Participated · Series A · Mar 2024

HarvestX develops an automated strawberry cultivation solution that combines robotics, AI, optimized racks and cultivation recipes to automate plant management and pollination. Its core product is the HarvestX system centered on the XV3 pollination robot, composed of an XV3 Cart and XV3 Unit for sensing and robotic work. The company says XV3 achieved the world’s first robotic strawberry pollination (patent no. 7090953) and has completed in-house trials and introduction experiments with plant factory operators. HarvestX plans to build a demo pilot plant (first phase due May 2024), add harvesting functionality in 2025, and target expansion to other pollination-dependent fruit crops such as tomato and melon. Founded as a University of Tokyo spinout in 2020 and based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, HarvestX will use the recent funding to advance R&D and commercial piloting of its solution. After the round and a municipal grant, the company’s disclosed total funding is ¥610 million.

Participated · Series C · Apr 2016

Founded in 2010 and based in San Jose, CA, Vasona Networks builds platforms that improve mobile broadband experiences for global mobile network operators. Its SmartAIR™1000 edge application controller addresses congestion conditions in real time, while the SmartVISION™ analysis suite offers visibility into application activity within each network cell. The company recently introduced the SmartAIR Edge Services Platform to virtualize existing functionality and to help reduce stalls in streaming video by improving communications between content providers and operators. Vasona works with operators to manage capacity, resources and edge intelligence across networks. Led by CEO Biren Sood, the company plans to use new funding to expand international deployments and increase research and development. To date the company has raised $48m in total. Founded in 2010 and led by CEO Biren Sood, Vasona Networks develops the SmartAIR1000™ edge application controller to manage mobile traffic and address congestion at the granularity of individual cells. The SmartAIR1000 works with traffic across all applications to assess and act on where and why congestion is occurring. Vasona positions its solution to help operators extract more value from existing infrastructure amid costly capacity upgrades. The company operates research and development offices in Tel Aviv, Israel, and is actively hiring. Financially, the firm has now raised a total of $22M to date following the latest round. Vasona intends to use proceeds to accelerate growth, expand field operations and continue investment in R&D.

Participated · Series B · Jan 2015

Everspin designs, manufactures, and commercially ships discrete and embedded MRAM and ST‑MRAM for applications requiring data persistence, low latency, and security. The company has deployed over 40 million MRAM and ST‑MRAM products across data center, cloud storage, energy, industrial, automotive, and transportation markets. Everspin holds an intellectual property portfolio of more than 500 active patents and applications and has established high‑quality manufacturing worldwide, including a turn‑key 300mm high‑volume foundry partner for advanced nodes. The company is launching discrete memory solutions with new densities and advanced interfaces and claims the world’s first commercialization and volume shipments of ST‑MRAM. Everspin says it is investing heavily in advanced technology, higher densities, volume scalability, and a pervasive ecosystem to further enable ST‑MRAM adoption and continue its history of rapid revenue growth. The company aims to proliferate MRAM and ST‑MRAM as mainstream embedded memories for MCUs, GPUs, DSPs, application processors, and ASICs. Everspin Technologies is the leading developer and manufacturer of magnetic RAM (MRAM), offering stand-alone and embedded Toggle and Spin-Torque MRAM products. The company says it is the world's first volume MRAM supplier and the only company to successfully commercialize MRAM products. Everspin's MRAM is described as the fastest non-volatile memory with virtually unlimited endurance, positioned to complement NAND and DRAM in non-volatile SRAM and DRAM applications. The firm delivers products into data center and storage, energy and infrastructure, and automotive and transportation markets. It has shipped more than 10 million cumulative MRAM products and holds an intellectual property portfolio of more than 600 active patents and applications. The company intends to use new capital to productize and launch its Spin-Torque MRAM technology and accelerate growth in the enterprise storage market.

Participated · Series B · Sep 2014

Blinq Networks develops wireless backhaul solutions for small cells, enabling mobile operators to add capacity and improve subscriber experience. The company recently launched the X-1200 Adaptive NLOS Wireless Backhaul System to help operators deploy small cell networks that deliver coverage and capacity where needed. Blinq was founded in June 2010 by CEO Mickey Miller and maintains research and development facilities in Ottawa, Canada. It has raised a total of US$32.5M to date. The latest financing of US$15.1M will be used to continue product innovation, scale operations and accelerate global sales growth. No revenue or user metrics were disclosed in the article. BLiNQ Networks develops next-generation wireless backhaul solutions that leverage cost-effective sub-6 GHz TDD spectrum and its patent-pending Managed Adaptive Resource Allocation (MARA) technology. Its platform delivers network-level intelligence and self-organizing network capabilities to eliminate interference and maximize spectral efficiency. The company targets high-capacity mobile transport applications and continues product development of its patent-pending solutions. BLiNQ intends to use recent funding to expand and accelerate global sales and marketing efforts. The company was founded in June 2010 by CEO Mickey Mille and is based in Plano, TX, with research and development facilities in Ottawa, Canada. Financially, the company announced an additional $10M in funding to support these commercial and development initiatives. BLiNQ Networks develops intelligent wireless backhaul solutions for compact base stations, designed to help wireless carriers address growth in demand for capacity. The company’s products focus on backhaul connectivity to support capacity scaling for mobile networks. Founded in June 2010 after acquiring intellectual property and wireless assets from Nortel Networks, BLiNQ has research and development facilities in Ottawa, Canada. The company is based in Plano, Texas. BLiNQ raised $7.4M in a Series A to support its commercial launch. Carleton Miller was appointed President and CEO to lead the launch to market.

Led · Series A · Nov 2013

AetherPal provides pre-installed mobile software that lets carriers remotely access and control consumers' smartphones—with user permission—for live technical support and diagnostics. Its cloud-based tools allow support reps to view and control screens via a browser, run diagnostic reports, and enforce access controls and security features (session termination, password blocking, sensitive-area restrictions). The product runs on Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and Symbian, is preloaded on over 20 million devices (including devices sold by two large U.S. carriers, one reportedly Verizon), and handles roughly 20,000 remote connections per week. AetherPal sells to carriers on a SaaS-like basis with an optional managed services bundle and positions the product to cut device returns (targeting a 50% reduction), improve first-call resolution and reduce call handling times and churn. The New Jersey company was spun off in 2009, launched its commercial product last year and employs about 50 people. Planned product and geographic expansion includes virtual device support in the cloud, self-care and predictive-care tools, automation of common resolutions, pursuit of iOS approval, and international deployments via channel partners.