Participated · Series B · Sep 2019

Bellwether builds tech-enabled, zero-emission commercial coffee roasters and a connected online marketplace that lets retailers roast beans on-site. Its hardware and software target cafes, grocery stores, college campuses and other retail locations. Roasters are sold for $75,000 or leased for $1,000 per month, and purchase includes access to the company’s online bean marketplace. The company has roughly 140 customers and reported 6x revenue growth in 2019. Bellwether aims to remove wholesale middlemen by enabling shops to roast their own beans and create a connected farm-to-cup experience. With the new funding it plans to expand manufacturing capabilities, grow its customer-facing team, and pursue launches in Southeast Asia and Europe next year. Bellwether builds a ventless, electric, zero-emissions commercial coffee roaster that it leases to cafés, grocers and other businesses. Customers lease the roaster for about $1,000 per month and receive access to Bellwether’s online bean marketplace. The marketplace curates roughly 20 farms and lets retailers order beans filtered by attributes such as organic certification or woman-owned, and enables consumers and retailers to tip farmers directly. Bellwether positions itself at the intersection of hardware and software, combining in‑store roasting equipment with an e-commerce platform for supply transparency. The company emphasizes traceability and sustainability to give retailers and consumers more visibility into bean origin and farmer compensation. Bellwether has begun commercial roll‑outs to cafés and grocers while continuing to expand its marketplace relationships.

Participated · Series A · May 2019

TruckLabs develops tractor-mounted aerodynamic technologies to reduce drag, improve stability, and increase fuel efficiency for the trucking industry. Its flagship product, TruckWings™, is a smart device that automatically closes the gap between cab and trailer. The company says it will use proceeds from the recent fundraise to further develop products, accelerate growth, and continue its mission to drive operational efficiencies while cutting emissions. TruckLabs was founded out of Stanford University in 2014 and is led by CEO Daniel Burrows. The company has won awards in several Department of Energy competitions, including the National CleanTech Award and CalTech’s FLoW competition. Financially, TruckLabs has closed a Series B funding round; the amount was undisclosed in reporting. TruckLabs designs and builds technology for the long-haul trucking industry, with a flagship aerodynamic device called TruckWings that automatically closes the gap between cab and trailer to save fuel. TruckWings are widely deployed across carrier fleets that average more than 3.5 million miles per week and have logged over 300 million miles overall. Since 2018, TruckWings have saved customers the equivalent of 3.1 million gallons of diesel (about $10 million at current diesel prices) and avoided 52 million pounds of CO2; a 60-truck pilot with Ryder produced over a 4% improvement in net miles-per-gallon. TruckLabs also offers TripDynamics, a gamified driver-engagement and performance-measurement software that is being rolled out across Mesilla Valley Transportation's 1,300-truck fleet after a successful pilot. The company intends to use new capital to expand hiring across product, sales, and engineering, invest in TripDynamics R&D, and increase TruckWings partnerships with original equipment manufacturers. Financially, TruckLabs completed a $15 million Series A and has raised $24 million in total venture capital to date. XStream Trucking, founded out of Stanford University in 2014 and led by CEO Daniel Burrows, develops connected hardware and software for the commercial vehicle industry. Its core product, TruckWings, is an active‑aero device that automatically closes the tractor‑trailer gap at speed to generate an estimated 4–6% fuel savings. The company also offers GPS‑enabled software that tracks fuel savings information in real time. Since launching its first road units in October 2016, XStream has seen adoption by fleets covering more than 1 million miles per week. The company intends to use new funding to accelerate and expand its business reach. XStream is based in Redwood City, California.