Participated · Series A · Feb 2023

Nalu Bio is a biotech company creating chemistry-based cannabinoids for the consumer and pharmaceutical markets. Its platform generates molecularly identical versions of naturally occurring cannabinoids (CBD, THCV, CBN, CBC, CBG) that are sustainable and free from contaminants found in hemp-extracted cannabinoids. The company intends to use recent funding to accelerate growth and scale production of cannabinoids for consumer products and therapeutics. Nalu Bio was founded in 2019 and is led by CEO Caitlyn Krebs. It is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. The company's technology targets both consumer product and therapeutic applications. Nalu Bio develops next-generation cannabinoid ingredients via a chemistry-based proprietary synthesis platform that produces ultra-pure, consistently performing cannabinoids without contamination risks associated with hemp extraction. The platform is scalable and designed to meet anticipated market expansion, supplying global retail and pharmaceutical markets. The company emphasizes research- and evidence-based cannabinoids and operates with a team of chemists and scientists focused on transparency and quality. Nalu Bio positions its products as free from THC, heavy metals, and pesticides, aiming for wide accessibility and high quality. Leadership highlights a commitment to rigorous standards when partnering with investors and scaling operations.

Participated · Series B · Aug 2021

Data Gumbo is a smart contract solution provider that leverages distributed ledger technology and real‑time IIoT sensor data to trigger confirmation and payment automation. The company launched a Smart Contract Marketplace housing over forty smart contract templates ready for deployment. Its smart contract network has grown to more than 180 enterprise participants. By automating invoice validation and contractual confirmations, Data Gumbo aims to streamline back‑office processes, improve cash flow certainty, and reduce transactional friction. Although it started in the energy sector, the company already sees applicability in bulk commodity haulage, trucking, and shipping and plans to expand into other global industries. The company recently closed a $4M Series C equity round to support that expansion and continued adoption. Data Gumbo provides GumboNet, an industrial smart contract network that automates and executes contracts with integrated real-time capabilities to reduce contract leakage and enable real-time cash and financial management. The platform delivers provenance, speed, accuracy, visibility and transparency across commercial relationships. The company also offers GumboNet ESG, an automated sustainability measurement solution that ties operational data to ESG standards reporting for industrial supply chains. Data Gumbo plans to scale its network to meet demand for GumboNet and GumboNet ESG and to establish a presence in the Middle East. The company more than doubled in size in 2020, expanded its executive team, built a customer pipeline and added strategic partnerships into new industries. Total funding to date is $18.4 million after closing the Series B. Data Gumbo provides GumboNet™, a massively interconnected industrial blockchain network that powers, automates and executes smart contracts to reduce contract leakage and improve cash and financial management. The network targets oil & gas and adjacent asset-heavy industries including construction, mining and manufacturing, and it delivers provenance and transactional certainty. The company plans to use new capital to mature GumboNet, support global expansion, and make key hires to meet growing demand and sales pipeline growth. Data Gumbo reported a first close of its Series B and has raised $14.8 million in funding to date. The company is headquartered in Houston and maintains a subsidiary office in Stavanger, Norway. Data Gumbo offers a Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform that creates a massively interconnected blockchain network for industrial companies, including oil and gas, to reduce disputes over payments, filings and audits. Its platform facilitates automated calculation, reconciliation and payment of invoice line items in near real time with full transparency. The company is led by CEO Andrew Bruce and operates from a Houston headquarters with an office in Stavanger, Norway. Data Gumbo positions its product to eliminate differences in interpretation of data that cause delays and disputes in industrial commercial transactions. The firm intends to use new capital to expand its commercial blockchain network and to grow technical, sales and marketing teams at its Houston and Stavanger offices. Financially, the company completed a $6M Series A equity round, bringing total funding to $9.3M.

Participated · Seed · Apr 2021

DignifiHealth offers a suite of healthcare products built on a proprietary big-data intelligence platform, including telehealth, pharmacy benefit management, chronic care management, and remote patient monitoring. The company was established in 2020 by Dr. Dino Beckett, Richard Queen, and Randall Ussery in Williamson, West Virginia. It combines digital health technologies to support care delivery and benefits management across multiple services. DignifiHealth intends to use its newly raised capital to hire key team members and expand its delivery capabilities. The company plans to scale the delivery of its product suite nationally. Its recent seed financing provides initial funding to support that growth push.

Participated · Equity · Mar 2021

Porter Road operates a whole-animal butchery that sources pasture-raised lamb, beef, pork, chicken and sausages from local farms and ships them direct-to-consumer across the U.S. The company bought its own slaughterhouse in 2015 and expanded to e-commerce in 2018, building both a retail shop in East Nashville and wholesale relationships with restaurants. Porter Road emphasizes animal utilization, sustainable production, and transparency around farming and processing practices. The business is expanding operations in Princeton, Kentucky with a new USDA processing facility that will be 4.5 times larger and is expected to create 80 jobs. Product expansion plans include cooking tallow and fats and cross-cut bones for bone marrow dishes. Management highlighted operational controls during COVID-19 that limited outbreaks at its facilities. The company positions itself to scale sustainable agriculture and pasture-raised meat through DTC, its Nashville shop, and broader wholesale distribution. Porter Road is an online, whole-animal butcher shop founded by trained chefs and butchers Chris Carter and James Peisker. The company works directly with sustainable local farmers to raise animals to strict specifications and meticulously processes meats in its own facility in Kentucky. Porter Road ships products directly to consumers in biodegradable packaging. The company intends to use recent funding to expand operations, deepen relationships with its farmers, and continue providing a platform that encourages open, honest dialogue about the evolving food ecosystem. Porter Road is based in Nashville, Tennessee. In May 2018 the company secured $3.7M in seed funding.

Led · Series A · Dec 2020

Pure Watercraft is a Seattle-based company that designs and builds zero-emission, all-electric outboard motors and electric boats and has been developing the technology since 2011. The company has produced efficient, low-maintenance outboards for a variety of boats, including bass boats and rigid inflatable boats. At CES 2022 it unveiled an all-electric pontoon boat with a top speed of 23 mph, capacity for up to 10 people, and options for single or twin Pure Outboard motors paired with a GM battery pack of up to 66 kWh. Pricing starts at about $45,000 for a single-outboard configuration and $60,000 for twin outboards; pre-orders are being accepted and first deliveries are expected in late 2022. General Motors made a strategic $150 million investment for a 25% stake, valuing the company at roughly $600 million and providing a close automotive partner for battery technology. CEO Andy Rebele said the pontoon targets a booming social-recreation market by offering quieter, maintenance-free boating at prices comparable to conventional pontoons. Pure Watercraft develops electric outboard motor systems that deliver the propulsion equivalent of up to 50 HP gas outboards. Its proprietary thermally-managed lithium-ion battery pack is designed for high performance and long life and is said to have the most energy for its weight of any marine battery—about the same as the Tesla Model 3. Customers can buy drop-in replacement motor systems or complete boat packages through purewatercraft.com, including rigid inflatable boats from Highfield Boats, fishing and pontoon boats from Bass Pro Shops, and coaching launches from Still Water Design. The company aims to expand adoption of its solutions and grow its team using new funding. Pure Watercraft was founded in April 2011 and is led by CEO Andy Rebele.