Participated · Series A · Aug 2026

Vessev (formerly Seachange, and before that FreightFish, which built autonomous cargo vessels) designs and builds electric hydrofoiling passenger vessels along with the flight-control and telemetry systems that operate them. Its VS-9 entered commercial service with Fullers360 on Auckland's Hauraki Gulf in January 2025, and the company has since brought propulsion in-house with VS-Drive, an electric motor developed with co-funding from New Zealand's Low Emission Transport Fund. Operators in New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Europe have placed orders, including Taupō Hydrofoil Tours, Fly Derwent in Hobart, which has doubled its order, Finn Lough as its first European customer, and FlyTahoe at Lake Tahoe as its first US customer. A larger VS-18 is in development, and the company opened a US office in Rhode Island in 2025 ahead of entering the American market the following year. Founded by Max Olson and led by chief executive Eric Laakmann, Vessev employs 58 people at its Auckland, New Zealand headquarters. Financially, Vessev raised US$19 million (NZ$32.6 million) in Series A and follow-on financing in August 2026, led by Blackbird Ventures; the articles do not state a cumulative total raised across its earlier rounds.

Participated · Series A · Aug 2026

Andromeda Surgical is developing an autonomous surgery platform and is beginning clinical and commercial activity in endourology. The company is initially focusing on procedures that treat BPH, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and kidney stones, and reports that urologists in three countries have used its platform to perform holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) in more than 40 patients. It has observed enucleation times as fast as 30 minutes versus a published average of about 90 minutes. The team combines surgical deeptech and healthcare expertise from organizations including Neuralink, Science Corp, Avail, and the group that launched the first autonomous truck at Starsky Robotics. Andromeda has raised $30 million to date, including a $15 million Series A, and has been cleared to launch commercially in Canada and New Zealand. The company plans to deploy its first commercial systems into hospitals in the coming months and to scale utilization while expanding into additional procedures and autonomous capabilities.

Participated · Series B · Jun 2026

Dawn Aerospace develops reusable space transportation systems, including the Aurora spaceplane and the Loop in-orbit refueling network. The company plans for the Aurora spaceplane to become the first vehicle to fly twice-daily to the Kármán line in 2027. Its Loop refueling network is targeting an in-orbit demonstration in 2028, and Dawn said it will demonstrate in-orbit refueling of its satellite propulsion systems in 2028. Financially, Dawn recently closed a US$25 million Series B at a $195 million post-money valuation led by Balerion Space Ventures. The company intends to use the Series B proceeds to accelerate global expansion of its reusable space transportation business. No operating metrics or founding year were disclosed in the sourced article.

Participated · Series A · Feb 2026

Appetise (formerly MenuAid) runs a two-sided business: a free meal-planning and shopping app used by households, and Appetise Insights, a subscription analytics product sold to FMCG brands. By making the consumer tool free, the company sacrificed roughly NZ$400 k in subscription revenue to amass behavioural data across the entire shopping journey, creating what it claims is the largest food and beverage behavioural panel in Australia and New Zealand. The platform now has more than 110,000 active users, whose anonymised data underpins a B2B revenue stream that has reached NZ$3.5 million and tripled in the last six months. Around 70% of current growth comes from Australia, where over 70 brands—including Kraft Heinz and Lee Kum Kee—license the insights. The dataset enables brands to identify whitespace, refine category management and understand purchase drivers earlier than sales-scan or survey methods. Fresh capital will fund deeper Australian penetration, further development of the insights platform and preparatory work for a U.S. launch, which requires localisation for imperial measurements, retail structure and terminology. Management believes the free-utility/paid-data model can continue to scale as brands seek real-time intent signals.

Participated · Series A · Oct 2025

Lula Commerce is a Philadelphia-based technology company that equips convenience retailers with an AI-powered platform to streamline digital commerce operations. Its suite includes Lula Hub, which consolidates third-party delivery marketplaces like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub into a single dashboard; Lula Direct for branded web and mobile ordering; and Lula Operators, a collection of 30+ AI tools that automate refunds, reviews, uptime, and other critical tasks. The software also delivers inventory management, customer engagement, and business intelligence capabilities, helping stores improve efficiency and drive incremental sales. Lula has quickly scaled to serve industry leaders such as Circle K franchisees, United Pacific (Rocket/Alta Stores), Jacksons Food Stores, Par Mar Stores, Clipper Petroleum, and more than 50 regional chains, representing thousands of franchise locations across the United States. Management is actively hiring across engineering, sales, product, and customer success to support its growth. Including the newly announced round, the company has raised more than $16 million to date, which will fund product development and broader market expansion.