Trucks Venture Capital (Trucks VC), co-founded by Reilly Brennan, is setting out to invest in the next wave of early-stage startups with the launch of its largest fund to date—worth $70 million. The firm, based in San Francisco, has already made several investments from the new fund, including in companies like Treehouse, a charger installation-as-a-service startup; JetZero, a zero-emissions jet aircraft company; and Carvis, which has developed AI technology for mechanics. The fund will target around 30 seed-stage investments, with check sizes ranging from $500,000 to $2 million.
“We’ve never looked for startups to fill a specific sector,” Brennan explained. “Our main strategy is to be so good that the best founders have to have a conversation with you early, as opposed to looking for specific niches to invest in.” This approach has led Trucks VC to invest in diverse fields within the transportation sector, from autonomous vehicles and electric air taxis to mobility data platforms and aerospace.
The new fund follows a shift in Trucks VC’s strategy that began six years ago. Instead of seeking out specific ideas and then looking for founders to bring them to life, the firm now prioritizes finding exceptional founders first, then working with them to explore innovative ideas. “We realized we were seeing somewhere between 100 and 150 new companies a month and thought ‘why don’t we wait and see if there’s a great founder that opens us up to a new idea we hadn’t thought of?’” Brennan added.
Trucks VC’s previous investments include Bear Flag Robotics, which was acquired by John Deere, and Zendrive, bought by Intuit in 2024. The firm has also backed companies like Joby Aviation, Gatik, and Skyryse, continuing to support companies that are shaping the future of transportation and mobility.
