Participated · Seed · Jul 2026

Ellis builds an AI-driven platform and agents to tackle fragmented workflows used by private credit managers, connecting documents, accounting data, and multiple software systems into a single interface. The system can flag data discrepancies and deploy agents to assist with portfolio monitoring, preparing reports, and month-end book-closing tasks. Ellis emphasizes integration with firms’ existing systems rather than replacing them, and it maintains a human-in-the-loop approach so material decisions remain with human experts. The company was founded by Ryan Williams, who previously co-created Cadre; Williams began work on Ellis in the year prior to the article. At emergence from stealth Ellis announced functionality and product goals alongside its $10 million seed raise from a syndicate of venture investors.

Participated · Seed · Jul 2026

Founded seven months ago by Kofi Asante, Bluecore Energy develops small modular reactors (SMRs) installed on floating barges intended to supply clean power to ports and nearby communities. The reactors heat water to produce steam that drives a turbine; the system is water-cooled in a closed loop and the company says refueling would be required only once every few years. Bluecore’s barges are designed to be relocatable by ship and can connect to the grid via subsea cables, with targets including powering the equivalent of approximately 15,000 homes or scaling to meet a major port’s needs. The startup has secured a port terminal, a barge and a test reactor pressure vessel to validate flow and cooling, and is combining hardware and software testing to verify its designs. The company is working with regulators and emphasizes multiple layers of safety and redundancy, including uranium clad in a thick steel pressure vessel with concrete shielding and steel lining. Financially, Bluecore announced a $10 million pre-seed raise led by Slauson & Co. to fund deployment and testing.

Led · Seed · Oct 2025

AccessGrid, founded by Auston Bunsen and officially launched in April, builds developer-focused APIs that allow enterprises to manage digital credentials directly through Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. The system works even when an iPhone is locked—or in some cases dead—automatically syncing to Apple Watch and other devices. By replacing legacy on-premises badge systems, AccessGrid issues uncloneable credentials with encrypted payloads that can be instantly revoked from the cloud, employing dual, “military-grade” encryption and multi-factor authentication for server access. Unlike competitors that sell service contracts or middleware, AccessGrid positions itself as a pure-play developer platform. Near-term product priorities include hardening security and rolling out additional features, while longer-term plans call for expanding the technology to automobiles and eventually upgrading every access-control reader in the U.S. The company faces rivals such as SwiftConnect and Sharry but believes its API-only approach offers a distinct advantage. AccessGrid has secured $4.4 million in seed funding to finance these initiatives.

Participated · Seed · Aug 2025

Lava is a digital wallet platform that lets merchants enable wallets for customers to upload usage credits that AI agents can spend across merchants and foundational models like GPT and Claude. Customers buy a single set of usage credits that agents can charge on a pay-as-you-go basis, removing repeated subscription and payment approvals as agents perform tasks. The wallet is designed to let autonomous agents move and transact without human intervention, simplifying payments for agent-driven workflows. Founder Mitchell Jones launched Lava after experimenting with AI and following prior fintech startups including Lendtable; he positions Lava as an "invisible layer" powering the AI web. The company announced a $5.8 million seed round and plans to use the funds for hiring, product development, and go-to-market efforts. Lava views itself as a developer-friendly solution for the emerging agent-native economy and notes competitors such as Metronome.

Participated · Seed · Jun 2025

Trustible provides an AI governance platform that enables enterprises to identify, measure, and mitigate AI risk and accelerate safe, compliant AI adoption. The platform offers centralized oversight and control across internal and third‑party systems, integrated AI risk and compliance management with continuous monitoring and embedded workflows, and actionable intelligence and guided governance including taxonomies, recommendation models, and in‑app guidance. Trustible reports that 38% of its customers are from the Fortune 500, 62% are publicly traded companies, and over 87% have global operations; one Fortune 500 CPG customer doubled the number of AI use cases after adopting the platform. The company says it will scale its team and deepen product capabilities to support broader enterprise adoption. Headquartered in the Washington D.C. area, Trustible will use new capital to fuel its next stage of growth. Financially, the company announced a $4.6 million Series Seed financing to support these efforts. Trustible provides software to help organizations accelerate Responsible AI governance, aiming to maximize trust and manage risk as AI adoption grows. Founded by Gerald Kierce and Andrew Gamino-Cheong, the company empowers organizations to confidently adopt AI technologies amid evolving regulation. It is collaborating with a select group of pilot customers across the technology, financial services, and healthcare sectors. Trustible raised $1.6M in a First funding round to support its growth. The company intends to use the funds to scale its team, accelerate growth, and further develop its product.