Participated · Series B · Aug 2026

Ampaire develops hybrid-electric retrofit systems that combine electric propulsion with conventional engines for existing commercial aircraft to lower fuel burn, reduce emissions and cut airline operating costs. The company has demonstrated its technology in flight and is pursuing product certification and scaled production. Ampaire plans to use the new Series B proceeds to accelerate commercialisation, build supply chains, expand manufacturing and scale operating capabilities. It has engaged with airlines and industry partners, including participation in an IAG-run accelerator where it explored hybrid-electric auxiliary power unit (APU) solutions. Investors in the latest round include IAGi Ventures, Alaska Airlines and DiamondStream Partners. The company positions its offerings as practical retrofit options for aircraft already in service.

Participated · Series B · Aug 2024

Last Energy is a nuclear technology startup building factory-manufactured small modular reactors that are permanently sealed within 1,000 tons of steel. Its commercial unit is a 20 MW pressurized water reactor derived from a decades-old government design once used on the NS Savannah, and each unit can power roughly 15,000 homes. The reactors are delivered pre-fuelled with six years of uranium, contain no penetrations beyond electrical and control lines, and the steel vessel doubles as a waste cask at end-of-life, eliminating separate disposal. The company is first constructing a 5 MW pilot reactor on a leased site at Texas A&M, targeting startup next year, and plans to bring its 20 MW commercial reactors into production in 2028. By mass-manufacturing at scale, management expects significant cost reductions similar to learning-curve effects seen in other industries. Proceeds from the latest funding will fully finance the pilot and support initial commercial deployments.

Participated · Series A · Jul 2024

Applied Carbon makes a tractor‑pulled farm implement that converts crop residue into biochar on‑site using a pyrolyzer that produces biochar and syngas to power the machine. The implement is fed by a harvester, chops and dries residue, pyrolyzes it, quenches the biochar, and spreads and mixes it into the soil. The current design is optimized for corn but can handle rice, wheat, straw, sorghum, and sugarcane; it covers roughly an acre per hour and requires a heavy tractor. The company has produced five prototypes over four years and raised $21.5 million in a recent Series A to move from prototype to early production of its pyrolyzer. Applied Carbon is building machines in Houston and plans deployments in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana, and has already sold carbon offsets created by its process to companies including Microsoft. In the longer term it plans to lease or sell equipment to farmers and help them monetize carbon credits rather than operate a fleet.

Participated · Series B · Jun 2024

M2X Energy develops modular, transportable gas-to-liquids systems that economically produce low-carbon methanol from stranded methane using a patented, non-catalytic partial-oxidation engine reformer and integrated methanol synthesis loop. The company’s fuel-flexible process accepts a variety of methane-rich feedstocks, including biogas from landfills, anaerobic digestors, and wastewater treatment plants, enabling production of biomethanol that aligns with regulatory certification schemes. M2X has completed multiple field deployments that de-risked its technology and demonstrated a manufacturing-led approach—replacing traditional economies of scale with mass manufacturing and automation. The company has established 10,000 square feet of turnkey manufacturing space, initiated equipment orders, and is accelerating go-to-market and fleet expansion. M2X plans to deploy its first commercial systems and deliver low-carbon methanol under long-term offtake agreements in early 2025. The company seeks to supply maritime, chemical, manufacturing, and industrial partners with long-term contracts to displace higher-carbon fuels and feedstocks. M2X is based in Rockledge, Florida and is led by its original founding team of engineering PhDs and industry experts.

Participated · Seed · Apr 2024

Found Energy commercializes a catalyst and process that rapidly reacts water with aluminum to produce steam, hydrogen and recoverable heat via a fractal exfoliation reaction. The process yields about 8.6 megawatt-hours of recoverable energy per metric ton of aluminum and can provide industrial heat across a wide temperature range (roughly 80°C to 1,000°C). The catalyst is recoverable and the residual powder is aluminum trihydrate, which can be filtered from contaminants and resmelted into metallic aluminum. Using scrap aluminum as feedstock is carbon negative, per the company, and Found Energy targets industrial-heat applications such as aluminum smelters while also exploring marine shipping and long-haul trucking as potential markets. The company’s technology traces to research at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory led by co-founder and CEO Peter Godart, whose IP moved to MIT during his doctorate. Found Energy recently completed an oversubscribed $12 million seed round.