• CarbonCapture

  Participated · Series A · Mar 2024

  CarbonCapture develops and deploys modular direct air capture (DAC) machines that can be connected in large arrays to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Its patented modular open systems architecture enables plug-and-play upgrades, mass production, unlimited scalability, and rapid technology iterations. The company intends to use recent funding to continue technology development and field deployments of its DAC systems. CarbonCapture has pre-sold over $26M in carbon removal credits to customers including Microsoft, Boston Consulting Group, Alphabet, Meta, Stripe, Shopify, McKinsey & Company, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. The company is led by CEO Adrian Corless and is based in Los Angeles, CA. The Series A financing will support further deployments and product development. CarbonCapture builds DAC systems using a modular open systems architecture (MOSA) designed for plug‑and‑play upgrades, mass production, scalability, and rapid iteration. Its platform captures atmospheric CO2 for permanent removal or for use in low‑carbon synthetic fuels, concrete, and other industrial applications. The company is leading development of a megaton‑scale regional DAC hub in Southwest Wyoming and will use initial DOE funding to complete a FEED study for a 200,000 tonnes/year capture facility. Captured CO2 is planned for permanent geologic sequestration by anchor partner Frontier Carbon Solutions or as feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel production by anchor partner Twelve. The project team will also create an infrastructure plan for CO2 transport and a comprehensive community benefits plan addressing workforce development, tribal support, conservation, and local infrastructure. CarbonCapture was selected as an anchor or co‑anchor technology provider for additional DOE DAC hub projects in Arizona, California, and the Illinois Basin. CarbonCapture develops renewable-powered, modular Direct Air Capture (DAC) machines that can be connected in large arrays to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Its breakthrough enables, for the first time, the use of zeolites as the sorbent in a commercial DAC system, leveraging an inexpensive, widely manufactured molecular sieve. The machines are highly tunable — for each ton of CO2 captured they can also capture between 1 and 5 tons of pure water — and CO2 output purity can be adjusted to match different storage pathways. CarbonCapture is exclusively focused on negative emissions applications and does not use its technology to reduce smokestack emissions or support fossil-fuel production. The company is partnering with firms developing mineralization storage approaches and plans initial deployments across the U.S., starting with feasibility studies and deployments at the Tamarack Nickel Project in central Minnesota with Rio Tinto and Talon Metals. CarbonCapture was created at Idealab Studio and is building its team, manufacturing systems, and commercial partnerships in the U.S.

• UpdateAI

  Led · Equity · Jun 2023

  UpdateAI offers a ChatGPT-powered Customer Success platform that generates Smart Summaries™ of customer meeting notes and automates post-call workflows. The software uses proprietary conversational AI integrated with ChatGPT to identify and analyze critical signals for post-sales teams. It automates tasks such as sending follow-up emails and sharing notes with systems like Salesforce. Led by co-founder and CEO Josh Schachter, the product focuses on improving CS productivity today. The company says its long-term vision is to elevate the role of Customer Success teams by enabling cross-functional use of conversational data. UpdateAI intends to use the new funding to expand operations and broaden its business reach.

• Beek

  Participated · Series A · Feb 2023

  Beek began as a social book-review app and pivoted to audio in 2019 to serve Spanish speakers with long commutes and limited Spanish audio content. Its core product is a marketplace where creators publish mini‑audiobooks and premium audio, with a revenue‑share model that drives creator income and user acquisition. The platform reports an 18x increase in paying subscribers over the past two years and says 35% of creators on the marketplace earn more than their local minimum wage in their first month. User geography is roughly 60% Mexico, 10% U.S. Hispanics and 30% other Latin America; the company employs 51 people. Beek plans to use new capital to build tools to produce content at scale and to improve the listener experience so the product becomes more engaging and addictive.

• Monetize360

  Led · Seed · Oct 2021

  Monetize360 provides a no-code dynamic pricing and billing platform for sales and billing departments that automates routine financial processes and enables rapid monetization of products and services. The platform can be used as a stand-alone product or integrated with existing billing systems without advanced configuration. It includes integrations with mobile apps, tax and payment gateways, ERP and CRM systems and exposes APIs for quick integration with front-office and back-office applications. Examples of supported systems include Salesforce, Netsuite, Oracle, SAP Financial systems, Vertex, Paymentech and Stripe. The company plans to use its newly raised seed capital to accelerate growth, hiring in engineering as well as strategic marketing and sales roles. Led by CTO/founder Murali Saravu and CEO Jayaram Bhat and based in Los Altos, CA, Monetize360 raised $3.2M in seed financing to fund these initiatives.

• Energy Vault

  Participated · Series C · Aug 2021

  Energy Vault designs and deploys large-scale energy storage systems that balance electric grids and enable greater penetration of renewable power. The company already owns and operates storage facilities in Texas and California and recently added the 1 GWh Stoney Creek project in Australia to its portfolio. Beyond its operating assets, Energy Vault is advancing a roughly 3 GW pipeline of battery energy storage systems across the United States, Europe, and Australia. To house and manage its growing fleet, the company plans to establish a new subsidiary, Asset Vault, once a pending preferred equity transaction is completed. Energy Vault intends to operate as an independent power producer, supported by long-term offtake contracts that are expected to generate high-margin, recurring cash flows. The firm’s recent financings provide working capital and balance-sheet strength to accelerate project development and global expansion.

No current team members are available.