Participated · Equity · Feb 2019

DNAnexus provides a cloud-based biomedical data analysis platform that enables researchers and life sciences companies to analyze genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, and clinical datasets together. The company powers large-scale initiatives — it built and supports the UK Biobank Research Analysis Platform and exclusively partnered with the FDA to power precisionFDA. DNAnexus reports more than 12,000 platform users across 48 countries, stores over 65 petabytes of data, and says its stored data has grown 70% per year since 2015. Its customer base includes seven of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies and eight of the top 10 diagnostics companies. The company will use new funding to accelerate its product roadmap, advance its core genomics and multi-omics platform, expand internationally, and support integration of new AI and machine-learning technologies to drive precision medicine. DNAnexus offers an enterprise-grade, cloud-native informatics platform that simplifies complex data analysis, clinical data management, and insights at population scale. The DNAnexus Platform combines genomics, multi-omics, and real-world data with clinical datasets to support diagnostics, drug discovery, and cross-institutional collaboration. Customers run 10 million core processing hours per month and now store 28 petabytes of data, a dataset that has grown roughly 70% per year over the past four years. Its customer base spans government, biopharmaceutical, clinical diagnostics, healthcare, and academic research across 33 countries and includes eight of the top 10 clinical diagnostics companies and seven of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies. The platform supports some of the largest human genome sequencing projects and powers FDA’s precisionFDA platform. DNAnexus reports continued customer growth during the COVID-19 pandemic as organizations adopted its virtual cloud workspace. The company says the financing will advance its global expansion and further development of its data science and scaling capabilities. DNAnexus provides a secure, scalable platform for managing and analyzing genomics and other biomedical data. Its Apollo platform enables multi-omics and clinical data exploration, analysis, and discovery across the DNAnexus global network. The company operates in 33 countries, serving thousands of researchers across biopharmaceutical, bioagricultural, sequencing services, clinical diagnostics, government, and research consortia. DNAnexus supports major projects including NIH’s All of Us, St. Jude Cloud, AstraZeneca’s 2‑million genome initiative, and the Regeneron‑Geisinger collaboration. The firm offers cloud-based solutions for research, clinical diagnostics, and clinical trials and emphasizes cross-institutional collaboration on large biomedical datasets. The recent financing is positioned to support further development of translational research solutions and continued growth in genomics. DNAnexus provides a secure, scalable cloud platform that enables enterprises and research organizations to manage, analyze and share large genomic and biomedical datasets. The company offers products including the DNAnexus Platform and the recently launched Mosaic Microbiome Platform, and has an early access program for Google Brain’s DeepVariant technology. It is developing and preparing to deploy a Translational Informatics Suite aimed at pharmaceutical and research customers. DNAnexus serves thousands of researchers across biopharma, clinical diagnostics, sequencing services, government and research consortia, and operates globally across North America, Europe, Asia‑Pacific (including China), South America and Africa. The company has announced collaborations with AstraZeneca’s Centre for Genomics Research and Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine. Recent financing will support expansion in the clinical trials market and continued product development and deployment. DNAnexus provides an enterprise PaaS that centralizes management, analysis, and sharing of DNA sequence data for labs and large organizations. The platform supplies secure, compliant cloud infrastructure that supports unlimited scaling of computational and storage resources and meets HIPAA, CLIA, and international regulatory requirements. It serves as a hub for collaboration, tool sharing, and access to reference genotypic and phenotypic datasets. Through projects with Stanford University and Baylor College of Medicine, DNAnexus processed over 17,000 genomes and generated more than 500 terabytes of genomic data, making those datasets available for follow-on analysis. The company reports rapid customer adoption and plans to expand capacity to support growing commercial and academic lab usage. DNAnexus has closed a $15 million Series C to accelerate commercialization of its enterprise platform.

Participated · Equity · Jan 2017

Blue Pillar provides an Internet of Things (IoT) solution that connects energy devices and systems via its Aurora® platform. The Aurora platform is installed at large energy providers, commercial facilities (including Walmart, Target and Comcast) and higher-education campuses such as the University of Hawaii and Texas A&M University. It leverages real-time data to strengthen critical infrastructure, enable new energy services, centralize facilities operations, support safe hospital operations, and manage microgrids and energy. The platform is automated through a template-driven process with security built in from sensor to cloud. Led by CEO Tom Willie and based in Frederick, MD, the company said it will deploy new financing primarily for customer acquisition. Blue Pillar, led by CEO Tom Willie and based in Frederick, MD, offers software and services to connect, control and analyze distributed energy and facility equipment. Its Aurora Digital Energy IoT platform securely connects, controls and collects data from facility equipment. Its Avise Foresite suite provides centralized facility and energy fleet management for multi-site operators to manage energy efficiency, resiliency, capital and local emergency events. These platforms, together with professional services, augment the company’s Avise Insite real-time analytics offering to give local facility operators insight into energy, operations and compliance within single complex facilities. The company raised $14M to accelerate demand for its platforms and expand adoption. Blue Pillar develops distributed energy asset management software and control solutions designed to turn healthcare, manufacturing, telecom, data center, higher education, military and government facilities’ on-premises energy assets into Actionable Microgrids. Its core product is the Actionable Microgrid software product portfolio. The company plans to use new funding to accelerate deployment of that product portfolio and increase adoption among customers in healthcare, telecom/data, military, education and manufacturing sectors. Blue Pillar is led by CEO Kevin Kushman and is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company closed a $7M Series B equity financing to support these plans. In conjunction with the financing, three investor representatives will join Blue Pillar’s board of directors.

Participated · Series C · Jul 2016

Alphabet Energy develops thermoelectric waste-heat-to-power products built on its proprietary PowerBlocks™ thermoelectric material, leveraging nanotechnology research from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Michigan State University. The company holds over 60 patents issued and filed and offers a line of waste heat recovery products for energy-intensive industries. Its Power Generating Combustor (PGC™) targets oil and gas flares and combustors to generate remote power and help mitigate permitting risk. Customers span oil and gas, mining, manufacturing, transportation and defense, where the products reduce fuel consumption, operating costs and carbon emissions. To support commercial traction in oil and gas, Alphabet Energy recently opened a sales and support office in Houston and plans to scale production for oil and gas and automotive markets. Alphabet Energy develops a platform silicon thermoelectric technology to generate power from a variety of waste-heat sources. The company is building a device intended to generate electricity from the exhaust flows of engines in industrial applications. It plans to use new capital to speed up product development and to launch that device. The technology was developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The company is led by founder and CEO Matt Scullin and is based in Hayward, California. Recent hires include Mothusi Pahl as vice president of marketing. Alphabet Energy develops thermoelectric technology to generate electricity from wasted heat and is prototyping its first simple, turnkey product. Its thermoelectrics are intended for applications ranging from power generation to heavy industry, automotive, aerospace and military. The company was founded in 2009 by Matthew L. Scullin and Peidong Yang and is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Alphabet recently secured $2M in debt financing from Hercules Technology Growth Capital following a $12M Series A equity financing led by TPG Biotech. It intends to use the new funding to scale development and manufacturing and to continue the build-out of a new Hayward facility. The company is hiring as it moves from prototyping toward scaled production. Alphabet Energy develops silicon-based thermoelectric technology for generating electricity from wasted heat. The company is based in San Francisco, California. It intends to use the financing to accelerate product development, deploy initial pilot projects, grow the team, and relocate to a new facility in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Series A round totals $12M. In conjunction with the funding, a TPG Biotech partner joined Alphabet’s board and another joined as a board observer. The company is led by CEO and founder Matt Scullin. Alphabet Energy develops thermoelectric materials and devices that convert waste heat directly into electricity, targeting heavy-industry and transportation applications. The company emerged from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory technology and is incubated at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business. Its materials are intended for use in metals refining, cement and glass production, power generation, automotive and aerospace, and military applications. The new financing will be used to manufacture commercial prototype devices using existing semiconductor infrastructure. Alphabet has previously received $320,000 in Small Business Innovation Research grants from the U.S. Army, Air Force and Department of Energy, plus roughly $320,000 in angel funding in 2009. The startup has also won multiple Clean Tech Open awards, including the People’s Choice and California Sustainability awards.

Participated · Series B · Jun 2016

Comfy provides a smart building software app that delivers on-demand, personalized comfort and productivity in the workplace based on employee patterns and preferences. The app adjusts building systems to reduce energy wasted conditioning empty spaces. Major clients include Johnson Controls, Infosys and other large companies. Led by CEO Andrew Krioukov, the company is based in Oakland, CA. Comfy closed a $12M venture funding round and plans to use the proceeds to grow its team, add new features and offerings, and expand its international market presence. The company aims to scale its product capabilities and market reach with this capital. Building Robotics offers Comfy, a cloud-based software platform for commercial buildings that lets building managers and occupants adjust temperature in their personal office spaces via an app or web interface. Comfy is built on an open-source platform and uses machine-learning to find occupants’ thermal sweet spots and dynamically adjust conditions by incorporating usage patterns. The company is led by CEO Andrew Krioukov and is based in Oakland, CA. Early users include Google, Johnson Controls, and the U.S. General Services Administration. Financially, Building Robotics closed a $5.5M Series A financing reported in February 2014. Building Robotics builds Comfy, a software platform that gives office workers mobile and web controls over heating and cooling and is designed to be compatible with most existing HVAC and management systems. Comfy uses a machine-learning algorithm that analyzes usage patterns and user feedback to provide instant warm or cool air to individuals while reducing overall energy use. The product is based on an open-source platform developed by co-founders Andrew Krioukov and Stephen Dawson-Haggerty during their Ph.D. research at UC Berkeley's LoCal Group. The company says Comfy can lower electricity bills and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Building Robotics is seeking traction via pilot deployments at several large Bay Area tech companies and a federal building through the General Services Administration’s Green Proving Ground program. The company will use the newly raised funds to add expertise in building management, development, back-end operators and user experience design.

Participated · Equity · Feb 2016

Renew Financial is an Oakland, Calif.-based clean energy and home improvement finance company that administers and provides multiple financing products across the country. The company administers Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs and other financing options in several states. Renew Financial closed a $300M revolving credit facility provided by Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A. and Barclays Bank PLC. The proceeds will allow the company to provide financing through PACE programs in Florida and California. PACE is a financing tool enabled by state and local governments that gives homeowners and business owners access to private capital to finance renewable energy, energy efficiency, water conservation, seismic, and wind mitigation upgrades and repay the cost via their property tax bill. Renew Financial, founded in 2008 by Cisco DeVries, provides Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing and multiple other financing products across the U.S., including residential unsecured loans (ReHome) and utility on-bill financing. The company enables property owners to finance the full cost of energy, water efficiency and renewable upgrades and repay via property tax bills. It recently acquired AFC First and EcoCity Partners and partnered with SolarCity to finance medium-sized business solar systems. Renew raised $70M in growth capital and plans to use the proceeds to accelerate the nationwide rollout of PACE programs, loans and other products. The article does not disclose revenues, valuation, or prior round terms.