Participated · Equity · Nov 2022

Hysopt develops digital-twin software for HVAC systems that embeds mathematical models of physics to map and simulate building HVAC energy flows. Its platform runs sensitivity analyses, forecasts energy costs and CO2 emissions, and predicts occupant comfort under different operating modes. The company began as a 2013 spin‑off from the University of Antwerp and is headquartered in Antwerp. Hysopt currently operates in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and the UK and is scaling toward international revenue, starting recruitment in Germany. The business says many of the software-proposed HVAC modifications often pay back in less than a year. With the new funding it plans to double its R&D team and expand industry partnerships. Hysopt is a spin-off offering cloud software for the design and simulation of large heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) installations. Its platform enables technical designers at construction clients, engineering consultancies, and installation companies to design large HVAC systems more accurately. The company has already seen success in Belgium and the Netherlands. Hysopt raised €1.9 million in a capital increase to support growth. The firm plans to use the additional resources to continue expanding internationally in the HVAC sector.

Participated · Equity · Oct 2022

Outsight builds real-time 3D LiDAR perception software that ingests data from any LiDAR vendor to enable situational awareness for Smart Cities, Aviation, Robotics, Industry and Logistics. Its core product addresses vendor heterogeneity and massive raw-data challenges by providing Edge processing and a new Cloud-based pipeline capable of handling tens of petabytes for dynamic scenes. Outsight’s solutions have been deployed across Europe, the United States, Asia and the Middle East and include the largest airport LiDAR deployment tested at Paris-Charles de Gaulle (Groupe ADP). The company emphasizes plug-and-play integration so application developers and integrators can harness LiDAR without deep 3D expertise. Outsight plans to push an ambitious product roadmap — notably Edge and Cloud processing, Digital Twin use cases, and automatic 3D data annotation. The company announced a $22 million fundraising to support expansion and accelerate its product and go-to-market plans. Outsight builds a 3D Semantic Camera — an all-in-one 3D sensing device that both perceives and understands the environment and can identify object material composition. The company offers two product families: a 3D Smart Monitoring solution for wide-area premises (airports, malls, venues) and a vehicle-specific version for cars and off-road mobile robots. The sensor is designed for mass production and was launched in September at AutoSens. Outsight positions the technology to improve safety and reliability for manned machines (Level 1–3 ADAS) and to enable fully automated machines including Level 4–5 self-driving cars, robots, drones, and autonomous flying taxis. Founded in 2019, the team is based in Paris with offices in Helsinki and San Francisco. Financially, Outsight completed a $20 million seed round in 2019, one of the largest European seed rounds that year.

Participated · Series A · Nov 2019

IOTech’s core product is Edge Central, a modular open edge distributed computing and edge management platform built on the EdgeX open-source data integration framework. The platform provides connectivity, processing and management tools to accelerate time-to-value and protect software investment beyond hardware lifecycles. IOTech’s customers and partners include large industrial OEMs, ISVs and SIs such as Accenture, EATON, Fluence Energy, Johnson Controls, King Steel and Schneider Electric. The company is using new funding to expand its North American go-to-market, invest in sales, marketing and pre-sales support, and accelerate strategic product development. To support technical and product expansion it has added field CTOs and appointed industrial IoT veteran David C. King to its board and as an advisor. The company emphasizes its positioning as a vendor-neutral open edge computing leader across industrial automation, renewable energy, building automation and other verticals. IOTech builds and deploys open and secure software edge platforms for Industrial IoT (IIoT), addressing hard and soft real-time edge computing needs. It monetizes the open-source EdgeX stack through complementary licensed products such as Edge Xpert and a real-time extension, Edge XRT, supporting vendor-neutral north (cloud) and southbound (thing) integration. The company sells through global channels and has announced significant distribution deals with a major system integrator and Dell Technologies, and in September 2019 joined the Intel IoT Solutions Alliance. IOTech plays a central role in the EdgeX Foundry project—its CEO is chairman of the technical steering group and its CTO is a lead architect—and leverages that ecosystem for commercial adoption. The company was founded in April 2017 and is based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Proceeds from the Series A will be used to expand channel support and customer acquisition across the U.S., Europe and APAC, accelerate product delivery, and extend professional services to support pilots and production deployments. IOTech develops commercialized IoT edge platform products that extend the Linux Foundation’s EdgeX Foundry open-source project. Its flagship licensed offering, Edge Xpert, provides a vendor-neutral commercial version of the EdgeX code base with multi-hardware and OS support, upgrades, and support options. The company is also developing Edge XRT to address hard- and soft-real-time industrial edge use cases, including deployments on CPU- and memory-constrained microcontrollers and microsecond latency requirements. IOTech leverages an open-source strategy to grow a global partner ecosystem and reduce systems-integration costs and deployment time for customers. The company says the new funding will accelerate product and service development, enhance partner support, expand local presence, and drive hiring across software development, engineering, and professional services. IOTech positions itself as a provider across the full spectrum of secure hard- and soft-real-time edge computing needs for multiple vertical IIoT markets.

Participated · Equity · May 2018

Cleverciti Systems develops end-to-end smart parking detection, guidance and monitoring solutions for on-street and outdoor parking. Its sensor technology produces accurate, real-time, space-by-space parking data and the company has released a digital signage system to visualize data at utility poles. The company says its systems have proven applicability in over 18 countries during the last two years. A $15 million funding round will be used to accelerate international growth, including expansion in the U.S. and other markets. Thomas Hohenacker is founder and CEO. Cleverciti is headquartered in Munich, Germany, with offices in Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area and aims to become a global smart-parking leader and key smart-city data provider.

Participated · Equity · Jun 2015

Sunpartner Technologies develops invisible photovoltaic coatings (Wysips®) for displays, glass and signage, and supplies photovoltaic components for connected objects. Its product line includes Wysips® Crystal for phone and smartwatch screens, Wysips® Glass for construction and transport, Wysips® Cameleon for billboards and signage, and Wysips® Graphics for connected devices. Products with Wysips® Cameleon and Wysips® Graphics began arriving on the market in 2015, while customers require production of Wysips® Crystal and Wysips® Glass in the second half of 2016. To meet demand the company signed an industrial partnership with Chinese flat‑screen manufacturer Laibao Hi‑Tech Co. The company plans to use new capital to launch large‑volume production of its Wysips® components and to finance operations through 2016 and 2017. The press release is dated Shenzhen, China, and the company was created in 2008; since founding it has raised a total of EUR 39.8 million.