What Is ND Capital's Investment Philosophy and How Does It Support Portfolio Companies?

ND Capital (formerly NanoDimension) is a venture capital firm founded in 2002 that invests in disruptive technologies across the life, physical, and data sciences. Its philosophy rests on a single core belief: scientific disciplines will continue to converge, and some of the biggest breakthroughs will come from that convergence. It supports portfolio companies by operating as one integrated team across Silicon Valley, Switzerland, and the Cayman Islands, helping them bridge the Atlantic to attract capital, talent, and business partners.

The Core Investment Belief

ND Capital's stated thesis is that major breakthroughs increasingly sit at the intersection of scientific fields rather than inside a single discipline. The firm invests across the life, physical, and data sciences, and it describes its approach as spanning sectors, stages, and technologies rather than concentrating on one narrow vertical.

This belief traces back to the firm's founding. Founder and CEO Aymeric Sallin encountered nanotechnology while conducting research between the physics and chemistry departments at EPFL in the 1990s. He concluded that significant breakthroughs would arise at the nanoscale—and that distinguishing real science from science fiction would require deep expertise. That conviction became the foundation of ND Capital.

How the Firm Is Organized to Support Companies

ND Capital presents itself as operating "as one team," working together to identify and evaluate investment opportunities and to help portfolio companies succeed. In practice, this means investment decisions and company support are not split into disconnected silos.

The firm's geographic footprint is central to its support model. With teams in Silicon Valley, Switzerland, and the Cayman Islands, ND Capital positions itself to help portfolio companies "bridge the Atlantic"—connecting them to capital, talent, and business partners on both sides of the ocean. Sallin's own history reflects this: after the first ND partnership, he concluded that despite strong science in Europe, the US offered better investment opportunities, and he has commuted between Switzerland and Boston/Silicon Valley since 2007.

The Values Behind the Approach

ND Capital describes its operating stance as thinking "like company owners" and helping build "world-class, impactful, lasting companies." The firm states that it values creativity, intellect, passion, respect, and perseverance.

For founders evaluating the firm, these stated values are most useful as questions to test in conversation: Does the investor engage like an owner rather than a passive backer? Is there patience for the long timelines that deep-science companies require? The firm's emphasis on perseverance is consistent with the profile of science-heavy ventures, where technical and commercial milestones often take years.

Scale and Track Record

ND Capital reports more than $800M in assets under management (AUM) across multiple funds. Its portfolio page lists a large roster of companies labeled as alumni, indicating a substantial history of exits or graduations from its funds. The firm does not publish fund-by-fund return figures on the material reviewed here, so track record should be assessed through direct diligence—asking for references from founders of current and former portfolio companies.

What This Means If You Are Evaluating ND Capital

• Fit with the thesis: The firm is explicit that it backs convergence-driven science across life, physical, and data sciences. A company whose edge depends on combining disciplines is closer to the center of the thesis than one in a single, well-established category.
• Use of the transatlantic network: If your company needs US or European capital, hires, or partners, ask specifically how the team has delivered those connections for comparable portfolio companies.
• Owner-style engagement: Ask what board or operating involvement looks like in practice, and speak with founders who have worked with the team through difficult periods.
• Contact: The team page lists direct email addresses, including Sallin's at [email protected], alongside individual team profiles.

The clearest way to test the philosophy is to ask for concrete examples: which portfolio companies were built on cross-disciplinary science, and what the firm actually did to help them attract capital, talent, or partners across the Atlantic.