Participated · Seed · May 2026

NavigateAI offers an AI copilot service built to support field workers, contractors, and tradespeople in industries such as construction, real estate, data center development, and property management. Its platform provides real-time AI upskilling and coaching, AI-driven quality control and inspection using smartphone or wearable cameras, an on-demand knowledge base for codes and manuals, AI project scoping for scopes of work and materials lists, and video capture with synchronized site insights and action-item logging. Customers mentioned include Lennar, Roofstock, AIM and Tishman Speyer. The company is led by CEO Eric Wu and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Following the $25M financing, NavigateAI plans to expand operations and increase development efforts.

Participated · Series B · Oct 2021

Cover manufactures fully complete wall, floor and roof panels in a factory and transports and assembles them onsite without a crane. Its builds use lightweight steel frames, aluminum ceilings, rubber-composite panels, real wood and composite floors, and LEED-certified windows to improve energy efficiency. The company places plumbing and electrical wiring in the ceiling to simplify future modifications and reduce dependence on scarce trades. Cover currently offers single-story units up to 1,200 sq ft with all-permit, foundation and home pricing (examples: about $200K for a 400-sq-ft studio, $250K for a 600-sq-ft one-bedroom, up to $500K for a 1,200-sq-ft three-bedroom). It says it can install a building within 30 days after foundation completion, down from a prior 120-day promise, and offers a 100% money-back permit guarantee, a lifetime structural warranty and a one-year warranty for other elements. The company has built roughly 20 backyard homes so far and is expanding manufacturing capacity by moving into a 100,000-square-foot factory from a 25,000-square-foot warehouse to enable larger, multilevel and multifamily units. Cover builds software that guides homeowners through a 50–100 question survey to determine what kind of accessory dwelling unit they are permitted to build and then generates custom design options. The company sells prefab backyard studio plans and aims to produce demo units and prefabricated studios for early customers. Cover charges users $250 to generate designs and has not yet finalized pricing for manufacturing and installation. Its units are made from steel, bamboo and other ecologically sourced materials. CEO and co-founder Alexis Rivas says the startup’s mission is to make well‑designed, energy‑efficient housing affordable and accessible. At present, its prefab homes and plans are available only to Los Angeles residents.

Participated · Series B · Feb 2021

Dandelion Energy is an Arlington, VA–based home geothermal company led by CEO Dan Yates. The company recently launched the Dandelion Geo heat pump, which delivers high heating performance. Dandelion positions itself to empower modern homeowners and home builders to adopt premium, emissions-free heating without a premium price tag. It plans a two-pronged nationwide expansion: distributing its heat pump technology to installers and homeowners, and implementing large projects for production home builders and multifamily developers. Financially, the company completed a $40M Series C and previously raised $70M in a Series B1 in 2022. Founder Kathy Hannun was included on CNBC’s inaugural Changemakers List and the company added Lauren Howard as Chief Revenue Officer in 2024. Dandelion Energy builds and installs residential geothermal heat pump systems that include wifi-enabled monitoring to help homeowners replace fossil-fuel heating and cooling. The company focuses on making geothermal accessible and affordable for modern homeowners. Led by CEO Michael Sachse, Dandelion targets both retrofit and new-construction markets. It plans to use recent funding to expand those markets and to develop a broader range of products to serve more customers and geographies. The company has completed its 1,000th geothermal installation, an operating milestone cited in the article. Dandelion Energy develops and installs geothermal heating and cooling systems for homes, aiming to reduce carbon emissions and remove reliance on purchased heating fuel. The company aligns federal, state, and utility incentives so homeowners can upgrade to geothermal for less than their current heating and cooling costs. Led by CEO Michael Sachse and based in Peekskill, N.Y., Dandelion has built a virtual sales and design process and expanded operations into Connecticut. In 2020 the company surpassed 100,000 tons of carbon emissions avoided. Dandelion intends to use the new funds to expand operations further while continuing to invest in research and development. Its total funding after the raise stands at $65M. Dandelion Energy sells affordable residential geothermal heating and cooling systems intended to replace gas, oil, propane, and electric heat. The company began at Alphabet’s X lab and launched as an independent business in New York City in May 2017; it now operates out of New York City and Upstate New York. Over the past year Dandelion tripled its customer base and employee headcount, and it cites product‑market fit as it scales operations. The company plans to expand operations and further invest in research and development to support continued growth and innovation. Dandelion’s mission is to enable widespread adoption of geothermal by delivering a cost‑effective, fossil‑free home heating and cooling product. Leadership changes include Michael Sachse being named CEO while co‑founder Kathy Hannun transitions to President to focus on product innovation. Dandelion Energy develops smaller-scale geothermal heating and cooling systems for residential homes, using a compact drilling approach that enables one-day installations. Its heat pump is a connected device with about 60 sensors to monitor performance and enable proactive alerts. Installations cost roughly $20,000–$25,000, with the company claiming homeowners can save about $35,000 over 20 years; roughly 50% of customers finance installations. Dandelion has accrued a waitlist of “thousands” of homeowners and currently offers services only in New York. The company plans to use new funding for R&D, hiring, opening warehouses for equipment and supplies, and business development to expand beyond its current market. Kathy Hannun is the CEO and the company spun out from Alphabet X in May 2017.

Participated · Series E · Jul 2020

Hippo Enterprises builds modern home insurance products with an efficient online purchase experience, smart‑home device kits included with eligible policies, and expanded coverage for possessions like appliances, electronics, and home offices. The company positions itself as a modern alternative for homeowners by leveraging trusted data sources and analytics. Hippo Insurance Services is a licensed property casualty insurance agent with products underwritten by various insurers, and Hippo’s Insurance Company is licensed in all 50 states and rated A‑ (Excellent) by A.M. Best. Hippo’s products are available to over 70 percent of U.S. homeowners today, and the company plans to expand availability to reach 95 percent of the U.S. homeowners population in the next year. The recent capital infusion is intended to support that state roll‑out and to provide additional capital for Hippo’s insurance and reinsurance companies. Hippo provides home insurance products that are bundled with a smart-home device kit and include coverage for possessions such as appliances, electronics and home offices. Its insurance products are available to more than 70% of U.S. homeowners and Hippo Insurance Services is a licensed property-casualty insurance agent with policies underwritten by various insurers. The company has offices in Palo Alto, Austin and Dallas and is led by co-founder and CEO Assaf Wand. Over the past 12 months Hippo grew total written premiums to $270 million, a 140% year-over-year increase. The company plans to use the new funding to accelerate expansion, make key hires, invest in its technology operations and pursue a proposed acquisition of a national insurance carrier. Hippo offers homeowners online quotes, the ability to purchase home insurance, and ‘smart’ coverage that protects possessions like appliances, consumer electronics and home offices. Its platform uses data-driven pricing and real-time underwriting that analyze public datasets—from municipal building records to satellite imagery—to profile properties and tailor quotes. The company has built a partner distribution network including homebuilders, lenders and connected-home brands such as Lennar, Better.com, First American Property & Casualty Insurance Company and Xfinity. Hippo operates from Palo Alto and also maintains offices in Dallas and Austin, Texas. The company raised a $100M Series D in 2019, bringing total funding to $209M, and plans to use the capital to expand its geographic footprint, deepen its direct-to-consumer product portfolio, and grow its distribution network. Hippo is a tech-enabled home insurance marketplace that sells home insurance plans, aiming for lower premiums through automated underwriting and proprietary policy management. The company was founded in 2015 and launched to consumers in 2017. Hippo plans to use the new funding to fuel product growth and geographic expansion. So far this year it has expanded into 11 new states and reports sales growing 30% month-over-month since January. Hippo has raised $109 million to date, including a $25 million Series B earlier this year; the company’s valuation was not disclosed. Hippo offers an online home-insurance platform that emphasizes speed and customer experience, claiming it can sign customers up in about 60 seconds. Its policies are underwritten by established insurance carriers while Hippo collects a commission on sold plans. The product expands coverage beyond standard policies to include items such as service-line failures and broken appliances. Hippo is currently licensed to sell policies in California, Arizona and Texas. The company was founded three years ago and has pursued venture funding to scale its product and distribution. Investors and executives describe Hippo as a cheaper, more streamlined alternative to traditional insurers with strong distribution partnerships.

Participated · Series E · Jun 2020

Sonder provides stylish, fully furnished apartments and short- to long-term rentals outfitted by an in-house design team, with most units offering kitchens and in-unit laundry and app-based check-in, service requests, and local tips. The company emphasizes contact-free service and flexible pricing aimed at month-plus stays and launched an extended-stay initiative in March to meet rising demand. Sonder manages its own supply chain—pre-vetted furniture assortments, merchandising and sourcing teams, and company warehouses—to maintain consistent design quality and enable rapid installation and shipping to properties. During the pandemic Sonder reported occupancy rates of about 80%, which the company says is significantly above the industry average. It implemented elevated cleaning and safety standards based on WHO and CDC guidance with input from the Cleveland Clinic. The company has used recent fundraising to continue growing thoughtfully and adding new properties. Sonder operates and leases hotel‑style properties and serviced apartments that are furnished and include curated furniture, art, essentials, and phone/text concierge support. Its spaces feature dining areas, living spaces and extra bedrooms designed for travel and urban living. The company currently manages over $2.3 billion of projects spanning mixed‑use, residential, serviced apartment, apart‑hotel and hotel assets across many cities including San Francisco, New York, London and others. Founded in 2012 and co‑founded by CEO Francis Davidson and Lucas Pellan, Sonder operates thousands of spaces. The company intends to use new funding to expand operations. Following the recent round the firm was valued at over $1 billion. Sonder directly maintains and offers well-designed apartments for living that include kitchens, large spaces and services such as maid scheduling and mini-bar menus. Each apartment is uniquely customized to reflect its neighborhood environment. The company operates properties in Boston, London, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, New Orleans, New York City, Miami and Montreal. Co-founded in 2014 by Francis Davidson and Lucas Pellan, Sonder is headquartered in San Francisco. The company has hosted more than 200,000 guests and was on track to reach $100M in revenue in 2018. At the time of the article it had raised $135M in total funding. Sonder is a peer-to-peer “hometel” rental service that manages a collection of houses, condos, apartments and boats for travelers. Each hometel must meet an accuracy checklist before joining the collection and bookings are instantly confirmed. The company provides 24/7 customer support and concierge services via email, phone and Facebook Messenger, addressing guest requests within minutes. At launch Sonder offered more than 500 hometels across six cities (Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Montreal and Vancouver). It planned to expand into Miami, New York, San Francisco and Toronto later that year. Sonder raised $10M in a Series A (bringing total funding to $15M) and intends to use the funds to expand into new cities, enhance the guest experience and onboard key hires. The company is led by CEO and co-founder Francis Davidson and is based in Montreal and San Francisco.