The Venture Codex

Led · Series A · Jul 2026

Arrakis is building an AI "operating system" aimed at industrial sectors such as aerospace, energy, logistics, and manufacturing. The company is model-agnostic, initially integrating proprietary models from providers like OpenAI and Anthropic and then shifting clients to open-source alternatives wrapped in a proprietary stack it says improves quality and cuts token costs. Co-founder and CEO Rafael Quintanilla, a former Accel vice president, says Arrakis typically starts engagements at headquarters, proves value, and then extends solutions to field operations. The startup currently has five customers and prices engagements with roughly half of fees tied to achieving performance targets. Arrakis plans to roughly triple its headcount from about 15 employees and open outposts in New York and the Middle East following its recent financing. The company emerged from stealth after about seven months of operation and is backed by institutional and individual investors following its seed and Series A rounds.

Participated · Series A · Jul 2026

The company develops low-cost drone interceptors aimed at protecting the UK and allied forces, emerging from three years of research, validation and low-volume production. Founders frame the business within a broader vision of more electric, accessible and autonomous aviation while emphasizing immediate defense applications. The team has validated capability through trials and early production runs prior to this Series A. With the new funding, leadership plans to scale production, expand internationally and broaden the product line. The company has secured both venture capital and strategic investors, including NATO Innovation Fund and NSSIF, to support overseas expansion. Existing investors such as Tanglin Venture Partners, z21 Ventures and the Narotam Sekhsaria Family Office have participated again, marking a third investment from some backers.

Led · Series A · Jun 2026

Comand AI develops Prevail, an AI-native command-and-control platform designed to surface and prioritize the most critical decision points from hundreds of battlefield data streams. Prevail is already running with operational units in Ukraine and has deployments in France and Germany, providing live battlefield feedback at the decision layer. The company says the software shortens decision processes from minutes to seconds while ensuring a human makes every final decision. Founded in 2023 and based in Paris, Comand AI plans to use its new funding to expand NATO deployments and to add air and maritime capabilities before the end of the year. It positions itself against larger defence AI firms by focusing specifically on the command layer rather than sensors or hardware.

Participated · Series B · May 2026

Cowboy Space develops orbital data-center satellites and is also building an in-house rocket program to deliver those payloads to orbit. Founded in 2024 (originally as Aetherflux) by Baiju Bhatt, the company plans rockets whose second stages are purpose-built as data centers. Each satellite is expected to mass 20,000–25,000 kilograms, produce about 1 MW of power, and host just under 800 onboard GPUs. The company has hired space-industry veterans and plans to build its own rocket engine and develop test, manufacturing, and launch facilities. It expects its first launch before the end of 2028 and ultimately aims for a reusable booster. The recent $275 million Series B at a $2 billion post-money valuation provides capital to advance development and scale the program.

Led · Seed · Jan 2026

Bleap provides a blockchain-based financial account platform that enables users to spend globally without FX markups, send instant cross-border transfers, and earn stablecoin-denominated cashback and yield. The product is built on blockchain settlement layers and positions itself as a self-custodial alternative to traditional banking and fintech offerings. During 2025, the company grew to more than 20,000 users and processed over $30 million in transaction volume, demonstrating early traction. With fresh capital, Bleap plans to scale its service across Europe and Latin America, speed up product development, and add capabilities for trading digital and tokenized real-world assets. The founders are Joao Alves and Guilherme Gomes, who are steering the company’s expansion strategy. Prior to the current raise, Bleap secured $2.3 million in a pre-seed round in late 2024, bringing total disclosed funding to $8.3 million.