Participated · Series B · Jan 2025

Founded in 2019 by David Reger in Metzingen, Germany, NEURA Robotics builds ‘cognitive’ robots that can see, hear, sense their surroundings and learn from experience. The company integrates sensors, AI software and robotic hardware into single devices, likening its machines to a “smartphone with arms and legs.” In addition to hardware, it offers the Neuraverse software platform, which enables the safe deployment and interaction of intelligent robots with humans. NEURA serves both industrial and consumer markets and has disclosed nearly $1 billion worth of purchase orders from customers such as Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Omron. Management is focused on accelerating humanoid robot development and scaling production capacity. Financially, the firm previously secured €120 million in January 2025 and is now pursuing a much larger raise to fund expansion. If successful, the new round could push the company’s valuation to approximately €4 billion.

Participated · Equity · Sep 2022

Ancora Semiconductor is a fabless design company focused on Gallium Nitride (GaN) devices, including GaN discrete components, system-in-package (SiP) and system-on-chip (SoC) products. The company was cultivated under Delta Electronics and was formally founded in 2022 in Taipei. Ancora aims to maximize GaN performance to deliver faster switching, higher efficiency and lower energy consumption across consumer electronics, telecom and automotive applications. Its product line is qualified under Delta's stringent qualification system and the company positions itself to expand production capability to meet growing demand for GaN devices. Ancora announced a NT$456M capital raise from strategic investors intended to accelerate its GaN development endeavors and ecosystem building with partners in substrate materials, IC design, applications and system solutions. As a Delta affiliate, Ancora plans to leverage Delta’s power- and thermal-management expertise to support long-term growth and adoption of GaN technology.

Participated · Equity · Aug 2022

WiTricity develops wireless charging solutions for passenger and commercial electric vehicles using magnetic resonance technology. The company aims to accelerate product-to-market timelines for both passenger and commercial wireless charging and to speed development of always-available wireless V2G capabilities that allow parked EVs to return power to the grid. Its technology underpins ratified global EV wireless charging standards including SAE, ISO and GB, and is used by automakers and Tier‑1 suppliers. Founded out of MIT in 2007 and led by CEO Alex Gruzen, WiTricity has expanded beyond licensing to deliver full wireless charging solutions to OEMs, fleets, charge-point operators and end customers. The company holds an extensive patent portfolio with over 1,250 issued patents and acquired Qualcomm Halo’s wireless charging assets in 2019. WiTricity is based in Watertown, MA. WiTricity builds patented magnetic resonance wireless charging systems intended for electric vehicles and other mobility platforms. Its technology is licensed by major automakers and Tier‑1 suppliers—including Toyota, Mahle, TDK, IHI, Shindengen, Daihen, and Aptiv—and is deployed in products such as McLaren’s Speedtail and the BMW 530e iPerformance. The company emphasizes a hands‑free, efficient charging experience and is pursuing dynamic charging for moving vehicles as well as plug‑free charging for autonomous vehicles and robots. WiTricity describes its work as the foundation of global standards to support wide‑scale EV wireless charging adoption. The company recently announced an $18M extension to a prior $34M tranche, bringing the total announced fundraising to $52M. WiTricity has formed a Board of Advisors to support the transition to market adoption, including founder Dr. Marin Soljačić, Tony Fadell, Bill Merritt, Dr. Grant Covic and Jack Watanabe. Founded in 2007, WiTricity is based in Watertown, Massachusetts. WiTricity is the industry pioneer in highly resonant wireless power transfer over distance. The company develops designs and products for wireless charging across consumer electronics, electric vehicles, defense and medical devices. It has existing partnerships with manufacturers including Audi, Mitsubishi, Delphi, Haier, IHI, MediaTek and Thoratec. WiTricity announced a $25 million Series E to support its growth strategy and pursue additional strategic opportunities in the wireless power field. With this infusion the company’s total investment funding now totals $45 million and it recently secured its 50th patent. The firm cited IMS Research projections that the global wireless power market could reach $4.5 billion in 2016, underscoring the market opportunity.

Led · Equity · May 2021

Kneron designs low-powered, reconfigurable ASICs for AI inferencing that interface with existing systems such as sensors on driverless vehicles. Its chips run models ranging from face and body detection to text generation and are positioned for latency-, security- and cost-sensitive edge applications. The company emphasizes automotive and other autonomous-machine markets while avoiding direct competition with dominant cloud incumbents in the short term. Kneron plans to scale commercial efforts and expand its R&D-heavy headcount. Revenue is in the "double digit millions," and the company serves roughly 30 brands including Garmin, Naver and Quanta. Through its April acquisition of imaging provider Otus, Kneron has automotive partnerships including JVC Kenwood. Kneron develops full-stack hardware and software products aimed at edge AI applications, with reconfigurable solutions designed to address latency, security and cost challenges on edge devices. The company says its technology enables broader deployment of AI across devices. Over the past year Kneron reported significant new customer wins across multiple verticals including smart vehicles, smart homes and smart cities. Named customers in the article include Garmin, Dessmann, Gree, OFILM, AAEON, Advantech and Quanta. Led by CEO Albert Liu, Kneron intends to use the funding to expand operations and broaden its business reach. The company raised $48M in a Series B funding round. Kneron is an AI chipmaker founded in 2015 that develops reconfigurable edge AI semiconductors for devices including ADAS and autonomous-vehicle systems. The company is based in San Diego and Taipei and has released its first automotive-grade chips for ADAS and AV applications. Kneron reports $3–4 million in monthly revenue from about 30 enterprise customers, with 30–40% of revenues coming from the U.S. It is pushing into smart transportation and roadside AI, arguing that L4/L5 autonomy requires roadside perception units, and plans joint development of roadside AI boxes with strategic partners. Its chips are described as 'reconfigurable', combining software flexibility with hardware speed and usable both inside vehicles and on exterior sensors. Kneron has formed partnerships and made acquisitions (including buying Vatics from Vivotek) and counts strategic investors such as Foxconn, Horizon Ventures, Alibaba, Qualcomm and Sequoia. The founder previously said the company expected to turn profitable in 2023 and has discussed a likely U.S. IPO, though management was later more circumspect about listing timing. Kneron develops low-power edge AI semiconductors and proprietary software that enable on-device data processing using neural processing units (NPUs), reducing reliance on cloud compute. Its chips target applications including manufacturing, smart homes, smartphones, robotics, surveillance, payments and autonomous driving. The company is extending into the smart car industry and has partnerships with Foxconn and Otus (a supplier for Honda and Toyota). Kneron agreed to acquire Vatics, an image signal processing provider from Delta Electronics’ Vivotek subsidiary, for $10 million in cash; Vatics executives will join Kneron to lead its surveillance and security camera division. The acquisition and NPUs are intended to let Kneron offer full-stack AI solutions and accelerate go-to-market for surveillance and automotive products. Kneron is headquartered in San Diego with a development force in Taipei. The company has attracted strategic investors including Foxconn, Qualcomm, Sequoia Capital, Alibaba and Horizons Ventures and recently received a $7 million investment from Delta Electronics, boosting total financing to over $100 million to date. Kneron develops AI chips aimed at "smart" consumer devices and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones). The article identifies the company primarily by its hardware product line but provides no technical details about the chips. It reports a planned investment by MTS of about $10 million into Kneron. The piece does not outline Kneron's roadmap, commercialization plans, or financial metrics. Reader comments included in the article expressed skepticism about the technology and sourcing, and noted a lack of technical information in the coverage.

Participated · Seed · Sep 2016

Wynd Technologies is a Bay Area hardware startup focused on personal air purification and environmental data collection. Its handheld, cone-shaped purifier delivers a stream of filtered air and houses a modular sensor that can be removed and clipped to clothing to monitor particulate levels. Data captured by these sensors flows into Wynd’s Air Bubbles app, which already aggregates information from more than 6,000 monitoring stations worldwide, enabling hyper-localized, Waze-style air-quality maps. The concept resonated with consumers, generating over $600,000 on Kickstarter—far exceeding a $50,000 goal—and first units are expected to ship to backers in late November. The company intends to leverage its new capital to accelerate R&D for future products, expand into additional markets, and grow its Bay Area team.