Capital Factory today announced partnerships with ARK Invest and Tim Draper to scale its national network for founders building deep technology. ARK and Draper joined Capital Factory’s All Access 2027 as investors and strategic partners bringing different capabilities and regional networks to founders.

ARK brings industry leading research in robotics, biotechnology, energy and other critical technology sectors. Tim Draper has built over thirty Draper venture funds as part of a family who pioneered venture capital in Silicon Valley. Capital Factory brings an unrivaled portfolio of more than 1000 early stage companies along with a national network of dual-use investors, corporate partners and grant funders.

A History of Funding Big Ideas Together

Capital Factory, ARK Invest and Tim Draper have repeatedly backed the same companies and share a common view on innovation driven growth. Austin-based humanoid robotics company, Apptronik, entered Capital Factory’s portfolio in 2017, and the ARK Venture Fund holds a position in the company today. Colossal Biosciences, the Dallas-based genetic engineering company, also joined Capital Factory’s portfolio in 2021 and also received investment from Tim Draper at an early stage. All Access 2027 is intended to unify that activity from the outset, giving deep tech startups access to all three networks. Capital Factory’s venture team and ARK’s platform researchers will also share deal flow and diligence, so the right companies surface to both teams earlier.

Connecting St. Pete and Silicon Valley to Texas

Founded and led by Cathie Wood, ARK Invest moved the firm’s headquarters from New York to St. Petersburg, Florida in 2021. spARK Labs by ARK Invest is St. Pete’s early stage innovation hub operating The ARK Innovation Center, a 45,000 sq. ft. business incubator in St. Pete’s Innovation District, and will serve as a key collaborator to Capital Factory. A member of Capital Factory’s venture team will be based at the Innovation Center to scout advanced technologies across Florida. spARK Labs portfolio companies will also benefit from the partnership through connection to activity in Austin. Capital Factory said the Tampa Bay region is a natural extension of its dual-use technology work. MacDill Air Force Base, located twenty-five minutes from the ARK Innovation Center, is the only United States installation hosting two four-star combatant commands: U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command.

“Innovation is the key to long-term growth. We believe the convergence of artificial intelligence, robotics, energy storage, blockchain technology and multiomics is creating opportunities unlike anything we have seen in more than a century. Many of the companies pioneering these technologies are still early stage, which is why our research spans both public and private markets. Our research led us to Apptronik, where we saw firsthand the role Capital Factory was playing in supporting its growth. This partnership brings our researchers closer to the entrepreneurs building the future and brings Capital Factory’s network, including its government and defense relationships, to St. Petersburg alongside spARK Labs,” said Cathie Wood, Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of ARK Invest.

Tim Draper

Tim Draper is the founder and managing partner of Draper Associates, the San Mateo seed-stage firm he founded in 1985, and a third-generation venture capitalist. His investments include Tesla, SpaceX, Skype, Baidu, Coinbase, Hotmail and Robinhood. He and Capital Factory are both investors in Colossal Biosciences. His work with Capital Factory predates All Access 2027. Capital Factory hosted Meet the Drapers in March 2026 during SXSW, putting portfolio companies including Dexmat and Glid in front of the Draper family, and Capital Factory founders like Nautilus take part in the annual Draper Summit. With this investment into All Access 2027, Draper formalizes the relationship, sending promising founders to Capital Factory and gives All Access companies a direct line to Silicon Valley.

“Entrepreneurs are the heroes of the modern world, and the best ones show up before their vision is fully formed. I have spent four decades backing them from Silicon Valley, and the last fifteen years watching Austin become a place where a founder with a world-changing idea walks in the door and walks out with capital, customers and talent. Colossal is what that looks like when it works. All Access is where I will meet the next hundred,” said Tim Draper, founder and managing partner of Draper Associates.

All Access Makes Introductions that Matter

Since 2017, Capital Factory has partnered with approximately 100 high-potential startups annually through All Access, supporting companies from Seed through Series B. Founders gain access to experienced operators and industry experts, a network of more than 1,000 venture capital funds and angel investors, and strategic introductions to enterprise customers, government agencies, and key decision-makers. All Access 2027 will prioritize ambitious deep tech companies advancing autonomy, robotics, space, energy, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, and novel innovation critical to America’s economic competitiveness and national security.

All Access portfolio companies from previous years include Apptronik, Saronic, ICON, Paradromics, Colossal Biosciences and Firehawk Aerospace.

“ARK found Apptronik. Tim Draper found Colossal. Capital Factory helped connect both companies to new investors and there are several more great companies we share. When we keep landing on the same founders, it makes sense to work together from day one. ARK sees platform shifts before the market prices them, Tim has backed category-defining founders for four decades, and Capital Factory has spent fifteen years connecting founders with investors and the institutions that buy from them.” said Bryan Chambers, President and Co-Founder of Capital Factory.

Founders can learn more about All Access 2027 by reaching out at ventures@capitalfactory.com.

About Capital Factory

Capital Factory, headquartered in Austin, Texas, invests in startups advancing civilization. From early stage through growth, Capital Factory backs ambitious founders building category-defining companies across defense, space, energy, advanced manufacturing, robotics, and life sciences. With deep ties to the government and the national security sector, Capital Factory provides the capital, connections, and institutional resources to build companies that strengthen American industry.

Apply to open positions on Capital Factory’s venture team in St. Petersburg, Austin and Washington, D.C. at apply.workable.com/capital-factory/.

About ARK Invest

ARK Invest is a global investment management firm headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida. Founded by Cathie Wood in 2014, ARK focuses solely on disruptive innovation, aiming to identify large-scale investment opportunities across artificial intelligence, robotics, energy storage, multiomic sequencing, blockchain technology, and beyond.

For more information regarding ARK’s research and advisor services, please visit ark-invest.com. For more information about the ARK Venture Fund, visit ark-funds.com/funds/arkvx

About spARK Labs by ARK Invest

Located in the ARK Innovation Center in St. Petersburg, FL, spARK Labs by ARK Invest strives to be Florida’s leading hub for disruptive innovation, where visionary founders and startups gain access to the Capital, Customers, and Community they need to build transformative companies. Powered by ARK Invest’s world-class research and expertise across Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Energy Storage, Blockchain & Digital Assets, and Multiomics, spARK Labs brings together entrepreneurs, investors, corporations, universities, and public-sector partners to accelerate breakthrough technologies. Supported by the City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, and in collaboration with local organizations, businesses, and civic leaders, spARK Labs leverages the unique strengths of the Tampa Bay region to help build companies that shape the future and drive lasting economic impact. Learn more by visiting sp-ark-labs.com.

About Draper Associates

Draper Associates is an early-stage venture capital firm, funding the future first. Founded in 1985 by Tim Draper, we’ve been the first believers in companies like Tesla, SpaceX, Robinhood, Baidu, Twitch, Cruise, and Coinbase—long before they became household names. We invest from pre-seed to Series A and remain industry-agnostic and opportunistic, while gravitating toward transformative ideas in AI, robotics, biotech, Biocures, robotics, defense, crypto, space, and deep tech. We’re especially excited by the wild, the weird, and the unconventional—world-changing ideas that seem impossible today but will be inevitable tomorrow. The firm’s partners are Tim Draper and Andy Tang. Our mission is simple: Fund the people crazy enough to change the world.

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