Participated · Debt Financing · May 2022

Space Perspective operates Spaceship Neptune, a pressurized capsule carried to the edge of the atmosphere by a giant SpaceBalloon™, offering a six-hour, high-altitude experience with the largest windows ever flown to space. The cabin is outfitted as a Space Lounge with plush seating, a Space Spa, world-class meal and cocktail service, Wi‑Fi, and a lavatory. The company positions itself as the world’s first carbon-neutral spaceflight experience and follows FAA regulation and guidelines established by NASA and the U.S. Coast Guard. Founded by human spaceflight veterans Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum, the engineering and operations team has decades of experience across U.S. human spacecraft development. Based on Florida’s Space Coast, Space Perspective is pursuing brand partnerships (including Mercedes‑Maybach for ground transport) and is in talks with additional brands to build an end‑to‑end luxury space lifestyle offering. The company emphasizes accessibility and a scalable space tourism model targeted at a growing pool of international ticket buyers. Space Perspective develops Spaceship Neptune, a pressurized capsule flown to the edge of space by a high‑performance SpaceBalloon to deliver a six‑hour, low‑G luxury spaceflight with large panoramic windows and a customizable Space Lounge. The company positions the product as an accessible, hospitality‑focused experience with in‑flight amenities and an Experience Curator advising on end‑to‑end guest journeys. Commercial flights are targeted to begin in late 2024; the company says the first year of seats is completely reserved and it is taking reservations for 2025 and beyond. Tickets are priced at $125,000 per person with fully refundable deposits starting at $1,000 and the option to pay via cryptocurrency. Space Perspective says its human spaceflight launches are regulated by the FAA Office of Commercial Spaceflight and has located a worldwide campus and manufacturing complex at Florida’s Space Coast Spaceport adjacent to Kennedy Space Center. The company has assembled a senior team of industry veterans and plans to hire about 240 full‑time employees by the end of 2026; it has raised more than $65 million to date, including the most recent financing. Space Perspective builds a pressurized capsule lifted by a large stratospheric balloon to carry paying customers to roughly 20 miles above Earth for six-hour flights. The company markets a premium, flight-like experience with Wi‑Fi, a bar, and no special training required. It has collected 475 reservations, each secured by deposits of $10,000–$25,000, for seats priced at $125,000. The firm completed an uncrewed, unpressurized full‑size capsule simulator launch from the Space Coast Spaceport in Florida and plans additional uncrewed tests followed by a piloted test flight in 2023. Commercial service is targeted for late 2024, with capsule splashdowns and ship recoveries similar to NASA and SpaceX procedures. Space Perspective is led and was founded by husband‑and‑wife co‑CEOs Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum. Space Perspective is developing Spaceship Neptune, a pressurized passenger capsule carried by an ultra-high-altitude balloon to the edge of space. Neptune is designed to carry up to eight passengers on a six-hour journey that includes roughly two hours at the upper edge of Earth’s atmosphere and concludes with a water landing in the Atlantic Ocean. The company targeted a first test flight at the end of Q1 2021 using an uncrewed prototype that will not have the pressurized cabin of the final version. From there it plans to test and develop systems necessary to carry human passengers by around 2024, with ticket pre-sales launching from 2021 aimed at deep-pocketed customers. The company was founded by Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum, who previously founded stratospheric balloon company World View. Space Perspective has raised a $7 million seed round from investors including Prime Movers Lab and Base Ventures.

Led · Series B · Nov 2021

Violet Defense Group is a Florida-based advanced photonics parent company to Violet Defense (UV disinfection) and Violet Gro (agricultural lighting) that leverages patented technology to improve health and indoor growing. Violet Defense produces pulsed xenon UV disinfection systems the company says can kill up to 99.9% of various pathogens and can be installed full-time in rooms for continuous disinfection. Violet Gro designs patented indoor‑ag lighting that aims to produce more light and less heat, lowering energy costs and improving plant growth. The company plans R&D and product investments including next‑generation Violet Gro lighting and an ag‑tech research facility in partnership with Colorado Mesa University. Violet Defense will launch a third‑generation universal voltage UV disinfection solution and develop a new UV platform called Violet Vision. Violet Defense Group intends to expand internationally via channel and technology partnerships across South America, Europe, Australia, and Asia and will continue building out its senior leadership team to support growth; it completed a $20 million Series B in November 2021 to fund these initiatives. Violet Defense Group, based in Orlando, Florida, is an advanced photonics company that develops patented ultraviolet lighting technology used for germ-killing (Violet Defense) and agricultural lighting (Violet Gro). Its Surface and Air Germ Elimination (S.A.G.E.) devices, which can be deployed mobile or permanently installed, use full-spectrum UV technology that the company says has been shown to kill up to 99.9% of harmful bacteria and viruses, including norovirus, according to the EPA. Products are being used in operating rooms, hotels, schools, ambulances, food-processing facilities, and athletic facilities, and the company has announced collaborations with Siemens and the Orlando Magic plus a distribution partnership with Puro Lighting. Most recently Violet Defense is working with Koch Industries in a design collaboration to address PPE and mask issues associated with the COVID-19 crisis. Demand for its virus-killing UV solutions increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the company plans to use proceeds from its Series A to rapidly ramp manufacturing capacity, expand its management team, and invest in next-generation and international products. Violet Defense has now raised more than $10 million in venture funding, with the vast majority provided by Kirenaga Partners, which led the Series A. Violet Defense Group commercializes a patented germ‑killing light technology through its S.A.G.E. (Surface & Air Germ Elimination) UV product line, which deploys pulsed Xenon UV across devices from the Micro to the high‑powered UV Bolt mobile unit. Independent third‑party testing cited in the article shows the technology can kill up to 99.9% of bacteria and viruses, including E. coli, Salmonella, Norovirus, and MRSA. The S.A.G.E. products are designed for continuous, full‑time installation and can operate autonomously or integrate with building automation systems to disinfect unoccupied rooms, targeting markets such as schools, hotels, restaurants, assisted living facilities, and commercial offices. Violet Gro, the company’s recently launched agricultural lighting business, applies the same patented discovery to produce energy‑efficient LED grow lights with a unique lens material and low operating temperatures; the company is researching targeted UV wavelengths to enhance plant responses and control pests and mold. The company plans to use new capital to ramp commercialization across both operating companies and to pursue additional certifications required for international expansion, including into European markets. Financially, the company has raised over $1.8 million in its current $3.0 million round, bringing total investment to date to just over $4.0 million.

Led · Seed · Feb 2019

ecoSPEARS designs and develops green and sustainable remediation technologies that extract and eliminate PFAS, PCBs, dioxins, 1,4‑dioxane and other persistent toxins from the environment forever. The company is the exclusive licensee of sustainable environmental remediation technologies developed by NASA. ecoSPEARS was founded in 2017 and is based in Orlando, Florida. It focuses on scalable, net‑zero remediation solutions for soil and water and seeks to expand its commercial reach through partnerships and programs. Recently the company was selected for the Ocean Impact Organisation’s 2023 Accelerator Program and will receive a $50,000 investment plus six months of mentorship and professional support. That collaboration is intended to expose ecoSPEARS to a community of ocean impact investors and help accelerate business expansion through the program’s network. Based in Orlando, Fla., ecoSPEARS develops sustainable remediation technologies that extract and eliminate persistent toxins from contaminated sediment, soil, and water without transporting hazardous waste to landfills or incinerators. Its core products target a range of legacy and emerging contaminants, including PFAS, PCBs, dioxins and 1,4‑dioxane, with a focus on destroying contaminants rather than relocating them. The company positions its solutions as cost‑effective and scalable, intended to give polluted land and waterways a second chance at life. ecoSPEARS says the technologies support a net‑zero future for environmental remediation and prioritize impacts on underserved communities. The company plans to scale its green remediation capabilities globally and to expand its technology suite to address additional “forever chemicals” such as PFOA and related contaminants. No operating metrics or financing amounts were disclosed in the article. ecoSPEARS, led by Co-Founder and CEO Serg Albino, develops NASA-patented green remediation technologies for removing and destroying toxic contaminants in environmental media. Its core offering extracts PCBs, PBDE, DDT, PAHs, dioxins and other toxins from soil, sediment, leachate and groundwater. After extraction the company’s proprietary green chemical process destroys the toxins and associated future liabilities permanently. The company completed its initial $2M seed funding round to support continued expansion. ecoSPEARS intends to use the funds to expand operations and scale the business. The company is based in Orlando, Florida.