The Venture Codex

Led · Series A · Jan 2026

SkyFi is an Austin-based Earth-intelligence company offering a web platform, mobile app and developer APIs that make satellite imagery ordering and analytics simple and affordable. Its network of more than 50 imagery partners spans optical, SAR, hyperspectral and aerial data sources, enabling users in defense, energy, finance, agriculture, infrastructure, insurance and other sectors to derive actionable insights without specialized GIS expertise. The dual-use platform supports both civilian and military customers, featuring flexible ordering, transparent pricing and built-in AI analytics. In 2025 the company launched custom platforms for Vantor (formerly Maxar Intelligence), ICEYE US and Planet to provide instant access to high-resolution imagery. SkyFi was also selected for NATO’s DIANA 2026 Challenge Programme, highlighting its relevance to defense innovation. With fresh capital, the team plans to enhance its user interface, expand analytical tools and deepen partnerships with additional satellite operators to broaden its on-demand data offerings.

Participated · Series D · Jun 2025

Clearspeed develops proprietary voice analytics that identify potential risk in speech using vocal characteristics universal to humans, enabling faster decisions in high‑stakes environments. The technology was initially developed for the U.S. Department of Defense and is now used commercially by insurers, financial institutions, and government agencies. Clearspeed supports over 60 languages and is deployed in 37 countries, and the company has won more than 25 industry awards. In insurance use cases the company reports more than 30x ROI, halving claims handling time and increasing immediate payments to customers by 40%. Government customers have seen a 95% reduction in vetting cycle time and a 65% drop in investigation costs. Clearspeed says it will double down on government, defense, insurance, and banking markets, expand globally, invest in teams, and accelerate product innovation. Clearspeed develops voice analytics technology that assesses security and fraud risk with high precision and accuracy. Its platform fast-tracks low-risk transactions and alerts when additional review is needed, enabling straight-through processing at scale. The company says its technology enhances existing security and fraud processes while improving customer experience and reducing costs. Clearspeed plans rapid commercial expansion, an expanded product suite, and continued development of its technology roadmap to serve the security and financial services markets. Founded in 2016 and based in San Diego, the company has raised $50 million in total funding to date. New board and investor additions are intended to support its commercial and product growth.

Participated · Series A · Apr 2025

Respondology operates a Comment Activation Platform that delivers AI-powered social media comment moderation and intelligence. It offers two flagship products—Moderate, which protects brands in real time from toxic comments, abuse, spam, and bots; and Discover, which analyzes comment trends and sentiment to surface insights in about 30 seconds. The platform supports over 100 languages and turns unstructured comment data into strategic marketing intelligence to help brands enhance engagement and refine marketing strategies. Respondology serves over 450 brands across sports, entertainment, consumer goods, and marketing agencies, protecting over two billion followers and moderating more than 365 million comments globally. Clients report performance improvements including a 17.6% average increase in ROAS on TikTok and a 7.35% lift on Meta, along with time savings and improved brand sentiment. The company is expanding beyond moderation to provide actionable insights and plans to accelerate product development, launch a third flagship product, grow the team, and scale go-to-market efforts. Respondology operates a comment-moderation platform that removes toxic and bot comments across social platforms. Its technology supports 22 languages and removes toxic comments and spam from public view in less than a second. The platform aims to create more engaging environments for brands and followers and to improve return on ad spend for social media advertisers. The company serves 240 customers across sports, entertainment and leading consumer brands. Respondology plans to use the Series A funds to hire talent to meet global demand and to accelerate its technology and features roadmap. Led by CEO Erik Swain and based in Boulder, CO, Respondology is a Boulder Heavy Industries portfolio company.

Participated · Series B · Sep 2024

RunSafe Security offers a patented software-immunization technology that inoculates customer systems from entire classes of cyberattacks. Customers integrate the product across build tool chains without developer friction, protecting open-source software and proprietary native code. The process does not change system behavior or add system overhead. RunSafe serves customers across aerospace and defense, energy and industrial automation, transportation and autonomy, medical devices, and high tech verticals. The company has offices in McLean, VA, Huntsville, AL, and Munich, Germany, and is led by CEO Joe Saunders. RunSafe plans to use new funding to accelerate product development and expand into EMEA and APAC. RunSafe Security offers Alkemist®, a patented platform that immunizes software and third‑party binaries by deploying in DevSecOps pipelines across build and deploy toolchains. Alkemist protects firmware, operating systems, containers, virtual machines, and applications while leaving systems functionally identical but logically unique. The product originated from DARPA research and is used across enterprise customers, suppliers and manufacturers, and national security industries. RunSafe is led by CEO Joe Saunders and is based in McLean, Virginia, with an additional office in Huntsville, Alabama. The company plans to use the funding to continue expanding operations and its business reach. Financially, RunSafe has raised $2.4M in seed funding and a total of $9.8M in Series A capital to date. RunSafe Security develops Alkemist, an automated tool that hardens open source, in‑house, and third‑party binaries by applying RASP and moving target defense methods to make each system functionally identical but logically unique. Alkemist was born from a research project for the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Department of Defense and is designed to preclude exploits from spreading across devices and networks. Customers span the enterprise, suppliers and manufacturers, and national security industries, and integrate the product across build and deploy toolchains with minimal developer friction. The company is led by founder and CEO Joe Saunders and operates from McLean, Virginia, with an additional office in Huntsville, Alabama. RunSafe was a graduate of the Virginia Center for Innovative Technology’s Mach37 Cyber Accelerator (Fall 2017). The company intends to use new funding to expand sales and marketing and to broaden and accelerate product development. RunSafe Security offers a patented cyberhardening transformation process designed to stop attackers and protect vulnerable embedded systems and devices. The company serves customers across critical infrastructure, IIoT, automotive, medical, and national security industries. RunSafe is led by CEO Joe Saunders and is based in McLean, Virginia, with an additional office in Huntsville, Alabama. In May 2018 the company raised $2.4M in seed funding. It intends to use the proceeds to expand operations and broaden its business reach. The core product focuses on hardening embedded systems and devices that are commonly targeted in critical sectors.

Participated · Equity · Jan 2024

Atomic-6 develops advanced composite materials and structures for aerospace, ballistic, and hypersonic applications. The company is working on technologies including next-generation composites for hypersonic use and lightweight micrometeorite and orbital debris (MMOD) protection systems. It is also developing a deployable collapsible tubular mast boom for applications such as solar arrays on the International Space Station, lunar and Mars bases, and as bulkheads for high-performance aircraft including Group 5 UCAVs. Atomic-6 has been awarded SBIR/STTR contracts from the U.S. Air Force and Space Force to fund several of these technical projects. The company completed the Starburst Aerospace and Creative Destruction Lab–Space Stream accelerator programs. CEO Trevor Smith said the new funding will support continued R&D and commercialization of its composite technologies.