Participated · Seed · Aug 2023

Middleware is a San Francisco-based provider of an AI-powered cloud observability platform. Its platform collects data from various sources across cloud assets, including applications and infrastructure, and uses machine learning to identify patterns and anomalies that indicate performance issues. Led by CEO Laduram Vishnoi, Middleware gives customers visibility into cloud-based assets so they can identify and resolve cloud-based issues. The company plans to use its new funding to expand its team, develop new features, and grow its customer base. It also intends to build an advanced AI advisor based on generative AI to further improve the cloud observability stack. Middleware graduated from Y Combinator’s winter 2023 batch and recently raised $6.5M in Seed funding.

Participated · Seed · Nov 2022

Tellus operates a mobile-first savings product that pays retail customers 3.85%–4.5% APY by deploying deposits into U.S. single-family-home loans (primarily super jumbo loans). It targets existing homeowners seeking larger homes who struggle to get traditional financing and funds loans through partnerships with mortgage brokers. Tellus currently only lends in California due to its lending license and partnerships, while allowing anyone in the U.S. to use its savings software. The company says it has lent more than $80 million with an average loan size of $2 million, and reported revenue growth of 55% in Q3 versus Q2 2022. Tellus emphasizes strict underwriting and says it has not yet seen defaults because many borrowers refinance into better terms; retail customers earn interest daily and can withdraw at any time. The remote-first, Cupertino-based startup has about 50 employees and plans to build out engineering, marketing and product teams and expand a recently launched SMB offering.

Participated · Seed · Oct 2022

Axoft develops implantable brain-computer interfaces (iBCIs) built from its proprietary bio-inspired Fleuron™ material, designed to improve biocompatibility and neural data quality. Fleuron is reported to be up to 10,000x softer than polyimide, offers greater region access and higher sensor/stimulator density per thread, and reduces signal attenuation versus standard flexible probes. The company has demonstrated first-in-human implants in more than 11 patients and completed a study at The Panama Clinic with four patients undergoing tumor resection, recording cortical and subcortical activity. Axoft has research published in Nature (December 2023 and June 2025) showing scalable single-cell electrophysiology enabled by its materials and interfaces. The company has commercialized Fleuron via an exclusive licensing agreement with Stanford and secured a joint development agreement with Kayaku Advanced Materials, alongside grant funding to build a GMP manufacturing facility. Co-founded in 2021 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Axoft has opened a subsidiary in Grenoble, France, and plans to scale manufacturing and expand engineering, microfabrication and chemistry teams as it advances clinical programs and regulatory work.

Participated · Series A · Aug 2022

Expedock’s core product extracts invoices and shipment documents from PDFs and emails, converts them into payable invoices, audits them against accruals, reconciles with third‑party sites and internal systems, and pushes data into TMS and ERP tools. The platform trains its invoice‑extraction models using documents, shipment data, public data and AI‑generated sources. Customers include large supply‑chain brands such as Wayfair, ClearFreight and Ascent, and the company says usage and shipment volume have been growing. Roadmap items include AI features for fraud detection in supply‑chain payments and predictions for vendor churn and margins. The startup employs 13 people and plans to hire engineers and account executives, targeting about 40 employees by year‑end 2022 and expanding platform integrations. Expedock says business has remained steady despite macro headwinds and is positioning its product to improve visibility in semistructured, siloed logistics data. Expedock is a Philippine-headquartered company that provides AI-based outsourcing services to logistics and freight providers. Its core offering centers on AI services tailored to logistics and freight operations. The company has raised $1.15 million in a pre-seed funding round. The round was led by Liqing Zeng, co-founder of Tencent Holdings. The article does not list additional investors or further financial details.

Led · Seed · Oct 2021

Locale operates a platform that lets customers order from dozens of bakeries, restaurants and farms and receive items bundled in one box for a $5 delivery fee. The company uses a weekly model—collecting a single large order by Thursday for Saturday delivery—and runs a facility where hundreds of delivery contractors pick up route-based deliveries. Locale’s customers include more than 80 businesses and the service expands vendors’ delivery range to over 100 miles. Founded in 2020 by Jonathan Friedland and Chris Clark, the company bootstrapped to hundreds of customers and grew revenue 100% year-over-year while in Y Combinator. Locale says it broke even in its first 10 months, doubled revenue in the past three months, and is delivering more than 2,500 orders per month with an average order value above $105. The company is expanding farther into San Francisco and Marin County and plans to begin operating in Los Angeles in November.