Participated · Series B · Jun 2023

Ceibo has built a business selling a dust‑suppression product and service that cuts mine dust by about 80% and reduces water use by 50–70%, which generated a reliable revenue stream. The company also developed a chemical additive that lets century‑old heap leaching work on copper sulfide ores, allowing operators to extract more copper without building costly new processing facilities. Ceibo is continuing R&D on a bacterial extraction technique that could be injected underground to digest copper sulfates and be pumped to the surface, though the company says that approach will take substantially more time to commercialize. The firm used a phased go‑to‑market: dust suppression first to gain credibility, visibility and cash, then rollout of the leaching additive. CEO Cristóbal Undurraga said the company is transitioning from a dust‑suppression outfit to one focused on increasing ore recovery at existing mines. The business model is deliberately cautious and focused on proving results to conservative mining customers before scaling.

Led · Series A · Aug 2020

Sunamp produces heat batteries that store and release energy to deliver hot water, cooling and space heating on demand across a wide range of temperatures. Its products serve residential, commercial, industrial and automotive applications and can replace bulky hot water cylinders with smaller, denser units. The batteries can consume renewable energy during times of excess capacity and the company has begun producing systems for large-scale industrial cooling. Sunamp is the only heat battery manufacturer to receive A Grade RAL Certification, a credential the company cites as supporting global growth potential. It has established manufacturing facilities in the Edinburgh City Region and is gearing up for full commercialisation. The company has achieved six-fold sales growth and anticipates a significant further increase in sales in the next year. Sunamp develops compact, high energy‑density heat batteries (the UniQ range) used in heating and hot‑water applications and is active in HVAC markets. The company has signed partnerships with Chinese firms Trina Solar and Gomon to develop a heat‑pump water heater for the residential market. Sunamp recently appointed Martin Bloom as Chairman as it prepares for a new growth phase. The business closed its latest seed round at just over £3 million and said it expects to almost double its staff in 2019. Headquartered in Tranent, East Lothian, Sunamp has also made recent inroads across the UK and European HVAC markets. The new leadership and partnerships are positioned to support the company’s commercial expansion.

Participated · Series A · Oct 2017

EchoPixel develops True 3D Viewer, an interactive virtual reality software that converts DICOM image data into life‑size, manipulable virtual patient anatomy for diagnosis and surgical planning. The system lets physicians move, turn, dissect and cut open virtual anatomy to interact with images as if they were physical objects. EchoPixel's True 3D is used in clinical and research settings at institutions including UCSF, Stanford, the Cleveland Clinic, the Lahey Clinic and Hershey Medical Center. The company is led by founder and CEO Sergio Aguirre and Executive Chairman Ron Schilling, PhD, and is based in Mountain View, California. EchoPixel closed an $8.5M Series A and plans to use proceeds to expand its commercial, R&D and regulatory organizations. EchoPixel’s core product is a real-time, interactive 3D imaging system that converts CT, MRI and ultrasound scans into manipulable, hologram-like images viewable with 3D glasses and a special display. The system lets doctors virtually examine anatomy from any angle, zoom in on small structures, and 3D print models for planning. Clinical trials reported finding up to 90% more congenital heart defects in newborns while reducing exam time by 40%, and a separate trial cut device sizing time from 40 minutes to 2 minutes. EchoPixel is already FDA-cleared and plans to pursue regulatory approvals in Europe and Asia. The company sells three-year subscriptions to its technology at $25,000 per year. EchoPixel operates from Palo Alto, California and competes with companies such as Surgical Theater and RealView.

Participated · Seed · May 2012

Junar, based in Palo Alto with an office in Santiago de Chile, has launched an Open Data platform delivered as a Software-as-a-Service data management system. Led by CEO and co-founder Diego May, the platform enables businesses, governments and organizations to organize and present data they want to share. The service provides a simple workflow to extract datasets, build graphical views and manage data publishing. The company announced $1.2M in initial funding. Backers include Aurus, Austral Capital and angel investors in Latin America and the US. Junar’s product is positioned to help customers publish and visualize datasets through a streamlined data-publishing workflow.