DETROIT – Venture Capital company Fontinalis Partners – who counts William C. Ford Jr. among its partners – closed its $100 million second fund, Fontinalis Capital Partners II, bringing Fontinalis Partners’ total committed capital to $165 million.
The money will be used to invest in the best and brightest companies in next-generation mobility – described as the efficient movement of goods, people, and services across all modes of transportation.
The company was founded in 2009 by a team comprised of global leaders in mobility, telecommunications, and financial services. Fontinalis Partners was the first company launched to uniquely focus on making venture investments in next-generation mobility companies.
“We founded Fontinalis Partners because we saw a tremendous opportunity ahead in mobility globally, and believed that entrepreneurs in this market would benefit from partnering with an investor that brings unique domain expertise and strategic access,” said Chris Cheever, Co-Founder & Partner.
Fontinalis Partners has made 23 mobility investments to date, and it invests in companies of all stages (i.e., from seed stage to late stage) and across all modes of transportation (e.g., road, rail, air, maritime, etc.). A sample of FCP II’s investment focus areas include such technologies as autonomous vehicles, logistics and supply chain software, new mobility models (e.g., shared mobility), and connected car & telematics.
“We had the foresight to identify the opportunity in next-generation mobility very early on and build a team and a platform designed to bring unparalleled value to our investments—whether it be strategic guidance, opening up new channels, or accelerating existing sales & business development efforts,” said Chris Thomas, Co-Founder and Partner. In addition to its deep global access, the firm’s Detroit headquarters gives it proximity to a major industry in the midst of a transformation, which better enables its portfolio companies to navigate the growing—and often intricate—mobility ecosystem.
Ralph Booth, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, added, “With this market continuing to accelerate and a pipeline that has never been stronger, we could not be more excited about the opportunities ahead for Fontinalis and the next-generation mobility sector.”
Latham & Watkins LLP acted as fund counsel for FCP II.
Fontinalis Partners is an independent venture capital firm whose capital originates from limited partners (“LPs”) comprised of a variety of large institutions, as well as prominent individuals and family offices around the world. For this reason, Fontinalis Partners can support the global and industry-wide expansion efforts of its portfolio companies while remaining unconstrained by conflicts of interest or motives that single-LP strategic investors may be subject to.
