Led · Seed · Aug 2026

Riven Systems was founded to rethink industrial chemistry design using density functional theory (DFT), AI, and autonomous experimentation to design highly selective ligands for separations in critical minerals processing. The team includes co-founders Orion Archer Cohen and Kurt (Chip) Breitenkamp and has built an autonomous lab in New York City. Riven says it is hiring across computational, experimental, and engineering sciences to grow its founding team. Financially, the company announced a $7.9 million financing led by Cerberus Ventures, participation from several VC firms, and a DOE Genesis Mission grant. New System Ventures incubated the company and acted as an early backer through its partners. Riven positions itself to address bottlenecks in critical minerals supply chains by accelerating development and deployment of chemistry solutions.

Participated · Series A · Jul 2026

Hephae Energy Technology develops ultrahigh-temperature robotics, including drilling systems designed to enable precise well positioning for geothermal projects by overcoming temperature and reliability limitations of conventional drilling tools. Its technology aims to access deeper, hotter rock to support expanded geothermal energy development and to increase drilling speed and reliability. The company is led by CEO Steve Krase and is based in Houston, TX. Financially, Hephae has now raised a total of $24.7M following its $17.8M Series A. The newly raised funds are intended to accelerate commercial deployment of its advanced drilling systems and move the company toward broader market commercialization.

Led · Seed · Aug 2025

Pearl Edison is a Detroit startup that partners with utilities and local governments to drive home energy-efficiency upgrades. The company builds white‑labeled websites for utility partners, runs outreach campaigns to sign up customers, and uses multiple data sources to design jobs and generate guaranteed prices. After an initial software design, Pearl Edison dispatches workers to verify conditions in the field before finalizing plans, then sends vetted contractors to complete installations. It earns revenue on the installs themselves and estimates most jobs will cost less than its quoted price. Pearl Edison says homeowners save money because installers don’t need to spend time acquiring customers. The company already has programs with two utilities (DT Energy and Duquesne Light) and the city of Ann Arbor, and the CEO said it will add two more utilities this year. Financially, the company recently closed a seed fundraise to support growth.

Participated · Series B · Apr 2025

Crux operates a finance platform focused on tax-driven investments and broader financing solutions—including debt, preferred equity, and tax equity—for clean and critical infrastructure. The company deploys hybrid partnership flip structures to monetize tax credits and reports hybrid tax equity now represents more than 75% of tax equity investments in its market data. Since launching its tax and preferred equity offering, Crux says it has executed more than $1 billion in signed term sheets and issued more than $9 billion in indications of interest. Publicly announced transactions include a $340 million tax equity investment supporting a 413 MWdc utility-scale solar project in Texas. Crux describes itself as using market-leading data and an AI-powered platform to underwrite and execute deals across a diversified pipeline. The $500 million facility from Nuveen EIC is intended to scale Crux’s ability to act as a general partner and accelerate clean energy deployment amid rising electricity demand.

Participated · Series B · Nov 2024

MetOx manufactures high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wire using proprietary processes to produce its scalable, high-performance Xeus™ wire. The company's Xeus wire targets applications in renewable energy, fusion energy, high-field magnets, and electrification of the power grid. MetOx is expanding its Houston, Texas production line to scale large‑scale production of Xeus wire. The company emphasizes building domestic manufacturing capacity to advance grid modernization and create quality manufacturing jobs. MetOx has partnered with Elemental Impact to accelerate production and deployment of its HTS technology. MetOx develops High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) technology and is focused on scaling domestic HTS manufacturing capacity. The company plans to build additional high-capacity HTS manufacturing facilities in the U.S. to improve production efficiency, scale, and supply-chain security. MetOx positions its technology for power transmission, grid expansion, renewable energy, hyperscale data centers, AI applications, and fusion energy. The company is partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy and strategic investors to advance clean-technology manufacturing. Its recent financing activity and an $80 million DOE grant are intended to accelerate manufacturing scale-up, job creation, and a more resilient HTS supply chain. MetOx is headquartered in Houston and emphasizes domestic production to meet surging market demand. MetOx International develops and manufactures high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wire using proprietary production technologies. Led by CEO Bud Vos, the company is accelerating manufacturing scale-up to supply HTS solutions across energy transmission, wind power, fusion energy, medical applications, aerospace, and defense. MetOx leverages its proprietary production methods to deliver lightweight, high-power solutions aimed at enhancing energy infrastructure and supporting emerging applications. The company intends to use new capital to expand operations and advance its development efforts. Financially, MetOx has closed a $25M Series B extension to support that scale-up. The funding is intended to help the company commercialize and scale its manufacturing capabilities for a range of high-demand HTS markets. MetOx Technologies manufactures high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wire using an enhanced and patented manufacturing process. The company is based in Houston, Texas and sells large quantities of HTS at prices intended to support widespread adoption. Proceeds from a recently completed $23 million Series A will be used to construct an advanced production facility expected to produce approximately 1,200 kilometres per year of HTS wire, roughly doubling 2020’s global supply of magnet wire. MetOx says its production system targets a cost-effective, scalable supply to address current shortages as mainstream use of superconductors grows. Management highlights applications including grid expansion, compact fusion, and powerful new medical devices among other uses. Fort Capital Partners acted as financial advisor for the Series A.