lnvesting in Automating the Economy

We invest in industrial automation firms with unique approaches to solving skilled labor shortage. By targeting vertical-specific solutions, we can upsell existing customers, shortening sales cycles and avoiding the cost of breaking into new markets.

Improving Unit Economics

We Invest in Companies That Scale

Reducing Time To Market

D4 applies its digital infrastructure expertise to RaaS, treating robotics as a networked platform. This model improves margins through shared learning, error reduction, and advances in computer vision—solving the unit economics challenge in robotics.

Reducing Cost of Deployment

We back portfolio companies that have Fortune 500 customers and are financially healthy enough to secure short term loans for mid-scale deployments. The funding gap between early pilots and large-scale rollouts is why most robotics companies fail to scale.

Our Portfolio

  • Viabot

    Santa Clara–based robotics startup that designs and deploys autonomous, self-charging and self-emptying outdoor sweeping robots to maintain and monitor commercial properties.

  • Elevat

    Seattle-based IoT platform that partners with OEMs in off-highway industries to deliver plug-and-play telematics solutions for real-time monitoring, diagnostics, and data insights.

  • Chalet Impossible Metals

    Pittsburgh-based family office—led seed investment in Impossible Metals, a deep-sea mining start-up that uses autonomous underwater robots to harvest battery-grade metals with minimal environmental impact.

  • Talarya Brands

    California-based cannabis company that cultivates, manufactures, and distributes premium products under a portfolio of in-house brands.

Our Team

James Kinsella

Co-founder & Partner

James Kinsella is a serial entrepreneur and internet pioneer with over 30 years of experience launching and scaling ground-breaking ventures across the US and Europe.

A former Microsoft executive, James served as President of MSNBC.com, helping shape the future of digital news in the 1990s. He later became Chairman of World Online, where he led the company’s $5.1 billion merger during one of Europe’s largest ISP consolidations. As Chairman and CEO of Interoute, he spearheaded the transformation of Europe’s largest independent fiber and cloud infrastructure company—culminating in its $2.3 billion acquisition in 2018.

Before his entrepreneurial journey, James was an award-winning investigative journalist with Time Inc. and the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. He is the author of Covering the Plague, a landmark exposé on media and medical accountability during the AIDS crisis.

James holds a BA from Haverford College and is a founding partner at D4.

Robert McNeal

Co-founder & Partner

Robert McNeal brings over 35 years of technical and executive leadership experience, spanning cloud infrastructure, engineering, and venture strategy.

As Vice Chairman of Interoute, he helped scale the business into the EU’s largest independent fiber and cloud network, operating in 38+ countries and ultimately acquired for $2.3 billion. He was also instrumental in the $5.1 billion consolidation of Europe’s ISP market, serving in senior corporate strategy and M&A roles across two major pan-European firms.

Earlier in his career, Robert founded and successfully exited two U.S.-based tech ventures and led the turnaround of a third. He also drove Time Warner’s early push into the web, building foundational digital capabilities.

A former jet pilot in the U.S. Air Force, Robert holds a BS in Physics from the U.S. Air Force Academy, an MS in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University, and an MBA from The Wharton School.

Kelly Coyne

Partner

Kelly Coyne is a venture capitalist and operator with a decade of experience building and scaling startups across frontier markets— specializing in AI and Robotics since 2015.

Prior to D4, she was the founder and managing partner at Grit Ventures, where she led early stage investments in deep tech with a focus on applied AI and Robotics. As an executive, Kelly has helped steer startups from zero to $100M+ valuations by architecting go-to-market strategies and unlocking high-growth verticals.

Investments include Apptronik, Viabot, OPT Industries, Mach and Mara.

She holds a BS from the University of Colorado Boulder and an MBA from the University of Oxford.

Khizar Azam

Associate

Khizar Azam is an Associate at D4 Investments, where he focuses on building the firm’s deep-tech pipeline, sourcing innovative startups and supporting investment decisions across AI, robotics, and the built environment.

Prior to D4, Khizar was a consultant at Deloitte in London, advising on large-scale regeneration, M&A, and portfolio strategies for public and private sector clients. His projects spanned multi-billion-pound urban development initiatives and major real estate transactions, where he helped unlock significant asset value. He also founded Deloitte’s Real Estate AI & Analytics group, pioneering the adoption of prop-tech tools to transform valuation and advisory processes.

Beyond consulting, Khizar co-founded K&R Property Group, an investment venture focused on creating affordable and sustainable housing in the UK. He began his career at Clarion Housing Association, the UK’s largest housing provider, where he managed housing for vulnerable and elderly residents.

Khizar holds a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from Queen Mary University of London and an MSc in Real Estate from the University College of Estate Management. He is currently pursuing an MBA at IESE Business School in Barcelona.

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