Participated · Seed · Jan 2023

Personal.ai develops a personal language model (PLM) called Generative Grounded Transformer (GGT-1) that trains on individuals' personal data and produces models unique to and owned by each user. GGT-1 can absorb large amounts of unstructured user data, learn through chat, and create structured, time‑bound memory stacks that act as a private vault of a user's digital mind. The company plans to leverage GGT-1 to power a chat interface that drafts personal messages, retains and recalls personal information, and improves with each interaction. Personal.ai emphasizes privacy and personalization by keeping models user-specific rather than trained on public data like GPT-3. The startup has raised $7.8 million in seed capital to date to build its PLM and prepare for a Series A in 2023. Personal.ai was founded in 2020 and is based in La Jolla, Calif.

Participated · Seed · Sep 2022

Bucha Bio is a Houston, TX-based biomaterials science company developing biobased materials for multiple industries. It is developing two materials, SHORAI—an alternative to animal leather, plastic leather, or other synthetic materials—and HIKARI, a translucent material with processing capabilities that will be formally introduced in November. The company raised $1.1M in Seed funding to accelerate its move to market. Backers include New Climate Ventures, Lifely VC, Beni VC, Prithvi VC, Asymmetry VC, Alwyn Capital, and Chris Zarou. Bucha Bio plans to use the funds to secure co-manufacturers to scale material production and to support construction of a new Houston headquarters. It also plans to enable new form factors, including biofibers, biopackaging, and hard biocomposites, targeting industries such as fashion, automotive, home goods, electronics, and construction. Bucha Bio develops novel biomaterials from fermented bacterial nanocellulose and plants. The company designs next-generation materials with applications in textiles, packaging and hard construction materials. An expansive library of plant-based formulations combined with a proprietary consortium of bacteria underpins its material innovations. Bucha offers a signature luxury biotextile, MIRAI™, inspired by the Japanese word 'future' and the Italian phrase 'look with emphasis', which is available for reservation. Founded in 2019 and a graduate of SOSV's IndieBio program, the New York-based company plans to scale production of MIRAI™. It raised $550K in funding to support that scale-up.

Participated · Seed · Jan 2021

Human AI (formerly Luther.ai) is developing a personal intelligence platform that enables users to search and recall nuggets of information from past events using a mix of neuroscience, NLP and blockchain. The product is positioned as an individual-focused AI — trained on a user’s private memories rather than the public internet — and was rebranded to emphasize that personalized mission. The company reports early interest from creatives (writers), professionals (therapists), high-tech workers, students and seniors. Human AI currently has seven full-time employees and about a dozen consultants. With the new funding it plans to hire engineers and AI talent and add a head of marketing to push consumer adoption; it also expects to establish a headquarters post‑COVID. The founding team includes CEO Suman Kanuganti, CTO Sharon Zhang and designer Kristie Kaiser, and the company says it aims to build a diverse organization as it grows.

Participated · Seed · Dec 2020

Topl operates a blockchain used to trace products such as conflict-free diamonds, ethically sourced coffee, and fair-wage cocoa, and is used by sustainability startups, move-to-earn apps and some Fortune 500 companies for ESG reporting. The company raised $15 million in a Series A and previously raised $5 million in a 2020 seed round. Over the next 12 months Topl plans to decentralize its blockchain to enable community governance and to hire additional talent. It will launch two blockchain-powered products: a traceability-as-a-service application next month and a registry-as-a-service application for carbon credits next year. Topl expects to have about 40 to 50 projects on-chain by the end of the year as it pursues broader adoption. Topl is a purpose-built blockchain ecosystem that enables companies and communities to record verifiable social and environmental impact claims on an immutable ledger. Its core product simplifies certification and track-and-trace for ethical supply chains, aiming to cut operational costs and increase transparency across industries such as fashion, agriculture, healthcare and energy. Topl plans to launch a Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) solution in early 2021 that offers two-click access to the Topl blockchain. The company announced a strategic partnership with TrackX to provide verifiable tracking and tracing for supply chain sustainability. Topl emphasizes diversity, equity and inclusion across its team and board and uses the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals as a guidepost. Financially, Topl closed a $3.0M seed round and has raised $4.4M in total venture capital since its 2017 founding.

Participated · Series A · Dec 2020

PathologyWatch operates an end-to-end digital dermatopathology platform that integrates laboratory information systems, scanners, a digital viewer, and EMR reporting to give clinics 24/7 access to digital slides and expert dermatopathologists. The company’s core product streamlines workflows for dermatology clinics and labs, enabling faster diagnoses and broader insurance coverage. PathologyWatch is positioning its platform to improve access and equity in dermatopathology while reducing pathology costs. With the new funding, the company plans further research into skincare diagnostics and AI to enhance its diagnostic capabilities. PathologyWatch is expanding operations nationwide and will add new labs in Texas, Florida, and Arizona to support growing volume. CEO and cofounder Dan Lambert emphasizes the company’s role in digitally transforming dermatopathology and improving patient care. PathologyWatch is a Salt Lake City, UT‑based provider of digital dermatopathology services that offers fully interfaced EMR reporting and around‑the‑clock access to digital slides. The company’s solution gives dermatology clinics, hospitals and laboratories access to top‑tier dermatopathologists and a streamlined clinical workflow that interfaces directly into the EMR. PathologyWatch aims to improve operational efficiency by speeding up workflow and enhance patient outcomes via its expert professional team and partner laboratory services. Led by CEO and co‑founder Dan Lambert, the company has raised over $10M in total capital to date. PathologyWatch plans to use new funding to develop its digital dermatopathology offerings, scale its laboratory system and extend artificial intelligence research across various cancer lines to support larger clients and further technological progress. PathologyWatch builds intuitive, easy‑to‑implement digital dermatopathology solutions that digitize pathology workflows and provide EMR‑integrated reporting and 24/7 access to digital slides. The company offers access to top dermatopathologists and lets clients interpret and bill for cases, with a primary focus on outpatient clinics. PathologyWatch has deployed supervised AI in dermatopathology and reports a live clinical implementation in Australia that can generate full reports. It will use the Series A proceeds to strengthen outreach to dermatology clinics nationwide, including plans to triple its sales force over 12 months, expand marketing, and implement a channel partner strategy. The funding will also support continued development of technology and supervised AI for various cancer lines.