Bill Ford’s VC firm closes $104 million to spend on the next generation of transportation startups

Fontinalis Partners is a Detroit-based venture capital firm focused on next-generation mobility founded by Ford Motors chairman Bill Ford. But Fontinalis is not currently affiliated with Ford Motor Company. Founded over a decade ago, Fontinalis supports entrepreneurs who are boldly reshaping mobility.

The firm also invests as a strategic partner across all facets of the world’s mobility systems on a stage- and size-agnostic basis. Looking at the future of mobility, Fontinalis Partners says the way people and goods move is fundamentally going to change and the company is “betting on that change.”

Fontinalis Partners recently closed on its third funding round to invest in the next generation of transportation startups. In a Medium post by Fontinalis partner Chris Stallman, Fontinalis said it has raised a $104 million early-stage fund (Fontinalis III) to back the next generation of entrepreneurs shaping the efficient movement of all forms.

With Fontinalis III fund, Fontinalis aims to continue to invest in early-stage companies spanning seed, Series A, and Series B. “We want to partner with the absolute best companies out there that have the potential to shape the world’s movement for decades to come,” Chris Stallman said.

Fontinalis was founded in 2009 by Bill Ford who also serves as the Executive Chairman of Ford Motor Company. Today, Fontinalis manages approximately $270 million of committed capital and an active portfolio of approximately 40 investments. Fontinalis is led by partners Bill Ford, Ralph Booth, Laura Petterle, Chris Cheever, and Chris Stallman.

Since its inception 11 years ago, Fontinalis has invested in 55 mobility companies and tech startups. In an interview with Business Insider, partners Chris Cheever and Chris Stallman shared some insights on what might attract their next investment.

“A lot of teams that were part of first-generation success stories in the mobility space are starting to spin out and create the next companies that are coming up,” Chris Stallman, a partner at the firm, Fontinalis, told Insider.

“Being able to build off of those is really exciting for us because there are a lot of founders that bring a lot of relevance and experience in this space. It’s a different profile to what we’re investing in today, and it’s favorable going forward as well.”

Some of the noteworthy of the 55 companies in Fontinalis portfolio include the food-delivery service Postmates (later acquired by Uber), the ride-hailing giant Lyft, and the driverless truck startup Gatik, among others. Fontinalis says it received as many as 1,500 applications from startups every year. The company also invests an average of $3 million to $10 million in Series A and Series B rounds for early-stage companies and $100,000 to $500,000 in seed rounds.