" model using AI and revenue-based finance.