• NxLite

  Led · Seed · Mar 2023

  NxLite develops proprietary permanent, low-emissivity coatings applicable to both glass and polymeric substrates that aim to reduce energy consumption while cutting weight versus conventional alternatives. The company partners with leaders in the window industry, commercial refrigeration, transportation and other sectors and reports having secured commercial agreements and offtake. Since its first close in October 2025, NxLite has been adding capacity and enhancing full-scale manufacturing capability at its Advanced Innovation & Manufacturing (AIM) Center in Canton, Michigan. Financially, NxLite completed a $13.1 million Series A final close and obtained a $3.5 million debt facility from RSF Social Finance to support its manufacturing scale-up. The company appointed Erin Sawyer, a supply-chain and operations leader, to its board to help accelerate operational execution and compress timelines. NxLite is actively scaling its technology for broader commercial application across multiple use cases.

• Recurve

  Participated · Series B · Aug 2022

  Recurve provides an open-source platform and revenue-grade data to create demand flexibility markets that enable virtual power plants, giving utilities and aggregators confidence to treat distributed energy resources as grid assets. The company integrates behind-the-meter demand flexibility resources into the emerging carbon-free energy grid and offers real-time transparency for measuring, deploying, and procuring energy efficiency. Recurve is accessible across the United States and is growing globally. It has partnered with MCE to create the first FLEXmarket, which connects aggregators to markets that pay for the grid value of projects, and in July 2022 launched PG&E’s Market Access program. The platform leverages smart-meter telemetry to optimize demand flexibility technologies. Recurve says it will use the new funding to accelerate the transition to clean energy by reducing stress on the grid during periods of high demand. Recurve offers a software suite and services aimed at home performance contractors to manage home energy auditing and retrofitting projects. Its tools help contractors more accurately and profitably run projects, meet government standards, and help homeowners lower energy bills. The company targets the home performance market with a focus on improving auditing and retrofit workflows. Recurve plans to use new capital to meet growing demand and speed distribution of its software suite across the industry. The article positions the company as a technology provider bridging contractors, standards, and homeowners through its software and services.

• Azumo

  Participated · Equity · May 2022

  Azumo develops LCD 2.0™, a next‑generation reflective display technology that targets sunlight readability and low power consumption. Its LCD 2.0 technology delivers up to 10x the energy savings versus traditional backlit LCDs while remaining extremely thin and eye safe. The company holds 47 patents and offers displays ranging from 1" to 17", combining high video‑rate capability with superior readability in bright sunlight to eliminate glare. Azumo targets consumer, medical, industrial, educational, and automotive markets and is positioning its technology for a variety of device form factors. The new financing is intended to accelerate international expansion, increase manufacturing capabilities, and support the launch of new products. Azumo also plans to expand sales and applications engineering support and grow its international team while leveraging a partnership with a global electronics manufacturer to scale supply chain and production. FLEx Lighting, founded in 2008 in Chicago, develops LCD 2.0™ — a next-generation reflective display technology that delivers full-color, video-rate capability with ultra-thin light transmission. The technology promises up to 10x battery power savings and best-in-class reflective color while providing superb sunlight readability without glare. FLEx targets consumer, educational, medical, industrial, and IoT markets with displays ranging from 1" to 21" diagonals. The company plans to commercialize tablet-sized reflective displays and expand its portfolio to include consumer and educational tablets as well as portable devices for industrial and medical use. FLEx is expanding its global footprint by opening an office in Changzhou, China to support partners and its growing customer base. The company recently raised $9 million to fund global growth and commercialization of its new displays. FLEx Lighting develops front-light systems for device displays that are power-efficient and sunlight-readable, targeting reflective LCDs used in mobile devices. Its core products provide front lighting solutions that improve readability while minimizing power consumption. The company plans to expand its product lineup into tablet-sized and 7-inch+ displays for consumer applications and larger personal information displays. FLEx also intends to widen distribution channels and increase global representation. Founded in 2004 and led by CEO Mike Casper, the company benefits from strategic supplier relationships, including investor SABIC, which can expand its supply chain and materials expertise. Financially, FLEx closed a $9M Series B to support product development and market expansion.

• Network Perception

  Participated · Series A · May 2022

  Network Perception develops operational technology (OT) cybersecurity solutions centered on its NP-View platform, which verifies network segmentation and visualizes industrial control network environments. NP-View was originally designed by a government‑funded research team of cybersecurity academics and industry experts and is described as an industry standard for segmentation verification and compliance assurance. The platform offers continuous, mapping‑centric visualization and independent verification to support audit, compliance, and risk assessment for mission‑critical OT assets. The company says it will expand commercial activities, address OT cybersecurity needs across critical industries, enter new vertical and international markets, and establish strategic partnerships to accelerate go‑to‑market growth. In the coming weeks Network Perception will debut an NP‑View Essential edition to deliver instant visualization and network verification for compliance and security teams at both small and enterprise organizations. The Series A financing will support product innovation and commercial expansion. Network Perception supplies critical infrastructure industries—particularly electrical utilities—with a proprietary risk-assessment and network-visualization software that supports cyber-compliance and network security. Built by a team of researchers and network-security experts, the technology gives organizations a holistic view of network compliance and the ability to assess configuration alignment and meet regulatory standards. The company was founded in 2014 and the press release is datelined Chicago. Network Perception says it will scale activity in the electric utility sector and expand into other critical infrastructure industries across the U.S. and overseas. The recent Seed funding will finance that expansion. Leadership includes CEO and co-founder Robin Berthier.

• e-Zinc

  Participated · Series A · Apr 2022

  e-Zinc builds zinc-based, long-duration energy storage (zinc-air) technology designed to store energy for multiple days with lower cost and increased safety compared with conventional batteries. The company is based in Toronto and is developing products intended for both off- and on-grid applications. e-Zinc plans to use new funding to accelerate product development and to complete a 42,000 sq. ft pilot manufacturing facility in Mississauga, Ontario. It is partnering with Toyota Tsusho Canada Inc. and the California Energy Commission to carry out field demonstrations that will validate its systems can store 24 hours of energy (about 10x traditional batteries). The company recently expanded its executive team with new CFO, CTO, COO, and CCO hires to support the transition from product development to commercialization. e-Zinc develops a zinc-air battery energy storage system designed for long-duration applications. The company's system can be up to 80 percent more cost effective than comparable lithium-ion systems, operates in cold and hot climates, and is made of abundant, recyclable materials. e-Zinc aims to displace diesel generators as a low-emission alternative and to enable a 100 percent renewable energy future by pairing its batteries with renewable sources. Financially, the company recently completed a Series A and has secured a USD $7 million venture debt facility from Silicon Valley Bank to support commercialization. Funds will be used to expand manufacturing operations at a new facility in Mississauga, Ontario, accelerate production of commercial energy storage systems, and execute high-value commercial pilot projects. Planned pilots include a Toyota Tsusho Canada Inc. project and work with the California Energy Commission, with testing and validation expected within roughly 18 months. e-Zinc develops a zinc-air battery energy storage system designed for multi-day discharge at rated power to support high renewable penetrency. The system is made of abundant, recyclable materials, operates in cold and hot climates, and the company says it can be up to 80% less expensive than comparable lithium‑ion systems for long-duration applications. e-Zinc aims to displace diesel generators for half-day to five-day backup power and to pair with renewable generation for remote or off-grid use cases. The company is partnering with the California Energy Commission to demonstrate powering businesses through multi-day outages caused by natural disasters. e-Zinc will use recent financing to commence pilot production of its first commercial energy storage systems for field deployment. Financially, the company has advanced from a 2020 seed round to a $25 million Series A to fund commercialization and pilot projects. e-Zn develops grid-scale energy storage systems that leverage low-cost zinc metal to deliver multiple days of storage and to scale energy capacity at roughly one-tenth the capital cost of lithium-ion batteries. The Toronto-based company is led by CEO James Larsen. Its systems operate in temperatures from -30°C to 60°C, are made of abundant and recyclable materials, and are described as completely safe. e-Zn targets remote and resiliency markets including remote communities, mining operations, telecommunications, military bases, data centres, island nations, EV charging stations and non-wire alternatives. The company intends to use the funds to commercialize its technology and begin deploying systems in-field with commercial customers. The article does not disclose operating metrics such as revenue or user counts.

No current team members are available.