Led · Seed · Aug 2026

Riven Systems was founded to rethink industrial chemistry design using density functional theory (DFT), AI, and autonomous experimentation to design highly selective ligands for separations in critical minerals processing. The team includes co-founders Orion Archer Cohen and Kurt (Chip) Breitenkamp and has built an autonomous lab in New York City. Riven says it is hiring across computational, experimental, and engineering sciences to grow its founding team. Financially, the company announced a $7.9 million financing led by Cerberus Ventures, participation from several VC firms, and a DOE Genesis Mission grant. New System Ventures incubated the company and acted as an early backer through its partners. Riven positions itself to address bottlenecks in critical minerals supply chains by accelerating development and deployment of chemistry solutions.

Participated · Seed · Jun 2026

AquaPoro develops Atmospheric Low-humidity Moisture Adsorption (ALMA™) technology that extracts clean water from ambient air at lower energy and cost and operates below the humidity threshold of conventional systems. Its modular Stream™ systems are designed for continuous-flow, uninterrupted production and to integrate directly into manufacturing facilities, leveraging waste and ambient on-site energy to reduce grid intensity. The company builds systems ranging from residential units to industrial-scale arrays and positions itself as decentralized industrial water infrastructure. AquaPoro is preparing commercial pilot deployments and will break ground on a continuous-flow system at UC Riverside in partnership with the university’s CE-CERT. The technology has already drawn commercial interest from a national beverage manufacturer and a large multinational water treatment and sustainability leader. Kyle Cordova is the founder and CEO.

Participated · Series A · Jun 2026

Layup Parts was founded to streamline production and ordering of custom composite parts such as carbon-fiber and fiberglass components. The company has rapidly prototyped and produced parts for customers in motorsports, design studios, consumer goods (including pickleball paddles), and aerospace and defense primes and startups. It has cut turnaround time between receiving customer data and manufacturing parts from weeks to hours in some cases. The startup employed roughly 60 people at the time of the Series A and is based in Huntington Beach, California. Layup Parts used most of its seed funding on capital expenditures and plans to use the new capital to hire more staff and move into a larger facility.

Led · Series A · May 2026

Star Catcher is developing an orbital optical power-beaming energy infrastructure designed to transmit concentrated, conditioned solar energy to client satellites, enabling up to 10x more power without receiver retrofits. The company has demonstrated world-record optical power beaming performance and completed a critical on-orbit subsystem demonstration, validating its end-to-end system architecture. Star Catcher has signed seven power purchase agreements, secured multiple government contracts, and manages a qualified commercial pipeline representing more than $3 billion in projected annual recurring revenue. It plans to launch the first space-based optical power beaming demonstration later this year and is already advancing a second mission to retire technical risk and deploy operational capability. Financially, Star Catcher has raised $88 million to date, including a $65 million Series A intended to scale engineering, operations, commercial expansion, and national security engagement.

Led · Seed · Mar 2026

Virchow, formerly Corramedical, manufactures the Crow’s Nest Biopsy Catchment System and operates the Virchow Vault, a CAP-accredited liquid specimen biorepository that stores Liquid Companion Specimens (LCSs) produced after core needle tumor biopsies. The company supplies hospitals with a monthly provision of Crow’s Nest units and allows oncologists to order genomic sequencing or other molecular testing via virchowvault.com without needing formalin-fixed tissue blocks. Clinical concordance studies at six U.S. institutions compare molecular results from standard FFPE tissue to LCSs and are cited by the company as evidence of the technology’s clinical value. Virchow positions its offering as addressing tissue insufficiency and reducing the need for repeat biopsies by preserving otherwise discarded material. The recent $4 million seed financing will fund completion of the Virchow Vault and expansion of Biopsy Catchment pilot programs at additional U.S. medical centers. The company is an EvoNexus portfolio company and is led by CEO Alexander Arrow, MD.