Dakin Sloss
Founder & General Partner
Scientific startups; founder and investment lead
LinkedIn profile ↗United States / Direct investor
Funding breakthrough scientific startups.
Capital and technical diligence for scientific founders, from seed and Series A through growth-stage vehicles.
Connect NowSeed cheque, 2023 interviewUsually under $5M
Series A, same interviewUsually around $15M
Fund III, July 2023 announcement$245M
Published showcase29 companies
01 / The fund
Scientific ideas, engineering and company building
Prime Movers Lab invests in scientific startups across energy, transportation, infrastructure, manufacturing, human augmentation and agriculture. The firm evaluates scientific progress, intellectual property, technical teams and the engineering risks that remain before a technology can reach customers. Portfolio support includes engineering, company building, fundraising and communications.
In a November 28, 2023 interview with Hello Tomorrow, founder Dakin Sloss said seed cheques tend to be under $5M and Series A investments usually around $15M. These are dated typical amounts, not a current minimum, maximum or promise. They are not stretched into a single $100K-$60M directory range.
The firm announced $245M for its third early-stage fund on July 26, 2023. It also named the earlier $100M Fund I, $245M Fund II and $500M Early-Growth Fund. These historical vehicle amounts are not newly raised 2026 capital. A January 2023 SEC amendment had reported $237.46M sold against a $250M Fund III offering; the later announcement is kept separate from that earlier filing and from later asset valuations.
Dated founder interview ↗ · Fund III announcement ↗ · Earlier SEC filing ↗02 / Portfolio
Explore by sector
29 companies in the current official published showcase: 23 main entries and six under Public Companies / Exits. This is not the full historical portfolio: the founder interview already mentioned over 55 investments in 2023. DTT sector groupings describe technology. Public listings and acquisitions do not establish a full fund cash exit. Vaxxinity’s 2021 IPO is historical, not a current Nasdaq listing.
BioTech 6
Develops new neuroscience medicines for psychiatric conditions, including psychedelic-inspired treatments.
Holding source ↗
Develops implanted brain-computer interfaces that translate neural signals into computer control.
Holding source ↗
Develops gene therapies using technology that tests many genetic changes within living tissues.
Holding source ↗
Develops cell therapies that use lymph nodes as sites for growing functional organ tissue.
Holding source ↗
Develops vaccines and active immunotherapies designed to make the body produce therapeutic antibodies.
Historical IPO is not a current Nasdaq listing. Voluntary delisting was announced in April 2024; an SEC termination filing followed in May.
Holding source ↗
Develops implantable bioartificial kidneys intended to restore kidney function.
Holding source ↗Energy & Materials 6
Develops superconducting magnets and reactors to produce electricity from nuclear fusion.
Holding source ↗
Develops factory-built nuclear reactors intended to supply dependable electricity.
Holding source ↗
Develops lithium-sulfur batteries, battery storage and materials for power infrastructure.
Holding source ↗
Develops laser-driven fusion systems that aim to produce energy by compressing fuel with powerful light pulses.
Holding source ↗
Develops grid-scale energy-storage systems and power infrastructure for utilities and data centers.
Holding source ↗
Engineers surface coatings and nanoscale materials to change properties such as water repellency.
Holding source ↗Physical AI 5
Builds general-purpose humanoid robots that perform physical tasks in workplaces.
Holding source ↗
Combines AI models, experiments and automated laboratories to speed up scientific discovery.
Holding source ↗
Develops humanoid robots for industrial work, including moving and handling goods.
Holding source ↗
Builds autonomous electric aircraft for agricultural spraying and cargo transport.
Holding source ↗
Develops software-defined radar that helps commercial vehicles detect obstacles and avoid collisions.
Holding source ↗Semiconductors 1
Uses laser-based manufacturing to reduce waste when processing semiconductor materials.
Holding source ↗Quantum 1
Builds quantum computers that store and process information in individual neutral atoms.
Holding source ↗Space Tech 7
Builds satellite networks and communications systems for connecting devices and services on Earth.
Holding source ↗
Builds commercial space stations and provides private astronaut missions and space infrastructure.
Holding source ↗
Develops supersonic passenger aircraft and propulsion technology for aviation and power generation.
Holding source ↗
Develops rotating-detonation rocket engines and high-speed flight propulsion systems.
Holding source ↗
Builds maneuverable spacecraft for orbital mobility and space-defense missions.
Holding source ↗
Develops satellites that aim to collect solar energy in orbit and deliver it to solar farms on Earth.
Holding source ↗
Develops electric vertical-takeoff aircraft and related aviation and defense technology.
Holding source ↗Others 3
Develops personal AI software and hardware intended to help people with everyday work and decisions.
Holding source ↗
Builds fixed-wireless broadband equipment that connects homes and businesses without laying a wire to every site.
Holding source ↗
Offers AI-based mental-health support designed to remember context and guide structured conversations.
Holding source ↗03 / Team & connect
Investment team
Zia Huque
General Partner
Growth-stage investment; communications, energy and space boards
LinkedIn profile ↗
Roger Carter
Partner & VP of Engineering
Technical investment diligence and portfolio engineering
LinkedIn profile ↗
Gavin Mathis
Partner & Chief of Staff
Portfolio boards, fundraising and company support
LinkedIn profile ↗Five investment-remit contacts, with direct personal LinkedIn checks. Justin Briggs’s current experience says Operating Partner, superseding the older website title Partner & VP of Biology. Roger leads technical investment diligence; Gavin serves on portfolio boards, so neither is included merely for an engineering or chief-of-staff title. JJ Moi is now listed as Advisor on his personal profile and is excluded from this investment-contact list. Fundraising-only, finance, operations, assistants, past fellows and advisory-only roles are excluded. Venture partners who primarily run portfolio businesses are not recast as full-time investment leads.
Official fund team ↗04 / Fund network
Limited partners
Five named Fund II LPs from the firm’s own 2021 announcement, with date and vehicle kept explicit. The source calls the institution University of Wyoming and the family vehicle Lerner family office; neither is silently renamed from a database. No fresh named Fund III or growth-fund LP is asserted. Portfolio co-investors and venture partners are not automatically LPs.
Bill Ackman
Named Fund II LP, January 2021
The fund’s January 27, 2021 announcement explicitly names this backer in Fund II. Historical relationship; no commitment amount or participation in a newer vehicle is asserted.
Investor source ↗Lerner family office
Named Fund II LP, January 2021
The fund’s January 27, 2021 announcement explicitly names this backer in Fund II. Historical relationship; no commitment amount or participation in a newer vehicle is asserted.
Investor source ↗University of Wyoming
Named Fund II LP, January 2021
The fund’s January 27, 2021 announcement explicitly names this backer in Fund II. Historical relationship; no commitment amount or participation in a newer vehicle is asserted.
Investor source ↗Dmitry Balyasny
Named Fund II LP, January 2021
The fund’s January 27, 2021 announcement explicitly names this backer in Fund II. Historical relationship; no commitment amount or participation in a newer vehicle is asserted.
Investor source ↗Joe Lonsdale
Named Fund II LP, January 2021
The fund’s January 27, 2021 announcement explicitly names this backer in Fund II. Historical relationship; no commitment amount or participation in a newer vehicle is asserted.
Investor source ↗