• Atomos Space

  Participated · Series A · Jan 2023

  Atomos Space develops autonomous Orbital Transfer Vehicles (OTVs) that can dock with, tow and reposition satellites to different orbits. The company starts with high-powered electric propulsion and views those systems as stepping stones to future nuclear OTV options for faster, longer-range missions. Its technology aims to lower costs for satellite operators by enabling simpler spacecraft that rely on OTVs for mobility; the company claims this approach effectively halves launch costs. Atomos is also positioning its propulsion and docking tech for broader applications, including asteroid deflection and deeper-space mobility. The firm has built and ground-tested docking and propulsion systems and is preparing to fly its first vehicles. With the new funding it plans to finish the first two full-size commercial vehicles and double the size of its team ahead of a launch booked in under 12 months. Atomos Space builds reusable orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs) — space tugs — intended to tow multiple customers to their orbital destinations over each tug’s operational lifetime. Its Quark OTV is designed to carry tens of customers and operate for about five years; the company says its first two spacecraft are slated to launch in 2023 with another expected in late 2024. While Atomos intends to deploy nuclear-powered tugs (the Neutron vehicle) in the later 2020s, its initial vehicles will use solar-powered systems. The company has executed and won over $2 million in contracts with NASA, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Space Force to support its OTV plans. Atomos paused an initial $5 million raise planned for spring 2020 due to the pandemic and reported it was funded through 2021 without additional capital. The startup emphasizes using nuclear propulsion long-term to scale in-space transportation, while acknowledging regulatory, technical and cost challenges for space nuclear applications.

• Atmosic

  Participated · Series B · Dec 2019

  Atmosic Technologies is a developer of ultra-low-power compute and wireless connectivity solutions aimed at extending battery life in connected devices. Its products target Consumer Devices, Home Automation, Healthcare, Industrial, and Enterprise markets. The company cites recent design wins in the multibillion-unit battery-powered IoT market as momentum for growth. Atmosic plans to expand its portfolio of ultra-low-power solutions and accelerate development of its next-generation compute and connectivity platform. Management intends to scale manufacturing capacity to support new high-volume design wins. The company emphasizes enabling real-time decision-making at the data source with minimal energy consumption. Atmosic, based in Campbell, Calif., develops ultra-low-power wireless SoCs and integrated energy-harvesting technology for IoT devices. The company recently unveiled the ATM33 Series Bluetooth 5.3 SoC family that leverages energy harvesting to improve energy efficiency and reduce frequent battery replacements. Its products target Consumer, Home, Industrial, Auto, Healthcare, Enterprise and Smart Cities segments, and the company positions itself on a mission to deliver a battery-free connected IoT. Atmosic says it will continue to enhance its low-power and energy-harvesting roadmap and expand its global footprint. Commercial traction has accelerated: the company reported a 10x increase in shipments and a 500% expansion of its customer base over the past year, and has announced a partnership with Universal Electronics Inc. David Su is the company’s CEO. Atmosic Technologies designs ultra-low-power Bluetooth 5 system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions (M2 and M3 series) and controlled energy-harvesting technologies to enable extended battery life or battery-free operation for IoT devices. Its products leverage multiple energy-harvesting sources including RF, photovoltaic, thermal, and mechanical. Target applications include asset tracking, smart homes, wearables, building automation, and medical devices. The company plans to deploy its M2 and M3 solutions into commercial products in early 2020 and will continue R&D on next-generation solutions. Atmosic aims to scale as a supplier of lowest-power wireless technologies and to support strategic customers in the United States and greater Asia. Financially, Atmosic completed a $28.5 million Series B and has raised $49.5 million in total since its 2016 founding. The company is based in Campbell, California. Atmosic Technologies develops ultra-low-power wireless IoT chips (the M2 and M3 series) intended to deliver self-sustaining or battery-free operation. The company employs three core technologies—lowest power radio, on-demand wake-up, and controlled energy harvesting—to drastically reduce power consumption. Its initial products use the Bluetooth 5 platform to extend range, speed, and bandwidth for beacons, controllers, and asset and fitness trackers. The M2 series targets 10–100x lower power through its low-power radio and on-demand wake-up, while the M3 combines those gains with controlled energy harvesting to enable "forever battery life" or battery-free operation. The M2 and M3 are available for customer sampling and are slated for volume production in the second quarter of 2019. Atmosic has raised $21 million to date from Sutter Hill Ventures, Clear Ventures, and Walden International and has 26 employees; its team includes wireless industry experts who previously pioneered CMOS RF design.

• Phylagen

  Participated · Series A · Feb 2019

  Phylagen is a San Francisco, CA-based data analytics company building a large environmental microbiome database. It has developed a microbiome analytics platform that provides insights about global supply chains and traces goods and materials to exact locations such as factories, farms, or warehouses. Its first product is a microbial forensics service that links goods to their site of origin. Customers include large North American brands and retailers that are deploying the company’s solution in manufacturing locations worldwide. The company intends to use the $14M Series A financing to expand its microbial forensics service and grow its microbiome database. Phylagen was co-founded in 2014 by CEO Dr. Jessica Green and Dr. Harrison Dillon.

• New Matter

  Participated · Series A · Feb 2015

  New Matter develops consumer-focused 3D printing hardware and an integrated design marketplace. Its core product is the MOD-t 3D printer and the New Matter Store, a curated 3D design marketplace optimized for the printer. The company plans commercial availability of the MOD-t later in 2015 and is using new capital to accelerate product development and the store. New Matter launched via an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign that raised more than $680,000 and pre-sold over 2,600 units. Founded in 2014 by CEO Steve Schell and based in Pasadena, CA, the company targets homes and schools with an affordable 3D printing offering.

• Littlecast

  Participated · Seed · Sep 2013

  LittleCast offers a direct-to-fan video sales and distribution platform that lets content creators embed paid videos directly into their Facebook pages while LittleCast handles payment and secure streaming. The platform leverages tight Facebook integration to share purchases into fans' news feeds to drive viral distribution and also provides mobile apps on the Apple App Store and Google Play for viewing on phones and tablets. Payments can be made through Facebook and content plays securely within the social network. The company positions itself to help creators increase revenue by reducing reliance on traditional distributors and improving reach through direct marketing on Facebook. LittleCast was founded by Amra Tareen, Stephen Ackroyd, and Pascal Levensohn and has raised seed funding to support the product.

No current team members are available.