Participated · Series B · Apr 2023

Noah Medical develops medical robotics for endoluminal procedures, with a focus on navigated robotic bronchoscopy. Its first commercial product, the Galaxy System, integrates TiLT+ technology with tomosynthesis and augmented fluoroscopy, a single-use bronchoscope, and a compact footprint to improve procedural workflow in the lung biopsy market. The company positions the Galaxy System as an actionable clinical solution for interventional pulmonologists and has received positive feedback from clinicians who tested the platform. Noah Medical recently secured FDA clearance for commercial use in the United States and has initiated first-in-human trials at Macquarie University Hospital in Sydney, Australia. Led by founder and CEO Jian Zhang, PhD, the company is scaling commercial deployment of the Galaxy System to meet clinical demand. The Series B financing announced will support those commercialization and demand-driven scale-up efforts.

Participated · Series C · Jul 2021

Nature's Fynd develops Fy™, a “new-to-the-world” protein sourced from microbes originally found in Yellowstone hot springs and produced using breakthrough fermentation technology. The company makes non-GMO, animal-free meat and dairy alternatives and says its process requires a fraction of the resources of animal agriculture. Its early pre-release breakfast patties and cream cheese sold out in 24 hours, and its products are now available in a growing number of U.S. retailers, including Whole Foods Market. Nature's Fynd emphasizes impact and decentralized production as part of its mission to improve global protein access. The company has substantial capital: it has raised $500M following a $350M Series C last year. Leadership highlights the potential to deploy fermentation technology in low- and middle-income farming communities to boost income and nutrition. Nature's Fynd develops Fy, a new-to-the-world nutritional fungi protein grown using a fermentation technology that requires a fraction of the land, water and energy of traditional agriculture. The company says Fy is versatile and is being used to make meatless and dairy-free products, including a Fy Breakfast Bundle that sold out in 24 hours. Nature's Fynd has scaled production using robotics and automation in a state-of-the-art facility in Chicago’s Union Stockyards. The recent financing will be used to expand production capacity, build partnerships across retail and QSR channels, extend the product portfolio, and lay the foundation for global reach. Management has signaled a particular focus on expansion into Asia where it sees substantial demand for sustainable protein. The company expects to launch branded Fy-based foods in selected U.S. retailers later in the year. Nature’s Fynd produces Fy™, a new-to-the-world nutritional fungi protein derived from a microbe originally discovered in Yellowstone geothermal springs. Born from research conducted for NASA, the company positions Fy as a complete protein that uses a fraction of the resources of traditional agriculture and has an extremely low carbon footprint. Nature’s Fynd plans commercial product launches in 2021 and aims to introduce multiple product offerings built on Fy. To support commercialization and scale production, the company has added several food-industry veterans across food innovation, manufacturing, sales, and fermentation engineering. Financially, Nature’s Fynd secured $45 million in additional venture debt and equipment financing commitments and has raised over $150 million in equity and debt financing to date. Management says the financing and hires will accelerate the go-to-market strategy, enable more product offerings, and ensure capital efficiency for capital expenditures. Nature's Fynd produces a protein derived from a microbe originally discovered in the geothermal springs of Yellowstone's ancient volcano. Its ingredient contains all nine essential amino acids and also includes dietary fiber, calcium and vitamins. The company plans to commercialize food and beverage products across breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack occasions. Production began this month at its new 35,000-square-foot manufacturing facility on the site of the historic Union Stockyards in Chicago's South Side. Nature's Fynd employs about 50 people across its Chicago headquarters and a Bozeman, Montana R&D center. The company emerged out of NASA-supported research into organisms that thrive in Yellowstone National Park's geothermal springs and is led by CEO and co-founder Thomas Jonas. Sustainable Bioproducts develops an innovative fermentation technology to grow edible protein derived from research on extremophile organisms. The technology originated from studies of organisms in Yellowstone National Park’s volcanic springs and is intended to produce protein with high nutritional value and minimal environmental impact. The company is led by CEO and cofounder Thomas Jonas and is positioned in the food-technology/biotech space. It has received financial and in-kind support from agencies including NASA, the National Science Foundation, the National Park Service, the EPA, and the USDA, as well as support from the State of Montana and Montana State University. The company operates out of the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Financially, the company completed a $33M Series A financing to advance its technology.

Led · Equity · Apr 2021

Gridtential Energy develops Silicon Joule, an advanced AGM bipolar battery technology for power applications including personal electric vehicles, renewable energy storage systems and hybrid automotive. The company offers Silicon Joule reference batteries, development kits, bipolar materials and non-exclusive licenses that enable manufacturing partners to adapt factories to produce high-voltage 24V, 36V and 48V batteries without gigascale capital investments. Target markets include hybrid-automotive, Low-Speed EV (LSEV), energy storage systems (ESS) and telecom backup. Silicon Joule is already in use by 12 battery partners and several OEMs. Gridtential, led by CEO John Barton, raised $12M in this financing and has raised $28M to date; it will use the proceeds to support a new production line of advanced lead reference batteries, including a single-block 24V deep-cycle lead battery. The company is based in Santa Clara, Calif. Gridtential, based in Santa Clara, CA and led by CEO Christiaan Beekhuis, has developed Silicon Joule® Technology, a battery architecture that pairs lead-acid attributes (low cost, safety, recyclability, wide temperature range) with lithium‑ion advantages (fast charge/discharge, high depth of discharge, long cycle life). The company targets applications including backup power, grid storage (including microgrids), portable power equipment, mobility (wheelchairs, golf carts, forklifts) and hybrid cars. Gridtential intends to expand development and licensing agreements to meet global demand across automotive, backup power, grid solutions and mobility industries. The company completed an $11M Series B equity funding to support those plans. Existing industry investors remain involved alongside new strategic battery manufacturers. No operating metrics such as revenue or user counts were disclosed in the article. Gridtential Energy develops a Silicon Joule battery architecture that replaces the lead grid with a plated silicon wafer, aiming to match or exceed lithium‑ion performance in many high‑power, medium‑energy, and deep‑cycling applications. The technology preserves traditional lead battery benefits—low cost, safety, recyclability, wide temperature range, and long cycle life—while enabling faster charge/discharge and deeper depth of discharge. Gridtential licenses the Silicon Joule technology and is building a specialty silicon wafer supply so manufacturing partners can adapt existing factories to produce 12V–48V batteries without gigascale capital investment. The company is led by CEO Christiaan Beekhuis and is based in Santa Clara, California. It completed a $6M funding round and said it will use the proceeds to scale operations and development efforts. Beta production with licensing partners was slated for later in the year, with rapid scale up to commercial production targeted for late 2017. Gridtential Energy develops a low-cost, scalable battery architecture that improves energy density, cycling performance and battery life. Founded in 2010 and based near downtown San Jose at the San Jose BioCube Innovation Center, the company has developed and tested internal prototypes of an advanced battery design. Gridtential has received funding from the California Energy Commission's Energy Innovations Small Grant Program and has relationships with key suppliers to accelerate development of high-volume production capabilities. The company is initially targeting existing battery applications that represent over $8B in annual sales and plans to position products for the emerging smart-grid energy storage market as the technology matures. The $1M seed funding led by The Roda Group will be used to develop full-scale demonstration units for field tests within the next year. Daniel Miller and Marty Reed of The Roda Group will join Gridtential's board; Christiaan Beekhuis serves as president and CEO.

Participated · Series B · Apr 2020

Crop Enhancement produces proprietary, sustainable bio-compatible chemistries sold as CropCoat that are sprayed with conventional farm equipment to protect leaves, stems and fruit and reduce the need for synthetic pesticides. The company’s first product, CropCoat, has demonstrated yield protection and enhancement versus synthetic chemistries in several global crops and can be applied alongside nutrients and other active ingredients. Crop Enhancement plans to use new funding to expand strategic partnerships with agrochemical companies and regional distributors and to broaden field trial targets in high-value fruit and vegetable segments. The company will also advance regulatory efforts in the United States, European Union, Brazil, and Central America and seeks to broaden its IP portfolio. Recent leadership appointments (Jean Pougnier and Dr. Damian Hajduk) are intended to accelerate go-to-market initiatives. The company has reported field trial progress in coffee, almond, and cacao and planned 2020 trials on grapes, apples, broccoli, onions, and tomatoes. Crop Enhancement develops environmentally friendly chemistry formulations and proprietary films that modify plant surfaces (leaves, stems, fruit, and seeds) to improve resistance to pests and diseases and reduce pesticide use. Its formulations can also be applied to agricultural inputs such as nutrients and fertilizers to control release, lower costs, and increase yield. The company targets growers across North America, Southeast Asia, Greater China, Latin America, and Africa. Crop Enhancement was founded in 2011 by David Soane, Ph.D., and is led by CEO Kevin Chen, Ph.D. The company intends to use newly raised capital to accelerate development and commercialization of its products. Headquarters are in Cambridge, MA.