The companies he backed — Joshua Baer & Capital Factory

From rockets to robots.

Joshua Baer and Capital Factory backed companies that read, as the memorial puts it, like a map of the future. This page gathers only the companies that are named on the memorial or in its tributes — the headline bets the page calls out by name, and the “first-check” companies whose own founders said, in their tributes, that Josh or Capital Factory was an early investor.

Nothing here is invented. Every company below is documented on this memorial — either in the “What He Built” section of the tribute or in a verbatim tribute from that company's own founder. For the studio that built the first version of products before Capital Factory existed, see Capital Thought →

The headline bets, named on the memorial.

From the tribute's “What He Built · From rockets to robots”

Autonomous Defense

Saronic

Autonomous surface vessels — autonomous boats for the U.S. Navy and allies. Named on the memorial as one of the ventures that “rose with his backing.”

Construction

Icon

3D-printed homes, reimagining how housing gets built. Its founder Jason Ballard's tribute — “The last message I received from him was, ‘How can I help?’” — opens the memorial's tribute wall.

Robotics

Apptronik

Humanoid robots, built in Austin. CEO Jeff Cardenas: “He poured his heart and soul into creating a place for entrepreneurs to build the future, and his work and legacy is going to live on forever.”

Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace

The launch company that, the memorial notes, “landed on the Moon.” One of the named ventures that rose with his backing.

Biotech

Colossal Biosciences

The de-extinction and genetic-engineering company. Named on the memorial among the ventures that “read like a map of the future.”

The Workhorse

WP Engine

The “steady workhorse” of the portfolio. Founder Jason Cohen, in his tribute: “Josh always said ‘yes’ — and then, ‘Here's how I can help.’”

“Josh invested in every company I started.”

Companies whose own founders, in their tributes, named Josh or Capital Factory as an investor

Howdy

Jacqueline Samira, founder

“He saw diamonds where other people saw dirt, and he made you believe what he saw in you. He gave far more than he ever took.”

Fetii (YC S22)

Matthew Iommi, CEO

“Josh and Capital Factory were the very first investors in Fetii. He was one of the first to believe in Justin and me.”

Ordoro

Jagath Narayan, CEO

“Josh was one of the earliest investors in Ordoro. He believed in us when all we had was just an idea, and opened doors a first-time founder could never reach alone.”

Syzygy Plasmonics

Trevor Best, CEO

“In 2019, when Syzygy was in its earliest days, Josh and Capital Factory believed in what we were building… that support directly helped catalyze our Series A.”

Firehawk

Will Edwards, CEO

“Joshua Baer and Capital Factory brought Firehawk to Texas. He cared deeply about Texas and the companies he invested in.”

Osano

Arlo Gilbert, founder

“Josh was an investor in every company I started, a friend, a fellow entrepreneur, and a true mensch.”

Inorsa

Sean Shahini, P.E., CEO

“When I was starting Inorsa, I had very little. Josh didn't have to make time for me, but he did. He gave us our first office…”

StoryFit

Monica Landers, founder & CEO

“He was integral to StoryFit from the very first moment, and I'm so sad for the founders who won't get the chance to have him fix their elevator pitch.”

Gembah

Henrik Johansson, co-founder & president

“He was an early believer in me, and invested in both my companies. When I was helping a friend with a startup, Josh offered up space for free at Capital Factory.”

Bazaarvoice

Brett Hurt, co-founder

“Josh believed in me from the very beginning of Bazaarvoice… Austin would not be what it is today without Josh Baer's impact.”

Headline ventures named

10+

Founders who name him as investor

Most active TX investor (PitchBook)

2004

First studio (Capital Thought)

How this list was built. Every entry above is sourced from this memorial. The six headline companies are the ones named by the tribute's own “From rockets to robots” card. The first-check companies are limited to those whose founders, in their published tributes (gathered on the tribute wall and sources page), explicitly state that Josh or Capital Factory invested in or co-founded their company. Companies where the relationship was mentorship, friendship, or community — not a stated investment — are honored on the main tribute but deliberately left off this page. Capital Factory was, by PitchBook's count cited on the memorial, the most active investor in Texas; the full portfolio is far larger than what is documented here. For the products his earlier studio built before Capital Factory, see Capital Thought.

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From rockets to robots.