Participated · Seed · Aug 2026

Sonic Fire Tech develops an acoustic fire suppression system that deploys inaudible, low-frequency sound through ceiling piping to extinguish or contain fires within seconds. The company is testing systems for interiors of commercial buildings, kitchens, and homes for both new construction and retrofits, and has also been developing an exterior system for wildfire protection. Sonic Fire Tech emphasizes that its approach avoids the water and chemical damage associated with sprinklers and gaseous agents, potentially reducing cleanup and restoration times. Early tests show promise for containing lithium‑ion battery fires by preventing cell‑to‑cell spread, though full extinguishment has not been claimed. The startup is pursuing NFPA approval and is in talks with insurers about potential premium discounts. Financially, Sonic Fire Tech is supported by a recent $15 million round following a $3.5 million seed raise in October.

Participated · Series A · Mar 2026

Shellworks is a London-based biomaterials company founded in 2019 that creates and manufactures Vivomer, a plastic-like material produced by fermenting second-generation feedstocks such as used cooking oil. Vivomer performs like traditional plastic during use but biodegrades after disposal, offering brands a sustainable packaging option. The company has proven cost competitiveness with materials like aluminum and glass even at a relatively small production scale of roughly five million units, removing a key barrier to adoption. Shellworks is targeting the wellness sector first and plans to build a global production network, including blow-moulding facilities in the UK, Europe and the United States, to shorten supply chains and lower carbon footprints. The firm will also develop mass-market partnerships to accelerate market penetration. Longer term, management expects economies of scale to further improve its pricing advantage over petroleum-based plastics.

Participated · Seed · Jul 2025

Nevoya purchases electric trucks and provides carrier services to shippers, using AI to optimize routes, match and balance loads, and manage charging and batteries. The company says it is hauling freight for 10 different Fortune 500 companies and has achieved cost parity with similar-sized diesel trucks in California. Nevoya applies automation to dispatching and fleet orchestration to reduce cost per mile and maintenance. It is expanding beyond California into states like Texas, already hauling freight in Houston and Dallas. To enter markets with less charging infrastructure the company uses interim solutions such as passenger vehicle charging stations and school bus depots and plans to invest in dedicated charging infrastructure. Nevoya is also hiring general managers to run local operations like startups to accelerate growth. Nevoya operates a zero-emissions technology and trucking platform that exclusively fields electric trucks (currently Freightliner eCascadias) to carry goods for shippers. The company pairs its fleet with AI-driven software to optimize routing, truck usage, and charging to lower costs versus diesel. Nevoya says it already moves freight for undisclosed Fortune 500 customers in the Los Angeles area. The startup plans to build its own charging infrastructure over time and eventually expand into smaller-class trucks and new U.S. markets, beginning with Texas. Nevoya’s leadership combines automotive, autonomous-vehicle partnerships, and supply-chain analytics experience. The company is still working toward cost parity with diesel, and some customers currently pay a premium to decarbonize their Scope 3 emissions.

Participated · Series B · Apr 2025

Near Space Labs designs and operates Swift robots—aircraft lifted by helium balloons that use wind currents to take high‑resolution (7cm) images from the stratosphere and glide back to earth. The company sells subscription imagery products largely to insurance customers for disaster response and risk assessment, and it is pursuing agricultural customers next. Near Space claims its approach can capture in hours what would take 800,000 drones days or weeks, and requires no special flight licenses because the systems are balloon‑powered and unmanned. Management says scaling coverage is straightforward and its ambition is to cover 80% of the U.S. population twice a year with 7cm imagery. The founders and leadership have technical backgrounds in space and physics, and the company is run out of the U.S. Near Space Labs builds and operates Swifty — small autonomous, wind-powered robots attached to weather balloons that reach 60,000–85,000 feet and capture 400–1,000 square kilometers of imagery per flight. The company positions Swifty as an alternative to satellites, claiming resolutions up to 50× better than satellite imagery and offering persistent, near-real-time coverage of rapidly changing urban areas. Devices are manufactured in a Brooklyn workshop while hardware R&D and engineering leadership are based in Barcelona; launches are coordinated with the FAA and air traffic control. As of the article, Near Space has eight Swifties in operation and has logged more than 540 flights through 2022; it sells non-exclusive data via a subscription API. Founded in 2017, the company is headquartered in Brooklyn and Barcelona, Spain. Near Space plans to use new funding to expand its geographical footprint and hire additional staff to scale operations.

Led · Seed · Dec 2024

FireDome develops a detection-and-launch system that uses a camera and computer to identify embers or small fires and fires biodegradable, fire-retardant-filled projectiles that open before impact to disperse their contents. The launcher can create barriers around assets or target hotspots with 12-gallon capsules; a single launcher can cover roughly 50–100 acres depending on topography and the first version can launch up to a quarter mile. Later versions are planned to reach about a one-mile radius and cover a few hundred acres, and the sensors embedded in capsules are intended to be recoverable and reusable. The company was founded earlier this year by Gadi Benjamini and Adi Naor Pomerantz and operated in stealth until the TechCrunch disclosure; Benjamini previously served in Israeli Defense Forces intelligence. FireDome has raised a $3 million pre-seed round and is targeting customers such as California vineyards and insurance companies. The company expects its first launchers to see action in the 2025–2026 fire season.