• Bitfusion

  Participated · Series A · May 2017

  Bitfusion provides an Elastic AI software platform that virtualizes GPU resources so any workload can remotely attach to partial or whole GPUs over Ethernet for the duration of runtime. The company addresses fragmented GPU deployments in enterprises, aiming to improve utilization, performance and reduce CapEx and OpEx. Bitfusion’s software creates a shared GPU pool across heterogeneous clusters, enabling flexible allocation across private and public clouds. CEO Michael Zimmerman said the product helps companies make efficient use of GPU servers and reduce costs. Samsung Ventures’ strategic investment and board seat signal partnership with a major AI industry player and support for wider deployment and optimization of Bitfusion’s AI-attached network software. The company is based in Sunnyvale, Calif. Bitfusion began by offering pre-compiled libraries to make better use of GPUs, FPGAs and other co-processors to speed applications. The company has shifted focus toward training deep learning models and infrastructure management for AI projects. Its core product, Bitfusion Flex, is a framework-agnostic platform that provides a single dashboard to move projects from development to training, testing and deployment. Flex uses containers to simplify scaling and moving experiments between local machines and the cloud, and it also supports bare-metal deployments. The service includes a web-based interface and a command-line interface that can attach remote GPUs to a local laptop. Bitfusion plans to invest the new funding into R&D, bring Flex out of beta in the next few months, and expand its Silicon Valley presence while keeping most R&D in Austin. Bitfusion re-compiles, curates and deploys pre-optimized versions of popular open-source libraries to extract more performance from target CPUs. Its first offering claims up to 4x speed improvements by selecting platform-specific optimized builds. The team plans to extend beyond CPUs to GPUs and FPGAs, targeting up to 100x speedups and exploring binary translation and other acceleration techniques. Bitfusion intends to commercialize via three business lines: software, an on-prem appliance with built-in hardware accelerators, and an accelerated RackSpace cloud. Target markets include pharmaceutical and bioinformatics companies, data analysis, media and virtual reality firms, and SMBs without in-house optimization expertise. The company was founded by three former Intel employees in Austin and has raised a $1.45 million seed round from Data Collective, Resonant VC, and Geekdom.

• Filament AI

  Participated · Equity · Mar 2017

  Filament develops a patented, decentralized network stack that combines long-range, low-power wireless hardware and edge software to enable secure machine-to-machine communication in environments with intermittent or no cloud connectivity. Its platform encrypts down to the hardware level and leverages blockchain technology so devices can discover, communicate, and transact value independent of a central authority. Filament focuses on the networking layer rather than endpoint devices, providing edge processing and compatibility with legacy and multi-vendor systems. The company plans to scale hardware manufacturing and expand platform features, including pinpoint GPS functionality and enhanced smart contract capabilities, and to build a broader ecosystem of delivery partners and integrators. Filament has offices in Reno, Denver, Minneapolis, and San Francisco. As of this financing the company has raised $21.8 million in total venture funding. Filament is a Reno, Nevada-based enterprise technology company building smart industrial infrastructure by connecting existing machinery, equipment and assets to wireless sensor networks. The company is developing new blockchain technologies to allow industrial customers to deploy and operate standalone sensor networks with existing infrastructure, in any environment, with or without the cloud. Use cases cited include controlling city outdoor lighting, monitoring grain silos, and tracking soil conditions across farms. Filament’s networks include hardware devices called “Taps,” which have embedded environmental sensors, USB and GPIO for expanded sensor or machine control, and hardware cryptographic chips for secure accessibility and communication. The company closed a $5M Series A led by Bullpen Capital with participation from Verizon Ventures, Crosslink Capital, Samsung Ventures, Digital Currency Group and others. Filament has additional offices in Denver and San Francisco and is led by co-founder and CEO Eric Jennings.

• Stratos

  Participated · Equity · Oct 2014

  Stratos builds an all-in-one connected smart credit card that lets users load credit and loyalty cards onto a single physical card. The team is working on PIN and chip integration that could enable ATM use, a feature it highlights as a competitive advantage. The company shifted from R&D to launch preparation and production is already underway. Stratos expects to launch within the next 12 months and has built leeway into its timeline. The recent $5.8M raise will be used to accelerate recruiting and scale manufacturing. Stratos intentionally avoided Kickstarter and early press, citing the technical challenge of the product, and CEO Thiago Olson frames Apple Pay as validation of the space rather than a direct competitor.

• Orchestrate

  Participated · Seed · May 2013

  Orchestrate.io provides a database API that abstracts multiple specialized databases behind a single Twilio‑like API to simplify adding features to web and mobile applications. Founded by Antony Falco, a Basho co‑founder who left Basho a few months earlier, the company aims to remove the burden of running many databases to support geo‑spatial, time‑series and other feature needs. The service layers in‑memory indexes and hot data for performance, with three tiers—memory for active data, disk for durability, and cheaper fault‑tolerant storage for aged data—to enable richer queries with low latency. Orchestrate.io builds on open‑source databases rather than creating new ones, citing Riak as an ideal component of its foundation. The company plans to operate across multiple data centers and providers to place data nearer users and mitigate latency. Financially, Orchestrate.io raised $3 million in an initial funding round to launch the service.

• Precog

  Participated · Equity · May 2012

  Precog provides AI-driven ETL technology that automates the creation of API connectors, enabling connector generation in hours rather than manual coding. Its platform supports more than 1,500 SaaS ETL integrations—about five times the market standard—and integrates with platforms such as Snowflake, SAP Datasphere, Amazon Redshift, and Google BigQuery. The company serves global enterprise customers across industries including consumer products, energy, manufacturing, and healthcare, with named customers such as Honda, Newmont Mining, Embraer, ALP, and Hunkemoller. Precog says the recent investment will fuel broader market penetration, operational scaling, accelerated product innovation, and an expanded go-to-market engine. The company reported a banner year and record growth in supported integrations, and it positions its automation as a way to reduce time and complexity in data ingestion initiatives. Precog is headquartered in Denver. Precog offers infrastructure APIs for data analysis, enabling developers to incorporate intelligence and insights into their applications. The company's technology powers insights and intelligence in a growing number of third-party applications across many verticals. Founded and officially launched in February 2012 by CEO John A. De Goes, the founding team includes engineers with backgrounds in big data, analytics, language theory, and machine learning. Precog plans to use new funding to advance its data analysis technology, launch marketing and business development programs, and accelerate customer adoption. The company is actively hiring to support its growth. No operating metrics were disclosed in the article.

No current team members are available.