Participated · Series B · Sep 2022

Lumafield develops high-resolution X-ray computed-tomography (CT) scanners coupled with cloud-driven machine-learning analysis tools used by manufacturers in sectors such as medical devices, consumer packaged goods, automotive, electronics, and battery technology. Its platform enables customers to detect flaws, shorten design cycles, and conduct automated in-line inspections at scale. Leading companies rely on Lumafield’s technology to innovate products ranging from EV batteries to surgical instruments. The company is experiencing rapidly growing demand, prompting plans to deploy additional scanners and broaden its customer base. Lumafield’s strategy focuses on making advanced CT inspection accessible and practical for a wide range of manufacturers. The newly secured capital facility strengthens its ability to invest in product innovation and go-to-market expansion while maintaining efficient scaling. No specific revenue or user figures were disclosed, but management describes the company as being on a strong growth trajectory.

Participated · Equity · Sep 2022

Edda offers an integrated platform that combines deal-sourcing, due diligence, portfolio management and collaboration tools tailored to private-market investors. The product ingests public data (Crunchbase, PitchBook), pulls documents and emails from cloud storage, and integrates with inboxes and calendars to automate workflows and pipeline tracking. It generates company profiles, valuation histories, IRR calculations, slide summaries and cap‑table views, and lets founders collaborate directly on updates. The company emphasizes centralized community management to support co-investments, LP reporting and cross‑stakeholder communication. Edda reports usage by some 100 investment firms across 26 countries, including BPI France, and works with investors managing $22 billion in assets under administration. The business recently completed a rebrand from Kushim VC and has begun building out its customer base following a new funding round.

Participated · Series A · May 2022

Ambient Photonics builds low-light solar energy harvesting technology designed to replace disposable batteries in connected devices such as remote controls, keyboards, mice, electronic shelf labels, and sensors. Its low-light solar cells deliver high power density at mass-market price points and are integrated with global electronics manufacturers. The company was founded in 2019 and is based in Scotts Valley, California, where it recently opened a flagship manufacturing facility. Ambient plans to use new funding to expand manufacturing capabilities and drive mass-market adoption of its technology. Its technology originated at the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry and initial funding was provided by Cthulhu Ventures LLC. Ambient positions its solution as a way to reduce e-waste and eliminate battery replacements across consumer, retail, and industrial IoT applications. Ambient Photonics, founded in 2019 in California, develops low-light solar PV cells that harvest energy across the full light spectrum for connected devices. Its technology reportedly generates more than three times the power of conventional solutions from ambient light and can reduce the carbon footprint of battery-powered devices by up to 80 percent. The company positions its cells as an alternative to disposable and rechargeable batteries, aiming to eliminate associated landfill waste. Ambient works with global smart home and IoT device manufacturers to embed its cells for improved design possibilities, performance, and sustainability. The company is planning to open what it describes as the world’s largest low-light solar cell production facility in the U.S. to scale low-cost, high-power cells to the mass IoT market. Recent financing activity — equity and equipment debt — is being used to support that U.S. manufacturing buildout. Ambient Photonics develops low-light energy-harvesting photovoltaic (PV) cells that generate as much as three times more power than conventional technology by harvesting across the entire light spectrum, including artificial and natural light. The company works with global smart-home and IoT manufacturers, including Universal Electronics Inc., to embed its cells and reduce or eliminate disposable batteries, cutting landfill waste and device carbon footprints by up to 80%. Ambient plans to build the world’s largest U.S.-based low-light solar cell production facility in Mill Valley, California, featuring a fully automated production line with capacity for tens of millions of units per year to enable mass-market adoption. The company was founded in 2019 and its technology was originally developed at the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry; initial funding since inception came from Cthulhu Ventures LLC. Ambient is pursuing a Part II application for a $162 million DOE Title XVII loan guarantee to support scaling; the facilities are projected to generate hundreds of local U.S. jobs and reduce Scope 3 emissions. Its technology targets batteryless or lower-battery-mass IoT devices, enabling new product form factors with operational and sustainability benefits.

Participated · Series B · Mar 2022

Nothing positions itself as a community-centric consumer technology brand and has repeatedly tapped crowdfunding to deepen engagement with its user base. The company just completed its third community funding round, bringing in over £5.3 million from 4,643 individual backers in under a week. These three community raises now total close to $13 million, alongside a previously announced $200 million Series C round. The latest campaign was priced at £2.7972 ($3.7236) per share and executed at a £976.56 million ($1.3 billion) pre-money valuation, mirroring the Series C terms. Nothing framed the £5.3 million tranche as part of a larger £150.24 million financing effort. By enabling retail investors to come in for as little as $50, the company aims to build a loyal base of brand advocates while retaining greater control than traditional VC routes typically allow. Its current financial posture combines substantial institutional backing with an active retail shareholder community.

Led · Series C · Mar 2022

Menlo Micro (Menlo Microsystems) makes the Ideal Switch, a novel switch technology the company says can make certain circuits 100 times smaller and 100 times more efficient. The device reportedly actuates with less than a milliwatt, switches in under 10 microseconds, endures billions of operations, and can handle thousands of watts of power. Menlo positions the technology for large markets including RF communications, power switching and protection devices, smart buildings, factories, EVs and grid upgrades. The company says initial growth was around wireless, and it expects further penetration into smart power management and control. Menlo and its backers claim the switch could materially lower cost, improve reliability, and reduce energy use across billions of installed power-distribution switches. Menlo Micro developed the Ideal Switch™, which combines electromechanical and solid-state switching to reduce size, weight, power and cost for a range of industries. The technology targets medical, aerospace and defense, telecommunications, consumer electronics, industrial IoT, and test and measurement. Menlo says these reductions improve radio performance for defense and commercial networks, enhance RF/microwave switching for 5G, satellite and Wi‑Fi, and benefit consumer mobile performance and battery life. The company has sampled products from a new production line to over 30 lead customers in core target markets including 5G mobile networks, aerospace and defense, and test and measurement. The recent funding is intended to accelerate expansion into new markets over the next few years by leveraging the Ideal Switch's ability to handle kilowatts of power. Target expansion areas named by the company include industrial IoT, home automation, electric vehicles, medical instrumentation and quantum computing. Menlo Micro, headquartered in Irvine, California, is a GE Ventures spinout commercializing a Digital-Micro-Switch (DMS) platform that recreates the electronic switch with micromechanical design. The company’s DMS aims to combine the size, speed, cost and reliability of solid-state devices with electromechanical power handling up to kilowatts. Menlo’s technology is positioned for multiple end markets including 5G mobile networks, industrial IoT, battery management, home automation, electric vehicles and medical instrumentation. GE invested more than 12 years of R&D into the DMS technology, producing over 60 patent families and GE-qualified DMS products, and Menlo reports tens of thousands of units already shipped in the field. Leadership includes CEO Russ Garcia and co-founders Chris Keimel and Chris Giovanniello; Jeff Baloun heads manufacturing operations. The company is focused on scaling product development, expanding market reach, and enabling system designers to integrate the DMS across diverse applications.