The Venture Codex

Participated · Series B · Dec 2024

Slip Robotics builds large floor-like robotic platforms called SlipBots that can carry up to 12,000 pounds and hold ten pallets, aiming to cut trailer loading time to about five minutes. The SlipBots are designed to handle uneven ground and navigate from warehouse floors into truck trailers; three SlipBots fit into a single trailer and disembark at the destination. Founded in 2020 by Chris Smith, Dennis Siedlak, and John Jakomin and based in Atlanta, the company launched commercial service in 2023. It operates a robot-as-a-service subscription model that includes software, hardware service, maintenance, and ongoing updates. Customers include John Deere, GE Appliances, Valeo, and Nissan; Slip reports hundreds of bots deployed across more than 25 sites and ten commercial customers. The company has grown to about 50 employees and has raised $45 million to date; management plans to use new capital to hire, increase deployments, and enhance product offerings.

Participated · Series A · Apr 2023

Fluree develops a graph ledger database and data‑pipeline toolset (Fluree Core and Fluree Sense) for secure, interoperable data management and sharing. The platform organizes blockchain‑secured data in a scalable semantic graph database and is built on W3C semantic web standards to facilitate trusted data interoperability. Fluree targets Web3 use cases including verifiable credentials, enterprise blockchain and decentralized data management while also helping enterprises modernize legacy data architecture. The company cites customers such as the Department of Defense, Department of Education, and Web3 startups including Pravica, Fabric and Logosphere. Open‑source distribution has driven adoption, with more than 100,000 downloads of its software products. Fluree is co‑founded in 2016 by Brian Platz and Flip Filipowski, is headquartered in Winston‑Salem, North Carolina, and currently employs about 50 people. Fluree is a Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Public Benefit Corporation founded in 2016 by Brian Platz and Flip Filipowski. It operates an enterprise data management platform that guarantees data integrity, facilitates secure data sharing, and powers data-driven insights. The platform organizes blockchain-secured data in a scalable semantic graph database, establishing a foundational layer of trusted data for connected and intelligent data ecosystems. Fluree offers a pluggable stack that developers use to build enterprise-grade Web 3.0 applications with cryptographically-secure data integrity and is available on Amazon AWS, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure. Organizations across education, supply chain and healthcare are employing the platform to build secure blockchain applications. The company closed a $6.5M seed round to accelerate product development for applications that utilize W3C verifiable credentials and decentralized identifiers (DID).

Led · Series A · Apr 2023

Whisper Aero has designed an electric ducted fan that it says is both quieter and more efficient than existing propulsors, having iterated nine generations in two years. The company targets applications from small drones up to crewed eVTOL platforms and has demonstrated moving some noise into ultrasonic frequencies. It has pursued early validation and testing with U.S. Department of Defense partners, including the Air Force Research Lab, and claims a 55-pound drone can be effectively undetectable from the ground at 200 feet. Whisper emerged from stealth two years ago with $7.5 million in prior funding and now plans to commercialize first on the defense side. The company is headquartered in Crossville, Tennessee, employs roughly 10–50 people, and plans to double its team while expanding into an 8,000 sq ft Nashville design/prototyping facility and a 40,000 sq ft Crossville testing/production space. Longer-term plans include non-DOD verticals such as commercial aviation, industrial, and consumer products (the company has already demoed an electric leaf blower). Whisper Aero is developing an electric thruster intended to blend noise from delivery drones and eVTOL air taxis into background levels. The company emphasizes reducing not just overall volume but problematic acoustic profiles such as broadband and tonal components. Whisper says its product is being designed to be scalable and adoptable across different aircraft architectures. It has conducted static tests at its Tennessee headquarters, with some testing done in partnership with the U.S. Air Force, and plans dynamic wind-tunnel testing. The startup has attracted around $7.5 million in investment and intends to convert provisional patents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office next year. Whisper aims to enter the small-drone market around 2023 and scale up to air taxis, targeting thruster manufacturing and vehicle integration by the end of the decade while still resolving remaining technical and cost challenges.

Participated · Series A · Jun 2022

Chain.io provides a cloud-based, supply-chain-specific integration platform with pre-built adaptors that let shippers and freight companies plug legacy systems into modern API-based SaaS tools. The company’s platform is used by customers including 10 of the 15 world’s largest freight forwarders and is designed to improve freight visibility, pricing, and compliance risk. Led by founder and CEO Brian Glick, Chain.io says its integrations save customers millions of dollars in operating costs annually. The company recently raised an $11M Series A to support growth. Chain.io plans to use the funding to grow its network, add more native connectivity to transportation and supply-chain platforms, and expand geographically across North America, Europe, and Asia. Its product focus remains on enabling freight forwarders and shippers to modernize legacy systems through API-native connectivity. Chain.io is a Philadelphia, PA-based provider of a cloud supply chain integration platform that connects tools and trading partners to create data visibility across systems. Led by founder and CEO Brian Glick, the company delivers fully managed integration services that enable Logistics Service Providers, Shippers, and Technology Firms to work together under one umbrella. Its specialties include connecting modern APIs to legacy EDIs and handling complex client integrations. Chain.io’s integration network processes over 100 million data transformations a month and includes data from 10 of the top 15 largest freight forwarders. Over the last year the company tripled its revenue base, grew its customer count by more than 50%, added integrations with systems such as Cargowise, Blujay, Magaya, Portrix, WebCargo and Terminal 49, and doubled in size. The company plans to use new funding to expand operations and hire across sales, engineering and customer success to extend its business reach.