Participated · Seed · Oct 2022

Spexi develops earth imagery technology using automated drone systems and autopilot software to capture standardized ultra-high-resolution aerial data. The company operates a blockchain-based "Fly to Earn" network that pays onboarded drone pilots to fly automated paths with sub-250g drones across 24-acre hexagonal plots. Its dataset is used to train AI models and supports applications including disaster preparedness, smart city planning, infrastructure inspection, resource monitoring, and gaming. Since closing its Seed round in late 2022, Spexi has expanded into Canada, the USA, the UK, and Mexico, imaging over 140 cities and capturing more than 1.2 million acres. The company intends to use the Series A funds to expand operations and development efforts. Bill Lakeland leads the company as CEO. Spexi, led by CEO Bill Lakeland and based in Vancouver, offers a software platform to plan autonomous drone flights, task drone pilots, and process aerial imagery into actionable and shareable insights using AI and computer vision. The company is building Spexigon, an aerial-imagery marketplace that lets operators earn rewards by collecting and uploading drone imagery; contributors are to be paid in dollars and a new cryptocurrency called $SPEXI. Spexi processes imagery to identify high-risk areas — for example, projects with the Canadian Federal Government are underway to image forests prone to wildfires and detect dry areas likely to ignite. The platform targets multiple use cases including building inspections for insurance underwriting, construction project management, infrastructure maintenance, surveying and mapping, urban planning, and real estate marketing. The company plans to use new funding to expand operations, accelerate development, and grow its business reach.

Participated · Equity · Mar 2019

Carbon Engineering develops large-scale Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology that extracts CO2 from the atmosphere for permanent geologic storage or to produce sustainable fuels. The company focuses on improving efficiencies and reducing costs through ongoing technology development at its CE Innovation Centre. The CE Innovation Centre in Squamish, British Columbia is described as the world’s largest dedicated DAC research and development facility. Recent investments from Airbus and Air Canada will fund CE’s technology development efforts to accelerate scalable, affordable decarbonization solutions. CE highlights two aviation pathways enabled by DAC: carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from atmospheric CO2 that is drop-in compatible with existing aircraft. With partners, CE is working to deploy large-scale commercial DAC facilities in multiple markets around the globe. Carbon Engineering develops Direct Air Capture and Air To Fuels technologies that remove CO₂ from the atmosphere and convert it into low‑carbon intensity fuels. The company has been capturing CO₂ since 2015 and began converting captured CO₂ into fuels in 2017. CE plans to construct and operate the Newport Innovation Centre in Squamish, containing an advanced development facility and a fully integrated plant for both technologies. The government-funded plant will be capable of capturing 4.5 tonnes of CO₂ and producing at least 320 litres of ultra‑low carbon fuel each day; CE states commercial plants could capture one megatonne of CO₂ per year and produce over 100 million litres of fuel annually. Financially, CE recently closed a private investment round in March totalling CAD$90 million and has received earlier investments such as $3 million from Sustainable Development Technology Canada in 2015. The company will continue core R&D and begin design and engineering of commercial plants, with support from multiple government programs and innovation funds. Carbon Engineering develops and commercializes direct air capture (DAC) technology that captures and purifies atmospheric CO₂ and an AIR TO FUELS™ process that converts captured CO₂ into ultra‑low carbon transportation fuels. Its pilot plant in Squamish, B.C. has been removing CO₂ since 2015 and converting it into fuels since 2017. CE’s DAC process has been demonstrated at costs under USD$100 per tonne and the company says industrial‑scale facilities could capture up to one million tonnes of CO₂ per year. The company plans to scale from pilot demonstration to mainstream market deployment by expanding its Squamish pilot plant and engineering its first commercial facilities. The $68M equity financing announced will finance commercialization activities and bridge the company from pilot to industrial deployment. CE emphasizes both permanent underground CO₂ storage and fuel synthesis as complementary pathways for large‑scale negative emissions and emissions‑reduction in transportation. Carbon Engineering develops and commercializes Direct Air Capture technology to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere and convert it into synthetic transportation fuels. From a pilot plant in Squamish, B.C., CE has been removing CO₂ since 2015 and converting it into fuels since December 2017. The company reports its Direct Air Capture can capture CO₂ at scale for less than USD $100 per ton. CE's AIR TO FUELS™ process combines captured CO₂ with clean electricity to produce ultra‑low carbon fuels. It plans to expand its working pilot plant and design its first commercial AIR TO FUELS plant, with a full commercial facility capable of producing 320,000 litres of synthetic fuel per day and capturing one million tons of CO₂ per year. Headcount increased 33% in the prior six months as the company scales operations and seeks strategic partners and customers for supply agreements.