Participated · Equity · Sep 2024

Nurovant AI was founded by SMU student Trevor Gicheru to address his own ADHD-related learning challenges by using AI to distill lectures and content into study materials. The app extracts salient points from audio, creates flashcards and quizzes, provides summaries, and now includes chatbot capabilities and live-presentation support. It began as a B2C product and grew via word-of-mouth, Google Ads and SEO, reaching several thousand monthly active users and hundreds of thousands of signups. The product is being adapted for schools, with K–12 and higher-education institutions (including Harvard, MIT, UT‑Austin and Texas A&M) supporting the venture and pilot integrations such as Zoom. Gicheru has raised $345,000 to date and is using the capital to scale and evolve the product. He was accepted into the next Techstars cohort and aims to raise a $2–3 million seed round in early 2025.

Participated · Series A · Jun 2023

Paradromics is building the Connexus Brain-Computer Interface, an array of tiny electrodes implanted directly into brain tissue that reads neural signals and converts them into useful outputs, with an initial focus on restoring communication for people with severe paralysis. The company earned the FDA’s Breakthrough Device designation in 2023 and is preparing to launch its first human clinical trial later this year after opening an official patient registry in July. Although its technology has not yet received full FDA approval, Paradromics aims to commercialize BCI-based therapies before the end of the decade. The startup positions itself alongside competitors such as Neuralink, Precision Neuroscience, and Synchron, none of which have final FDA clearance. As part of its growth strategy, Paradromics will establish a Brain-Computer Interface Center of Excellence in Neom, Saudi Arabia. The company has not publicly disclosed revenue, user numbers, or other operating metrics. Its continued progress depends on securing regulatory approvals and scaling manufacturing for its high-channel neural implants.

Participated · Equity · Oct 2016

Ubimax provides Industrial Wearable Computing solutions aimed at improving business processes for desk-less workers. Its Enterprise Wearable Computing Suite includes xPick for order picking, xMake for manufacturing and quality assurance, xInspect for service and maintenance, and xAssist for remote assistance. The company serves more than 100 customers and maintains offices in Germany, the U.S. and Mexico. Led by CEO Hendrik Witt, Ubimax intends to use new funding to further grow its existing U.S. business and extend its market position from Europe into the American market. The company recently raised $6M in funding to support that expansion.

Participated · Series A · Jun 2013

Variable builds NODE, a modular wireless sensor platform with an open API that is compatible with smartphone operating systems and encourages third-party app development. NODE originated from a prototype developed by CEO George Yu for a Department of Homeland Security project at NASA’s Ames Research Center. The product launched to strong consumer attention—CNN named NODE the “Coolest Gizmo We Found at CES,” and it received coverage in Forbes and Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Hundreds of NODE modules are already in the hands of early adopters via nodesensors.com, and the company previously ran two Kickstarter campaigns that raised more than $120,000 collectively. Variable plans to use new capital to consolidate efforts on a commercial platform, fund the launch of its first app developer conference, and continue R&D to expand its sensor lineup.