MassVentures

MassVentures is a quasi-public, evergreen venture capital firm formed in 1978 by the Massachusetts Legislature (originally as the Massachusetts Technology Development Corporation) to fund and support seed-stage deep tech startups across the Commonwealth. It invests in academic spinouts and early-stage companies working in advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, AI, robotics, photonics, quantum computing, cleantech, medical devices, and biotechnology, with an emphasis on diverse founding teams and geographies outside Boston and Cambridge. Initial equity investments typically range from $250K to $500K, with follow-on potential; through 2024 the firm has deployed over $112M into 186 startups. Beyond its Deep Tech Venture Fund, MassVentures administers the SBIR START Grant program (26 grants of $100K–$500K annually, open in February), Clean Energy Grants co-managed with MassCEC (Catalyst/DICES, $75K per award, two cohorts per year), and THRiVE Grants for international founders. It also runs MV Accelerate (commercialization support, SBIR coaching, Founders School) and MV Spinouts (academic IP commercialization). Venture fund applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.