Participated · Series A · Aug 2023

Pico MES offers a no-code, remote software platform that digitizes shop-floor processes and connects machines, tools, and people via an open API. The product measures shop-floor processes and digitizes assembly lines to create continuous digital data streams. Since its launch in 2019, Pico MES has integrated 10,000 processes from over 700 workstations and connected more than 1,900 devices, and has been deployed in dozens of factories serving Tier 1, 2, and 3 OEM suppliers in the EV, aerospace, and battery industries. Led by CEO Ryan Kuhlenbeck, the company plans to use new funding to bolster U.S. green infrastructure, empower mid-sized factories, and replace outdated manual methods. Its platform is designed to be integrated across supply chains supporting OEMs in capital-intensive sectors. The company raised $12.35M in Series A financing to support those efforts. Pico MES offers an interactive MES platform aimed at small and midsize factories, with a no-code device library and IoT network to simplify machine connectivity and monitoring. The product includes low-cost IoT hardware, pre-built integrations, and error-proofing that can automatically stop tools when problems arise. Pico consolidates documentation and workflows into digital twins that record intended versus actual production steps and surface actionable continuous-improvement feedback. The company says its software can be deployed in as little as a day and targets the roughly 90% of small and midsize factories that lack an MES; it notes 98.6% of U.S. manufacturers have fewer than 500 employees and produce over $3 trillion in goods annually. Pico has 22 employees and expects headcount to increase by 30–50% by year end. Management plans future work to support AR/VR and advanced robotics and will expand features such as an automated business-intelligence platform and scope 3 emissions tracking.

Participated · Series A · Oct 2021

Rhombus is a Sacramento, CA-based leader in cloud-managed physical security. The company offers a complete hardware-software solution that combines smart security cameras, access control, connected IoT sensors, alarm monitoring, and an intuitive cloud-managed console on an open platform. Rhombus supports an ecosystem of over 40 integrations and provides an open API to route data to other critical systems. Led by CEO Garrett Larsson, the company positions its platform to help users see, understand, and respond to critical operational events. Rhombus recently raised $45M in a Series C, bringing total funding to over $90M, and plans to use the proceeds to expand its go-to-market strategy and enhance product capabilities. NightDragon will join the board through Managing Director Morgan Kyauk, signaling investor involvement in governance. Rhombus Systems offers smart security cameras and IoT sensors that are managed from a single pane of glass via the Rhombus Console. Its devices come online in minutes without complex configuration and provide live video, shareable footage, and AI-powered alerts accessible through web and mobile. The product is deployed in over 10,000 locations worldwide across industries including school districts, healthcare providers, city governments, and Fortune 500 companies. The company is led by CEO Garrett Larsson and is based in Sacramento, CA. Rhombus said it will use new funding to expand R&D initiatives and build out its sales team. As of the round, the company has raised more than $20M in total funding.

Participated · Series A · Jun 2021

Scythe builds the M.52, an electric robotic mower purpose-built for commercial landscapers to autonomously mow large-scale properties such as corporate campuses, parks, sports fields, and HOA complexes. The M.52 is engineered to handle steep slopes, tough terrain and the rough treatment of daily commercial operations, including loading, unloading and jumping curbs. The company began delivering the mower to customers in Texas late last year and has started deliveries in Florida. Scythe has 7,500 existing reservations and will use the new funding in part to fulfill those orders. The company is just over 50 people and plans to hire dozens more across engineering, manufacturing and customer teams over the next 12 months. To-date funding is north of $60 million following the new round. Scythe Robotics develops an autonomous, all‑electric commercial mower offered through a Robot‑as‑a‑Service (RaaS) rental model that charges customers based on acres mowed. The mower features eight HDR cameras and a suite of sensors to avoid people, animals and obstacles while collecting data to improve efficiency. The company positions itself as a technology partner for commercial landscape contractors to help them operate emissions‑free and grow their businesses. Scythe plans to use funding to increase headcount in its Colorado, Texas and Florida offices, continue R&D on additional products, and expand customer deployment. Founded in 2018 and based in Boulder, Colorado, the startup has raised a total of $18.6 million to date.

Participated · Series B · May 2021

Path Robotics, founded in 2023 by brothers Andy and Alex Lonsberry, develops AI-enabled robotic welding cells. It offers two products: the AW-3 Robotic Welding Cell, capable of handling parts up to 70 feet long, and the AF-1 Robotic Welding Cell, which can pick, fit, and weld parts without human intervention. Both systems leverage vision systems, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to autonomously weld steel parts and are deployed in fabrication shops across the US and in Canada. The company raised $100M in venture capital funding and intends to use the proceeds to expand operations and its development efforts. Path Robotics had previously received venture backing totalling $170M. Path Robotics builds robotic welding systems that use imaging and proprietary AI to enable robots to sense, understand and adapt to unique welding projects. The company positions its technology as a response to a longstanding shortage of skilled welders, citing an American Welding Society study projecting a U.S. shortage of roughly 400,000 welders by 2024. Path raised $100 million in a pre-emptive Series C led by Tiger Global with participation from Silicon Valley Bank, bringing total funding to $171 million after a $56 million Series B announced two and a half months earlier. Leadership emphasizes robots that "see and learn," and the firm plans to leverage its imaging and AI stack to expand beyond welding into construction robotics and related modular applications. The article does not detail specific new products or timelines, but investors and the CEO suggest the core technology could be adopted for many other manufacturing and construction use cases. The fresh capital is framed as a catalyst for growth and broader product expansion in flexible, adaptable industrial robotics. Path Robotics develops autonomous welding systems that combine scanning, computer vision and AI to adapt to different parts and handle highly reflective metals. Its robots adjust to imperfectly sized parts rather than simply repeating preprogrammed motions. The company says it is addressing a projected shortage in the welding workforce—the American Welding Society estimates a shortfall of about 400,000 welders by 2024. Path also cites pandemic-driven interest in localized manufacturing as reinforcing demand for automation. CEO Andrew Lonsberry framed the company’s mission as creating robots that understand their environment and improve themselves. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio and, after the recent round, has raised a total of $71 million.

Participated · Equity · Mar 2021

FORT Robotics provides a Robotics Control Platform that delivers safety, security, and dynamic control for intelligent machines and autonomous systems. The company serves over 500 customers with an estimated 12,000 units deployed and holds 27 patents. FORT’s product roadmap focuses on enhancing existing products with new communication protocols, API integrations, and expanded international compliance. It plans to build next-generation safety capabilities, including critical data analytics and comprehensive safety solutions tailored to physical AI. Target industries include warehousing, agriculture, construction, autonomous vehicles, defense, factory automation, and humanoid robotics. Founded in 2018 and based in Philadelphia, FORT positions itself as an enabler for large-scale deployments of autonomous systems across global worksites. Fort builds software to make industrial robots safer around people while protecting them from cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Its FORT Platform fuses functional safety and cybersecurity principles to enable timely, accurate, and secure communication to, from, and between machines over any network. The platform has been adopted by robotics makers including Agility, Hexagon and Moog. The company is Philadelphia-based. Fort announced a $25 million Series B led by Tiger Global, bringing total funding to $41.5 million including a $13 million raise in March 2021 from investors such as Prime Movers Lab and Mark Cuban. The company says the new funds will be used to further deploy its safety systems and scale to meet demand from the next generation of smart machines. Fort Robotics develops safety software for collaborative robots and other autonomous systems, addressing cybersecurity vulnerabilities, system failures, and potential human error. Its platform targets a wide range of verticals, including warehouse fulfillment, manufacturing, delivery, and transportation. The company says it currently works with 100 companies across these categories. Fort positions its product to enable safer deployment of mobile automation across industries. Company leadership says additional investment will allow rapid scaling to capitalize on growing automation trends. The recent fundraising is intended to support that expansion.