Leading Venture Funds Partner with Roadrunner and the SIC to Launch Deep Tech Organization
Albuquerque, New Mexico (Wednesday, June 4) – Roadrunner Venture Studios (RRVS) and the New Mexico State Investment Council (NMSIC) today announced the launch of the Roadrunner Venture Consortium (RVC), a new membership initiative giving venture capital firms direct access to early-stage deep tech companies and scientists in New Mexico and across the country. Representing more than $25 billion in assets under management, founding RVC participants include Playground Global, Lux Capital, Khosla Ventures, Crosslink Capital, At One Venture, and America’s Frontier Fund (AFF).
The consortium will identify startups across technology areas such as advanced computing, semiconductors, robotics, new materials, and artificial intelligence. Members will gain access to a pipeline of early-stage technologies and leading research coming out of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and other laboratories and research entities connected to these labs and the state. Other consortium benefits include investor summits, curated networking opportunities, and industry intelligence.
”New Mexico has long been home to the nation’s most cutting-edge science and institutions, but too often, these transformative ideas don’t make it beyond the lab,” said Jon Clark, State Investment Officer for the NMSIC. “The Roadrunner Venture Consortium creates a new channel—one that puts world-class scientists together with world-class investors. We are proud to support this new effort, which is sure to create a model for building new companies and opportunities in New Mexico and beyond.”
"The United States leads the world in science and innovation, but our ability to maintain that edge is under pressure from international competitors making sizeable investments in frontier technologies,” said Adam Hammer, CEO & Co-founder of Roadrunner Venture Studios. “Through the creation of the Roadrunner Venture Consortium, we hope to create a pipeline for frontier technology investments and ensure that groundbreaking American innovations have the capital and support they need to commercialize and scale. We are bringing Sandhill Road to the new frontiers of tech."
Unlike traditional technologies, deep tech is capital intensive, requires longer development timelines, and depends on close collaboration across the private and public sectors. RVC is built to address these challenges by creating new pathways connecting investors to founders who can bring deep technologies to market.
“New Mexico has long been a hub for cutting-edge scientific research, and RVC creates opportunity for investors to work directly with researchers developing the breakthrough technologies of the future," said Chris Cassidy, Director, Private Equity and Venture Capital, New Mexico State Investment Council. "Together, this group of experts will help ensure that promising technologies don't just remain in the lab but are positioned for real-world application and commercialization.”
"Deep tech demands a fundamentally different kind of support than traditional startups,” said Kendra Perlitz, Chief Operating Officer, Playground Global. “This initiative is creating a critical bridge between the labs driving frontier science and the investors ready to back world-changing ideas.”
For more information, please contact pr@varnumstreetstrategies.com.
About Roadrunner Venture Studios
Roadrunner Venture Studios is a company creation factory. We co-found breakthrough deep-tech ventures with the nation’s most brilliant scientists, engineers, and innovators. Our team gets involved at the earliest possible moment — often when a company is just a whiteboard scribble, a concept modeled in wire-frame, or as founders are puzzling through how to design a pitch deck or process payroll — and rapidly accelerates product development, commercialization, and recruitment. We are the ultimate company “starter-kit,” equipping our portfolio companies with everything they need to go from the kernel of an idea to a venture-backed growth engine. Our promise is clear: our founders leave our studio with a company, a check, a customer, and a team.
About New Mexico State Investment Council
The New Mexico State Investment Council oversees more than $59 billion of investments, including the Land Grant and Severance Tax Permanent Funds as well as ten other state endowment, reserve and governmental funds. These investment funds deliver more than $2.5 billion in funding to the state every year, primarily for public schools and early childhood education as well as other critical government services. The 11-member Council includes Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard, and State Treasurer Laura Montoya. The Council convenes on the fourth Tuesday of the month at least 10 times per year. Meetings are open to the public and are streamed online. For additional details, please refer to the SIC website: https://www.sic.state.nm.us