Overview
Investment group supporting local startups with resources and funding.
Founded
2016
Deals · 12mo
1
Links
Stage focus
Geographic focus
Sector focus
Investment portfolio
- Nopalera
Participated · Equity · Mar 2026
Founded by Sandra Velasquez and launched in 2020, Nopalera describes itself as a modern Mexican lifestyle and beauty brand built for the "modern beauty explorer." Its product lineup includes signature fragrances, hair care, bath and body products, and candles. Nopalera sells through Ulta.com, Ulta Mexico, Ulta Middle East, Credo Beauty, Mecca, Amazon, hundreds of independent retailers nationwide, and its own website. The founder began the brand in 2019 while in New York City and has positioned the company around Latino cultural representation in beauty. The company recently raised $4 million in growth capital led by Morgan Stanley's Next Level Fund to accelerate retail expansion and product development. The new financing also added Morgan Stanley to Nopalera's board of directors.
- Darkhive
Led · Seed · Dec 2022
Darkhive, founded and led by John Goodson, is a defense-focused technology company based in San Antonio that aims to deliver cutting-edge technology to U.S. defense customers. The company runs programs with the U.S. Air Force, the Defense Innovation Unit, and the Air Force Research Laboratory, and was selected by the Pentagon to lead a $49.7M APFIT program. Darkhive has progressed from angel-backed pre-seed support in 2022 to raising a $30M Series B led by RTX ventures. Its growth has been characterized by winning national contracts and scaling operations in San Antonio. The company emphasizes retaining and expanding defense-related innovation locally rather than relocating to other innovation hubs.
- CollBox
Participated · Seed · Jan 2020
CollBox is a bookkeeping-integrated application that analyzes overdue debt and helps businesses collect on past-due invoices while monitoring accounts receivable health. Led by Cameron Desautels, CEO, and Matt Darner, the platform surfaces past-due AR that would otherwise be written off and connects users to vetted collection solutions. The company has helped hundreds of small businesses and their accounting partners recover over $1M in revenue to date. CollBox is based in Austin, Texas. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and broaden its business reach. Rajiv Bala of Bala Investments will join the board following the financing.