Fund profile / United Kingdom

Crane III, Crane APAC I, Crane US I, and Crane Opportunity Fund I

Stage
Seed
Fund size
$169M
Focus
Signals
Published
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N°01 / About

About Crane III, Crane APAC I, Crane US I, and Crane Opportunity Fund I

Founders building foundational technology globally, with a stated mission to back "outlier founders everywhere," from inception to seed Geography: Global, with dedicated investing teams across London, San Francisco, New York, Singapore and Bangalore.

N°02 / Thesis

Investment Focus

Location / RegionUnited Kingdom
Funding StageSeed
Industry Focus

Investor Signals Profile

active

Sweet Spot

Outlier deep-tech founder, inception stage, global ambition

inception-to-seed
foundational tech
deep tech
global day one
AI/security/robotics

Bullish Signals

OpenAI acquired portfolio co Onaexternal
Multiple seed rounds closed recentlyexternal
AI chip co tripled valuation to $3.3bnexternal
Bluefish $43M Series B; strong follow-onexternal
Operator-led partners, not just advisorsexternal
Atomic Tessellator $11.3M seed; Chiral $12M post-siliconwebsite
Aseon Labs $10M seed; Hacktron $2.9M pre-seedwebsite
Nopan €7.2M for payments; robotics portfolio activewebsite

Contrarian Signals

Very hands-on; low autonomy for foundersexternal
Highly selective; 'outlier' bar is highexternal

Founder Do's

Show outlier ambition early
Leverage GTM & sales motion support
Tap CXO/CISO advisory network
Expect hands-on operator guidance
Engage from pre-seed / inception

Founder Don'ts

Don't expect passive capital only
Don't come post-traction seeking late check
Don't skip GTM clarity in pitch

19 signals on Crane III, Crane APAC I, Crane US I, and Crane Opportunity Fund I

8 bullish · 2 contrarian · 5 pitch do's · 3 don'ts · 1 GP profile, each with its source. From €9/month, cancel anytime.

Facts

Fund Overview

Fund Size$169M
Saves0
People

Key People

James DacombePartner/Founder-in-Residence
Backers

Known LPs

MassMutual VenturesCorporate / Strategic
N°04 / See also

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