Firestorm Labs
Description:
Firestorm Labs is building the future of modular open-source architecture supporting the Department of Defense requirements to create "Low-Cost Affordable Mass". Firestorm will redefine military expectations for onsite modularity to support the widest array of mission areas.
Why we invested:
Firestorm is building drones for 1/5 the cost of traditional methods & 10x faster than competitors. Using an additive manufacturing and partner-first approach they are able to build a drone in days, not weeks. They also bring manufacturing to the edge, meaning they can build anytime, anywhere. Within 24 hours they can print, assemble and deploy drones. The ability to deploy a scalable product en masse has profound security implications.
Our SPV investment in Firestorm Labs supports our focus on US defense capabilities and rapid reindustrialization with affordable cost.
Assembly
Description:
Assembly helps B2B startups create magical customer experiences by turning customer feedback into product growth and support requests into long-lasting relationships.
Why we invested:
Assembly leverages the advantages of LLMs to speed and assist post-sales teams in account management and maintenance for enterprise customers. We built a relationship with the Assembly team during their early days and appreciated their ability to grind and listen to customers.
Elodin
Description:
Elodin helps aerospace engineers rapidly design, test, and simulate control systems. For example, an engineer could use our Python physics toolkit, which automatically optimizes physics computations for GPU computing, to test a new satellite control system in minutes instead of hours.
Why we invested:
The US is rapidly undertaking more advanced capabilities in aerospace and defense, resulting in an increased push towards advanced reindustrialization. Our SPV investment helps Elodin evolve software development to provide simulations of real-world physics that streamline testing and prototyping for aerospace vehicles and satellites. Deeptech companies can now design, build, and test control systems rapidly, which in turn speeds time to manufacture.
Shift Health
Description:
Shift Health is a personalized AI Coach that asks the right questions at the right time to realize a higher level of self awareness and compounded learning.
At Shift Health, we believe everyone should have access to the same elite coaching currently only available to professional athletes, top business executives, and other world renowned leaders. What these coaches teach is not a mystery- they are fundamental human skills that require customization to the individual and continuous practice to develop compounded learning and sustainable results.
The typical AI chat bot is not sufficient. They make assumptions and provide answers. Shift provides guidance, coaching (asking the right questions at the right time), and continuously evolves and learns the more it engages with each individual. Our platform guides the LLM with proven content, interactive exercises, and coaching logic. As we engage users to help them "Shift a situation" we dynamically assess the user's situation and historical context to transition to the appropriate coaching including skills such as shifting negative thinking patterns, doing the work of improving relationships, creating healthy habits, and becoming more present and mindful.
Why we invested:
Mental health is one of the biggest issues plaguing the US population. With its initial traction, Shift Health will leverage The Six to support first responders, reinforcing what needs to be an elite workforce of emergency personnel for the rest of us to depend on when times are tough.
It is widely known that first responders and especially former veterans often suffer from a prevalence of PTSD-based mental health problems, often due to the nature of their professional experiences.
While there are many factors to reducing the impacts of poor mental health, Shift’s novel approach leverages the human-centric experience begun by The Six, and combines it with an advanced technology solution powered by LLMs to expand care access. Shift is addressing the lack of focus on fitness and prevention in the American healthcare system, which is purely reactive in nature. We firmly believe that a more mentally-sound America is a stronger America, locally, nationally, and globally.
Frontier Audio
Description:
Frontier Audio is a future-focused consumer hardware company creating rugged tech for those who build and protect our world.
Why we invested:
Warfighters and industrial workers need access to the best technology and capabilities. They also need unique protections due to the constraints of the harsh environments in which they operate. We support anyone who supports our nation's warfighters and are excited about what Frontier is achieving.
Scout AI
Description:
Scout AI is deploying the first commercially fieldable, low-cost, unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) for the defense industry. As self-driving veterans, the team is well positioned to quickly adapt advances in commercial self-driving technology, pushing aggressively towards deployment into the defense space.
Why we invested:
Scout AI's contribution of UGVs to the US Defense industry will reduce harmful operations for military personnel and accelerate the capabilities of our US defense and manufacturing bases. Warfare and capabilities are changing to be more autonomous and attritable, and Scout is building that future.
Ember Robotics
Description:
Ember Robotics is building the hardware observability layer for autonomous robots, starting with camera diagnostic tools. We worked on optimizing camera performance at Tesla Autopilot and now we're building software that takes mitigating camera failures from hours to minutes.
Why we invested:
America's rapid reindustrialization will be led by deeptech startups, but traditionally, the tooling for moving fast in the real world does not provide the advanced observability that software startups often benefit from. Ember provides advanced observability for robotics infrastructure in both software and hardware so engineers can observe and diagnose problems on real-world devices with increased speed and accuracy. Supporting advanced devices like LiDAR, camera, and IMU, Ember provides robust monitoring for aerospace, drones, robotics, and automotive applications.