Led · Series A · Aug 2026

Princeton Critical Minerals develops and commercializes an integrated technology platform for extracting lithium from brine, including products named Lilypad™, SmartPond™, and E-LiTE™. The company is operating field deployments that produce validation data under industrial conditions. With the new financing, PCM plans to scale manufacturing and expand commercial deployments while building U.S.-based production capabilities. The firm aims to continue advancing its core extraction technologies toward full commercial execution. The company also reported growth in its team as it prepares to execute on upcoming milestones.

Participated · Seed · Feb 2025

Level Zero Health develops DNA-based aptamer sensors and minimally invasive wearable patches to continuously and remotely monitor hormone levels. Its initial product is a camera-readable colourimetric patch, and it is developing a microneedle wearable that delivers real-time measurements of stress and reproductive hormones. The company is also building what it calls the world’s largest hormone health dataset and has validated its sensors in simulated samples across 98% of the human clinical range. It is initially targeting B2B clinical applications—including IVF, menopause care and testosterone replacement therapy—with potential B2C and pharma expansion. Level Zero has already assembled a pipeline of customers and says it will use recent funding for R&D, hiring in the UK and US, and to bring the product to market. The startup was founded over a year ago by Ula Rustamova and Irene Jia and emphasizes transforming hormone tracking into a clinical-grade data platform. Level Zero Health is building technology for continuous hormone monitoring that aims to uncover previously inaccessible hormonal data. The company says its work grew out of personal frustration and years of research, which produced a roadmap to access new physiological information. Its product is positioned to improve patient care for clinicians, advance personalised medicine, and empower individuals to make better daily choices. The team came together at Entrepreneur First and has received a joint investment from Entrepreneur First and SOSV HAX. Level Zero Health has just arrived at HAX in New Jersey and plans to continue building toward its vision while in the program. The company frames its mission as revolutionising metabolic health.

Participated · Equity · May 2024

Silana has developed what it describes as the world’s first sewing robot (SiBot) to enable fully automated garment production from fabric roll to printed T-shirt. The system is built as dedicated subsystems in individual robot cells and can work with common fabrics, including sustainable viscose from Lenzing AG. The company says nearly 200 machines have been pre-ordered, which it estimates will enable production of 30 million T-shirts per year, and it ultimately aims to produce one billion garments regionally each year. Founded in 2022, the founding team comprises CTO Anton Wohlgemuth, COO Michael Mayr and CEO Michael Hofmannrichter; the team has grown to eight members. Silana plans to deliver its first machines next year and to expand product lines to include polo shirts and other items in coming years. The startup positions its automation as a way to make nearshoring feasible, reduce CO2 and overproduction, and address precarious labor conditions in garment manufacturing.

Participated · Seed · Aug 2023

Robomart builds "store-hailing" self-driving vehicles that act as mobile, stocked retail stores for groceries, restaurants and convenience items. Its product lineup includes the Oasis, aimed primarily at restaurants (Ben & Jerry’s is a customer), and the newly revealed Haven, which offers retailer branding and capacity for about 300 SKUs. The Oasis launched in beta at the end of 2020 and roughly 100 of the vehicles have been contracted out. Haven is slated to start delivering in 2025 and is pitched to supermarkets and convenience stores. The company provides a white-label software suite that lets retailers enable store-hailing under their own banner, according to co-founder and CEO Ali Ahmed. Financially, Robomart announced a $2 million seed round, bringing total disclosed funding to $3.4 million.

Participated · Seed · Jan 2023

Presso designs and distributes robotic dry-cleaning kiosks that it leases to hotels, real estate firms and other businesses under a hardware-as-a-service model. The company takes a revenue share with partners and lets clients adjust the share based on their upfront payment. After a 2020 pivot that briefly targeted film productions, Presso has refocused on hospitality and real-estate customers and reports more than 80 bookings. The startup has developed its own greener cleaning fluid with chemical engineers and may license that fluid to third parties in the future. Presso is a small team based in Atlanta, currently with 14 employees and plans to grow to roughly 20–25 people in the next year. The new funding will be used to scale the product and expand distribution of its kiosks. Presso is an Atlanta-based startup that has developed a robotic kiosk capable of dry cleaning a garment in around five minutes. The company says its latest generation can clean and disinfect up to 150 costumes a day, a capability that has driven interest from studios as production resumes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Presso initially targeted business travelers with plans to install machines in hotel hallways and is currently piloting vending machines at midwestern hotels. The startup shifted much of its focus to film and TV production during the pandemic, and Netflix, HBO, Apple TV, FOX, Disney and Hulu have all approached the company about its technology. The company plans to spend recent funding on scaling up manufacturing and to double headcount over the next six months. Its fundraising position and studio interest position it to service production-related clothing disinfecting needs while retaining the option to refocus on hotels as travel recovers. Presso is an Indiana-based startup that builds compact dry-cleaning vending machines designed to sit in hotel hallways. Guests swipe a card and manually enter garment specifics; the kiosk then cleans and presses items in around five minutes using steam and cleaning fluids. The system uses considerably less water and electricity than traditional washing, though stains remain a blind spot and are not addressed by the machine. The company is piloting its kiosks in 16 Midwestern hotels, including several Holiday Inns, and some locations are already considering full deployment. Future updates plan to add AI and computer vision to identify clothes automatically rather than relying on user entry. So far Presso has raised $261,000, primarily from HAX, and its founders say they will seek additional fundraising later this year.