Led by Sands Capital, new round supercharges ability to correct modern security problems

COVINA, Calif., Feb. 8, 2024 — LimaCharlie, the creator of the first-ever Security Operations (SecOps) Cloud Platform, today celebrates a $10.2 million Series A investment round led by Sands Capital with follow-on from new and previous investors, including CoFound Partners, Long Journey Ventures, Lytical Ventures, Myriad Venture Partners, StoneMill Ventures, and Strategic Cyber Ventures. As the demand for a flexible, scalable approach to security grows, the funding will accelerate team expansion and introduce new capabilities to the SecOps Cloud Platform.

Transforming cybersecurity by redefining SecOps
“The SecOps Cloud Platform is transforming cybersecurity from disjointed tools to integrated solutions tailored to each organization’s needs. LimaCharlie’s vision is to make security operations as flexible as the cloud made IT operations—reducing inefficiencies, security gaps, and extreme costs,” said Maxime Lamothe-Brassard, Founder and CEO of LimaCharlie. “This investment allows us to continue leading the paradigm shift toward the public cloud model for cybersecurity. Companies are embracing our vision for flexible, on demand security infrastructure they can leverage to consolidate tools and customize defense.”

Unlike traditional vendors, LimaCharlie allows organizations to tailor their security stack to fit their unique needs via an open API. Because it’s delivered as flexible infrastructure, integrations are simplified and security teams gain complete control and visibility into their environments.

Financial momentum underscores demand for new approach
Despite challenging conditions for cybersecurity startups, LimaCharlie continues to expand upon its hundreds of customers in enterprise security, managed service providers, and cybersecurity vendors. The company has experienced significant YoY growth, showcasing the transformational potential of a public cloud model for security operations.

“The technology that our businesses and lives depend upon is changing really fast. To secure it, we need to rethink cybersecurity and deploy infrastructure capabilities like LimaCharlie’s that can be easily built upon and adapted over time. The age of black boxes is over,” said Mark McGovern, Venture Partner at Sands Capital. “LimaCharlie’s customers are building amazing capabilities and redefining how cybersecurity is deployed and managed. We’re excited to be a part of the solution that’s modernizing security.”

LimaCharlie’s SecOps Cloud Platform is already empowering some of the top technological leaders in information security. One of LimaCharlie’s customers, a managed detection and response provider, achieved annual cost savings of $100,000, improved their average detection and response times by 98%, and laid the groundwork for long-term growth after implementing the platform.

“With rapidly evolving threats and technologies, companies are in need of solutions that provide flexibility and future-proof their security posture,” said Dean Mai, Co-founder and Partner at Myriad Venture Partners. “At Myriad, we back visionary companies that are strategically positioned to lead their markets. Maxime and the LimaCharlie team embody this ideal. By delivering the agility, extensibility and scalability necessary to stay ahead of escalating security threats and IT complexity, we firmly believe that LimaCharlie has the right platform and talent to redefine the future of cloud-based security operations.”

“LimaCharlie has a truly unique vision on where the security market is going,” said Lucas Nelson, Partner at Lytical Ventures. “We are excited to be backing an audacious team that is going to fundamentally change, and improve, the security industry.”

To learn more about how LimaCharlie is transforming security through SecOps, please visit: https://limacharlie.io/.

About LimaCharlie
LimaCharlie was founded in 2018. The company provides critical cybersecurity capabilities and infrastructure ondemand, API-first, in a way that is built for massive scale. This approach marks a change in the way that cybersecurity is practiced, and brings it in line with modern IT, DevOps, and software engineering principles. LimaCharlie is democratizing access to security infrastructure by allowing any security team, regardless of size or budget, to get started with powerful tools and infrastructure. https://limacharlie.io/

About Sands Capital
Sands Capital is an active, long-term investor in leading innovative businesses globally. Our approach combines analytical rigor and creative thinking to identify high-quality growth businesses that are creating the future. Through an integrated investment platform spanning venture capital, private growth equity and public growth equity, we provide growth capital solutions to institutions and fund sponsors in more than 40 countries. Sands Capital is an independent, staff-owned firm founded in 1992 with offices in the Washington, D.C. area, San Francisco, and Singapore. www.sandscapital.com

SOURCE LimaCharlie

Headlight, formerly Sokya Health, will focus on expanding its provider-led approach to mental health care delivery and commitment to helping patients find their best therapist fit

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 8, 2024 — Headlight, a tech-forward mental health practice committed to offering patients convenience and a simplified care journey, today announced $18 million in new venture funding, led by Matrix and EPIC Ventures. Funding will help the company expand into additional states and add hundreds of new licensed therapists to their team by 2025. Prior to the transaction, Headlight added new executive leadership including Chief Executive Officer Geoff Swindle, former Chief Business Officer of PillPack and Amazon Pharmacy. In this role, Swindle led teams that developed thriving relationships with payers and built an acclaimed customer care function. With new venture backing and a refreshed brand, Headlight is creating a dynamic model that makes it radically easy for clinicians to practice and for patients to access the individualized care they deserve.

“Despite a proliferation of virtual services, 60% of adults in the U.S. who have sought mental health services still struggle to meet the most basic need^[1]: a qualified clinician who accepts their insurance and understands their unique situation,” said Geoff Swindle, CEO. “Headlight focuses on helping patients get from initial interest in counseling to a well-aligned therapist and prescriber match faster and with less friction than existing options.”

Founded by Drs. Manish Sheth and Shashita Inamdar, both MD-PhD’s, Headlight’s philosophy is to prioritize and optimize the clinicians’ experience, not just the patient experience. The current venture funding will allow the company to prioritize efficiency through technology, simplify workflows and enable clinicians to focus on delivering top-quality care to their patients. The company’s organizational structure fosters collaboration among clinical staff and actively involves them in key company decisions. Clinicians are all W-2 employees, creating a connected culture that prioritizes community between practitioners and ongoing training and credentialing. This model allows clinicians the time to stay current with the issues facing their patients. Reflecting their provider-led values, Headlight also has significant flexibility within the full-time employee model, which empowers clinicians to manage their work life balance.

In addition to being clinician-centric, Headlight is designing a patient experience that is simple, accessible, affordable, and delivers exceptional outcomes. For example, Headlight recognizes that the onboarding experience for many mental health services is often, in itself, traumatic. Patients must complete multiple pages of health information and revisit their reasons for seeking support. In response, Headlight is leveraging the team’s deep pharmacy experience to launch secure onboarding flows that streamline and simplify the process. By importing and aggregating the patient’s readily available medical and prescription history data Headlight will provide more holistic care of the patient and make clinical progress faster. Similar data-driven approaches will support the therapeutic alliance by better matching a patient’s requirements with the clinician that best meets their needs.

Patients can seek care via telehealth or in-person and Headlight works to make the insurance cost as transparent as possible. Headlight is currently in-network and has dedicated credentialing with most payers in the states that they serve (Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Texas, and Washington).

Manish Sheth, MD, PhD, Headlight’s Chief Clinical Officer and co-Founder commented, “As an actively practicing Clinical Psychiatrist, I know patients want to connect with their clinicians and feel understood on a personal level. Our goal at Headlight is to make it as simple as possible for both clinicians and patients to form those connections.”

About Headlight

Headlight is a mental health company dedicated to transforming the way mental health services are delivered. With a clinician-centered model, innovative technology, and a commitment to accessibility and affordability, Headlight is redefining mental health care. To learn more visit www.headlight.health.

Contact

Jacquelyn Miller

[email protected]

‪(617) 468-8243

^[1] source

SOURCE Headlight Health

BENGALURU, India, Feb. 8, 2024 — River, a Bengaluru-based startup building multi-utility electric scooters, has announced a $40 million (335 INR Crores) Series B led by Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. The round also saw participation from existing investors Al-Futtaim Group, Lowercarbon Capital, Toyota Ventures and Maniv Mobility.

River started selling its first product Indie, the SUV of scooters in October-2023. Indie was fully designed and developed at the River R&D facility in Bengaluru and manufactured in the River Factory at Hoskote in the outskirts of Bengaluru. The first River store opened in Bangalore in January 2024.

“We are impressed by the progress that River has achieved in such a short span of time, especially with the strong focus on design and technology. We are excited about the conviction that Aravind and Vipin have for River and how Yamaha can support the company to achieve this,” says Hajime “Jim” Aota, Chief General Manager of New Business Development Centre, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

This round takes the cumulative fund raised by the company to $68 Million (565 INR Crores) since its inception in March 2021. With this funding, the company plans to scale the distribution and service network across the country and invest further in R&D for future lineup of products.

River is the first Indian investment of all its investors – Tel Aviv based Maniv Mobility, San Francisco based Trucks VC, Lowercarbon Capital, Toyota Ventures and Dubai based conglomerate Al-Futtaim Automotive.

“The investment is a significant boost for our plan to build a Billion dollar global utility-lifestyle brand by 2030. We have built a great base in R&D and manufacturing over the last two years and now, it’s time to grow,” said Aravind Mani, Co-founder and CEO of River.

“The collaboration with Yamaha will help us leverage the design and technology capability that we have built at River,” said Vipin George, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer at River. “I learned to ride on a Yamaha motorcycle and have been amazed by the highest levels of performance that they stand for. And now, Yamaha investing in River is quite a surreal feeling. I’m excited about what the partnership can achieve.”

About River:
Website: https://www.rideriver.com/
LinkedIn: @rideriver | YouTube: @rideriver

Media Contact:
Srishti Singh | [email protected] | +919611157696

Logo : https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2337239/River_Logo.jpg

SOURCE River

Amid a global mental health crisis, TELUS is exploring new, innovative ways to make mental health support more accessible by partnering with peer support platform TalkLife creating a safe space for people to connect

VANCOUVER, BC and BRISTOL, England, Feb. 8, 2024 – UK-based scaleup TalkLife, an innovative global online peer support community for people to talk about their mental health, has secured a capital investment from TELUS Ventures, the investment arm of world-leading communications technology company, TELUS. Using elements of social networking combined with a safe, supportive environment, the TalkLife platform delivers real-time, ongoing peer support to more than five million lives worldwide at any time of the day or night across multiple languages, providing clinical escalation and real-time professional moderation. It specializes in offering tailored support to key demographics including over 250 universities and colleges and hundreds of companies from SMEs to multinationals via their tailored platforms TalkCampus and TalkLife Workplace.

TalkLife is also a valued partner of TELUS Health, a global healthcare leader supporting over 69 million lives worldwide. Integrated into TELUS Health’s employee assistance program (EAP), TalkLife plays an important role in supporting one of the largest employer-funded healthcare networks globally. Together, this powerful synergy enables people in both the academic and employer markets to lead healthier and more fulfilling lives.

“No one should struggle alone, and we believe that peer support has the power to break the stigma around mental health. Technology allows us to create safe spaces for people to connect and share whenever they need to and wherever they are,” said Jamie Druitt, CEO of TalkLife. “TalkLife is pioneering a new kind of mental health support that’s accessible, relevant, and has the research backing to prove that it really works. With the support of TELUS Ventures and TELUS Health, we will be able to power our growth and reach millions more people through both our free app and our specialized platforms for students and employees.”

TELUS Ventures’ investment in TalkLife will power the company to expand its reach with a focus on building out its presence in the North American market. It will contribute to scale operations, and cement TalkLife’s place as the leading peer provider of mental health support globally, helping those who might struggle to access traditional mental health support because of stigma, cost, or availability. TalkLife has partnered with world leading researchers from Harvard, MIT, Microsoft Research, University of Washington and Cornell University as it continues to drive forward understanding of how technology and the internet can foster supportive online engagements for those struggling.

“TELUS Ventures’ mission is to find the best companies in the world and help them transform and grow while they tackle some of today’s biggest challenges,” said Terry Doyle, Managing Partner and Vice-president, TELUS Ventures. “By investing in TalkLife, and through the partnership with TELUS Health, we are leveraging cutting-edge technology to bring people together and break down barriers. We have seen the impact of their product first-hand and we’re proud to support them as they develop safe, judgment-free communities all around the world to make mental health support more accessible. This is an investment that aligns with TELUS values of supporting solutions that drive better health outcomes.”

About TELUS Ventures
As the strategic investment arm of TELUS Corporation (TSX: T, NYSE: TU), TELUS Ventures is one of Canada’s most active corporate venture capital funds. Operating across 30 countries globally, TELUS is a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company that designs, builds and delivers next-generation solutions for global brands across high-growth industry verticals. TELUS Ventures invests globally in companies from Seed to Pre-IPO with a focus on innovative technologies such as AgTech, Digital HealthTech, Consumer Connectivity, IoT, 5G, and Business Enablement Platforms to actively drive new solutions across the TELUS ecosystem. Led by a team of experienced operators, investors and executives, the Ventures team is passionate about creating positive social impact through financial tools and has invested in more than 150 companies since inception. For more information please visit https://www.telus.com/en/ventures.

About TalkLife
TalkLife Ltd builds engaging, relevant and safe online spaces for people around the world to give and get support for their mental health. Harnessing the power of peer support, TalkLife offers instant connection for those who may be feeling isolated or alone combined with professional clinical moderation, real time escalation and world class ML technology.

TalkLife specialises in providing bespoke peer support products for students via TalkCampus and employees via TalkLife Workplace in addition to its free to use public offering.

TalkLife is staffed by a diverse global team of 50, with Head Quarters in Bristol, UK.

For more information please visit: https://www.talklife.com/

Media Contact
François Marchand
TELUS Media Relations
[email protected]

Jennifer Russell
TalkLife
[email protected]

SOURCE TELUS Ventures

Partnership will target mid-sized private market managers

NEW YORK and ABU DHABI, UAE, Feb. 7, 2024 — Blue Owl Capital Inc. (“Blue Owl”) (NYSE: OWL), a leading alternative asset manager, and Lunate, a global alternative investment manager headquartered in Abu Dhabi, managing US$105 billion in assets, announced today a joint venture to provide growth capital to leading mid-sized private capital GPs.

The joint venture will seek to acquire minority stakes in private market investment managers with fee-paying assets under management of less than $10 billion. The joint venture plans to target GPs with a clear sector specialization, differentiated approach, strong leadership and culture, and an established foundation of a durable, stable platform with identifiable key drivers of franchise value.

Lunate invests primarily in private markets through a multi-asset class approach, including private equity, venture capital, private credit, real assets, and public equities and public credit. Lunate, together with Blue Owl’s GP Strategic Capital platform, a market leader in GP minority investing, will create a powerful and differentiated proposition in the mid-market segment for GPs seeking growth capital and strategic partnerships.

“We are excited to partner with Lunate, which is a leading global private markets solutions provider based out of Abu Dhabi,” said Michael Rees from Blue Owl. “They bring valuable investment experience as both an LP and minority GP stake investor. We think the combined effort will be truly differentiated for mid-sized GPs and be complementary to our existing strategy focused on larger managers.”

“Our joint venture with Blue Owl speaks to Lunate’s aim of identifying and investing in a mid-sized GP Stakes Strategy that will enable our clients to participate in the broader dynamics of private markets investing” said Khalifa Al Suwaidi, Managing Partner, Lunate. “Blue Owl are pioneers and leaders in this space, and together, we are well positioned to add strategic value through our multi-asset platform, global networks, and industry expertise.”

About Blue Owl Capital

Blue Owl (NYSE: OWL) is a leading asset manager that is redefining alternatives.

With $157 billion in assets under management¹, we invest across three multi-strategy platforms: Credit, GP Strategic Capital, and Real Estate. Anchored by a strong permanent capital base, we provide businesses with private capital solutions to drive long-term growth and offer institutional and individual investors differentiated alternative investment opportunities that aim to deliver strong performance, risk-adjusted returns, and capital preservation.

Together with over 650 experienced professionals in more than 10 offices globally, Blue Owl brings the vision and discipline to create the exceptional. To learn more, visit www.blueowl.com 

¹ As of September 30, 2023

Forward Looking Statements    
Certain statements made in this release are “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words “estimates,” “projected,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “future,” “propose,” “target,” “goal,” “objective,” “outlook” and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions available under applicable securities laws and speak only as of the date made. Blue Owl assumes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements except as required by law.

These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside Blue Owl’s control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements.

Important factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include the inability to recognize the anticipated benefits of strategic acquisitions; costs related to acquisitions; the inability to maintain the listing of Blue Owl’s shares on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”); Blue Owl’s ability to manage growth; Blue Owl’s ability to execute its business plan and meet its projections; potential litigation involving Blue Owl; changes in applicable laws or regulations; and the possibility that Blue Owl may be adversely affected by other economic, business, geo-political and competitive factors.

Investor Contact:
Ann Dai
Head of Investor Relations
[email protected]

Media Contact:
Nick Theccanat
Principal, Corporate Communications & Government Affairs
[email protected]

About Lunate

Lunate is a new Abu Dhabi-based, Partner-led, independent global alternative investment manager with more than 150 employees and $105 billion of assets under management. Lunate invests across the entire private markets spectrum including buyouts, growth equity, early and late-stage venture capital, private credit, real assets, and public equities and public credit. Lunate aims to be one of the world’s leading private markets solutions providers through SMAs and multi-asset class funds, seeking to generate best-in-class risk-adjusted returns for its clients.

Media Contact:

For any media inquiries, please contact [email protected]

SOURCE Blue Owl Capital

NEW YORK, Feb. 7, 2024 — New York based DRA Advisors has raised $2.28 billion in its latest flagship fund series, DRA Growth & Income Fund XI (“DRA XI”) exceeding its original target. DRA XI held a first close in November 2022 and final closing in October 2023. DRA XI is the largest fund DRA has raised in its 38-year history. Like predecessor funds, DRA XI will continue to target value-add real estate opportunities across retail, industrial, multifamily, life science and office real estate sectors in the continental United States.

DRA XI attracted more than 60 investors from North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Over 80% of the Fund’s commitments came from DRA’s existing investor base which are represented by endowments, foundations, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, and corporate and public pension funds.

“We are fortunate to have a supportive investor base that continues to believe in our team, our strategy and our ability to deploy capital” said David Luski, DRA’s President and Co-founder.

DRA XI’s sole focus is on value-add real estate investments within the U.S. The Fund has already deployed approximately 15% of its capital into ten separate investments, in industrial, retail and multifamily assets.

“We have a three-year acquisition period,” said Matt Shore, DRA’s Chief Investment Officer “and during this period we expect to see many compelling opportunities to capitalize on distressed situations and motivated sellers.”

About DRA

DRA Advisors LLC is a New York-based registered investment advisor with approximately 95 employees specializing in real estate investment management services for institutional and private investors, including pension funds, university endowments, sovereign wealth funds, foundations, and insurance companies. Since DRA was founded in 1986, the firm has opened offices in Miami and San Francisco while acquiring approximately $39 billion of real estate. The acquisitions include 94 million square feet of industrial, 65 million square feet of office, 87 million square feet of retail and 85,000 multifamily units. As of September 30, 2023, DRA has $13.2 billion in gross assets under management. http://draadvisors.com

SOURCE DRA Advisors LLC

The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) awards competitive funding to Atlas, endorsing its pioneering 3D genAI research and development endeavors

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 7, 2024 — In a significant stride for 3D generative AI, Vienna-based Atlas, a vanguard in genAI and 3D asset creation, has been awarded a $4.5M grant from The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG). The funding is set to supercharge the company’s R&D initiatives, further propelling its mission to revolutionize the creation of virtual worlds and gaming experiences in collaboration with world-class game developers and brands.

“Receiving this grant signifies trust and belief in Atlas’s 3D generative AI innovation, not just as a participant in the space, but as the leader,” said Ben James, CEO & Founder, Atlas. “As we chart an exciting path forward, we remain relentless in our dedication to push the boundaries of what’s possible when technology and creativity converge. Our global ambitions are made possible by our Austrian roots, and this funding is a high honor.”

FFG selected Atlas as an Accelerator. The competitive grant is given to companies driving high-impact innovations with the potential to create new markets or disrupt existing ones. The funds will be released across three years: $608K in 2024, followed by up to $2.3M in 2025 and $1.6M 2026 based on milestones achieved.

Atlas plans to leverage the funding to research, develop and introduce new technologies, groundbreaking projects and strategic partnerships in 2024 and beyond. As gaming evolves at breakneck speed, Atlas is emerging as a leader by giving partners the ability to create ultra-tailored virtual experiences that can adapt in real time. By prioritizing ethical AI practices at every turn, Atlas simultaneously ensures partner data integrity while unlocking new efficiencies and expanding the horizons of 3D generative AI.

The grant announcement is a sequel to Atlas’ emergence from stealth in November 2023, marked by an impressive $6M raise from industry titans, including 6th Man Ventures (6MV), Collab+Currency, a16z Scouting Fund via Shrapnel, and others. This is complemented by strategic partnerships with luminaries in AAA studios, next-gen gaming and immersive design, notably Consortium9 as well as partners-turned-investors Shrapnel and Square Enix.

Atlas has also previously received funding from grants dedicated to building AI technology in alignment with the European Union’s High-Level Expert Group on Trustworthy AI in 2020. With the EU’s recent rollout of regulations via the AI Act, the additional $4.5M over the next three years validates their work and showcases trust in their ability to build trustworthy AI that prioritizes transparency, accountability and inclusivity.

About Atlas
Atlas is a 3D generative AI platform that partners with game developers and brands to create virtual worlds and experiences in a fraction of the time. The company’s suite of AI products helps enterprise and next-gen creators generate custom, IP-specific assets for video games, virtual ecosystems and XR experiences. Atlas is headquartered in Vienna, Austria and deployed worldwide. For more information, please visit atlas.design.

SOURCE Atlas

The VC firm doubles its $100M inaugural fund to invest in technology startups propelling global decarbonization

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 7, 2024 — Voyager Ventures, the VC firm investing in early-stage climate technology companies in North America and Europe, today announced the close of Voyager Partners Select I, LP at $100 million. This announcement follows Voyager’s $100M Fund I in April 2022, landing a total of $200M to date to fund the future of a decarbonized global economy. While investment in climate tech decreased in 2023, Voyager’s new fund signals ongoing interest from limited partners (LPs) in backing climate tech startups, solidifying Voyager’s standing and expertise in partnering with ambitious founders building the future of energy, transportation, materials and carbon removal. Notably, both Voyager’s Fund I and Select I were oversubscribed, emphasizing the demand for climate investment opportunities.

Voyager Partners Select I will be deployed primarily to Series A, with consideration for Series B and beyond, software, hardware and biotech companies that are decarbonizing the global economy, and has so far invested in three companies: CarbonChain, Intensivate and Remora. 

“We are excited to put the Select I fund to work in accelerating the commercial scale of climate tech companies poised for market dominance. We invest in technologies that can outcompete fossil-fueled products on price and performance alone, and we’re seeing decarbonized products that are simply better technology take real market share from polluting legacy incumbents. The energy transition is a generational opportunity and forward-thinking investors recognize the potential for robust returns in climate tech,” said Sierra Peterson, Founding Partner at Voyager.

“The transition to a decarbonized global economy is the biggest investment opportunity of our lifetime, as the world’s largest industries – from transportation to energy to computing and food – undergo the most rapid change they’ve ever seen. We are investing at the forefront of innovation in these sectors. With this fund, Voyager is doubling down on the tremendous economic potential in companies leading our economy beyond reliance on fossil fuels,” added Sarah Sclarsic, Founding Partner at Voyager.

Voyager Select I attracted investment from several institutional investors, including LPAC members, Northwestern University and Novo Holdings. Voyager’s institutional partners include fund-of-funds, endowments, foundations and banking institutions in North America and Europe.

“Northwestern is proud to partner with Voyager as part of our commitment to identify and fund solutions in the transition to a low-carbon economy,” said Harisha Koneru Haigh, Senior Allocator for Northwestern University’s endowment. “Sierra Peterson and Sarah Sclarsic are highly respected and valued members of the climate tech ecosystem, and we are confident in their ability to generate strong investment returns for the endowment.”

“Participating in Voyager Ventures’ Select I Fund, and working with Sarah and Sierra, is a strategic move toward smart business. In the realm of investing, climate tech is a new and promising area. It’s not just a solution, but a potential lucrative opportunity for astute investors who recognize that aligning with the future yields remarkable returns,” said Søren Thinggaard Hansen, Senior Partner & Head of Private Equity at Novo Holdings.

“We are proud to work with Voyager, and since our earliest days, their guidance and support has been critical in our work to decarbonize heavy-duty transportation, capturing our customers’ carbon emissions and turning them into a new revenue stream,” said Paul Gross, CEO and co-founder of Remora. “It’s rare to find investors with the range of climate expertise that Sarah and Sierra bring to the table, from carbon credit marketplaces to non-dilutive funding to adsorption science. Working with them has opened doors and unlocked strategic insights that have allowed Remora to move faster. They understand the operational reality of building a business in decarbonization, and are well connected in the wider worlds of policy and finance, and Remora has benefited many times from Voyager’s ability to tap into that network on our behalf.”

Voyager’s founding partners – Sierra Peterson and Sarah Sclarsic – are climate experts with 32 years of climate domain expertise across company-building, policymaking, advanced academic research and investing in more than 35 early-stage climate tech companies in North America and Europe. To date, Voyager has made 19 investments in software, hardware and biotech companies decarbonizing the global economy and has set the goal of sequestering or averting the emissions of 500 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) over the tenure of each fund. Voyager’s investment team includes Dr. Leo Banchik, Dr. Nare Janvelyan, Matt Blain and Jake Kent. The firm is based in San Francisco and New York and will be opening its London office in 2024.

To learn more about Voyager Ventures, please visit www.voyagervc.com. 

About Voyager Ventures:
Built on 32 years of climate technology expertise, Voyager Ventures invests in exceptional technology companies creating the foundations of a new, decarbonized economy. The VC firm is led by experienced climate technology investors, founders, company-builders and policy makers who know how to invest and build for scale. Voyager brings its expertise, experience and networks to accelerate the success of ambitious early-stage founding teams in North America and Europe, investing in both frontier and digital technology companies driving decarbonization worldwide.

SOURCE Voyager Ventures

Polycam is now available on the Apple Vision Pro, bringing their creator community and content to immersive 3D for the first time.

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 7, 2024 — Polycam, the leading 3D creation tool for iPhone and Android, announces a $18M Series A led by Left Lane Capital and Adjacent with participation by Adobe Ventures and a stellar group of angel investors including Chad Hurley (YouTube), Shaun Maguire (Sequoia), Julien Chaumond (HuggingFace) and Barry McCardel (Hex). Using computer vision and AI, Polycam is building powerful tools for 3D creation and editing that enable anyone to easily make photorealistic 3D assets. With nearly 100k paid subscribers, strong revenue growth and an enthusiastic user base, Polycam solidifies its position as the leader in easy-to-use 3D capture and editing.

“The demand for 3D content is rapidly growing, accelerated by the release of the Vision Pro”, says Chris Heinrich, co-founder and CEO of Polycam, “yet the 3D creator tools of today, which have steep learning curves and tedious workflows, are ill-equipped to meet this demand. We are democratizing 3D creation by building Polycam from the ground-up to be AI-first, cloud-first, and collaboration-first.”

Polycam was founded three years ago by Chris Heinrich and Elliott Spelman, who had just spent two years working together at Ubiquity6, a startup ahead of its time working on 3D scanning and AR. “3D capture is where photography was at the start of the 20th century,” says Spelman. “We see Polycam as the 3D equivalent of the Kodak Brownie camera – an easy way for millions of people to gain access to a magical, new kind of imaging technology.” Since its launch in late 2020, Polycam has become the go-to app for making 3D scans with the iPhone’s LiDAR scanner.

Building off the success of LiDAR scanning, Polycam has added cloud photogrammetry, Gaussian Splatting, 360 image capture, and a growing suite of tools for editing and collaboration. While iOS continues to be Polycam’s largest channel, a growing number of customers use Polycam on the web and Android as well. Starting today, Polycam is also now available on the Apple Vision Pro, bringing their creator community and content to immersive 3D for the first time.

Polycam’s customer base includes 3D creators making assets for VFX, video games, and AR/VR, as well as businesses in the AEC industries that share a common need of creating and managing digital 3D content. So far, Polycam users have made over 20M 3D models, performed over 50M 3D edits, and generated over 3M PBR textures.

“The founders, Chris Heinrich and Elliott Spelman, have the deep domain knowledge and technical nimbleness to position Polycam as the leader within the rapidly evolving 3D creation market. We have developed strong conviction in them as highly adept technical leaders, well-suited to steer a growing team on their product-led growth journey,” says Harley Miller, CEO and Managing Partner at Left Lane Capital. “The incumbent 3D tools, such as Maya and Cinema4D, were created in the 90s and lack many of the features expected of modern creator tools, such as AI powered and collaborative workflows, that Polycam is building into the core of their product. We are confident that Polycam will continue to push the 3D market forward ahead of its peers, democratizing access for a new generation of 3D creators.”

This investment brings Polycam’s total funding to $22M, and will help Polycam hire engineers and researchers to expand their suite of creation tools and train AI foundation models for 3D reconstruction. To learn more visit https://poly.cam and follow Polycam on Instagram and Twitter @Polycam3D.

About Polycam

Polycam is the leading tool for photorealistic 3D asset creation on the App Store, Google Play,  and the web. Millions of individuals, and a growing number of businesses, use Polycam to capture, document, edit and share digital 3D content. With a focus on ease-of-use, and AI-assisted automation, Polycam’s creative tools are simplifying workflows and lowering barriers for new 3D creators and seasoned professionals alike. To learn more visit https://poly.cam.

About Left Lane Capital

Founded in 2019, Left Lane Capital is a New York and London-based global venture capital and growth equity firm investing in internet and technology companies with a consumer orientation. Left Lane’s mission is to partner with extraordinary entrepreneurs who create category-defining companies across growth sectors of the economy, including software, healthcare, e-commerce, consumer, fintech, medtech, and other industries. Select investments include Bilt, M1 Finance, Wayflyer, Kittl, Masterworks, Blank Street, Talkiatry, and more. For more information, please visit www.leftlane.com.

SOURCE Polycam