Led · Series B · Oct 2021

Air Up sells a reusable bottle plus replaceable scent cartridges that trick users’ sense of taste by delivering aroma profiles that evoke flavors while the consumer drinks plain water. The product launched in 2019 and has sold to more than 1 million customers to date. Sales began online (driven by PR and influencers) and have expanded to online marketplaces and offline retail, and the company has moved beyond German‑speaking markets into the UK. Air Up reports a revenue run rate of more than €100 million, and Five Seasons Capital has highlighted potential environmental and public‑health impacts (estimated savings of up to 85 million single‑use plastic bottles and more than 2.465 tons of sugar). The founding team grew from the original two co‑founders to a five‑person team and has since appointed an experienced managing director. The company plans to enter the U.S. market and shift some manufacturing closer to home (Turkey) to create a more sustainable supply chain.

Participated · Equity · Oct 2019

Souszen is developing a kitchen-management platform that digitizes food preparation and surfaces data insights for inventory management, recipe creation, sequencing, scheduling and timing. The product is intended to act as a ubiquitous control layer that automates kitchen workflows for both humans and robots and can integrate with high-tech connected equipment. The company emerged from Xinova as a research project originally conceived with PepsiCo and Innit, and it is positioning the software for restaurants, shared kitchens, and large-scale commercial operations. Souszen is piloting its software with PepsiCo at 30 Tosticentro locations in Mexico to enable fresher purchasing and locally relevant menus. The company has raised $500,000 to date and has fewer than 10 employees. Leadership includes CEO Stephen King (joined in January) and Xinova executives Paul Levins and David Kraft in senior/advisory roles; chef Mark Miller is an advisor.