TORRANCE, Calif., Feb. 13, 2025 — K2 Space today announced its $110 million Series B to ramp up mass production of its multi-orbit, high power satellite platform. The funding round, co-led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Altimeter Capital, includes participation from existing investors Alpine Space Ventures, First Round Capital, and others. This milestone comes as K2 celebrates the opening of its new 180,000 square foot factory in Torrance, California, and the success of its first in-space demonstration flying a number of critical components developed in-house. Since its inception, K2 Space has raised $180M in equity and won over $50M in government and commercial contracts.

K2 Space is changing the economics of satellite connectivity and functionality, having designed a resilient, high power, high payload mass satellite platform at a cost that enables proliferation across orbits. With increasing demand for proliferated space applications requiring high throughput and levels of compute, K2’s solution provides an answer for customers who, until now, have been forced to trade between performance and affordability. The company plans to use the newly raised capital to scale production, hire talent, and bring additional components in-house.

“Advanced space capabilities can’t be built on small, low-powered platforms,” said Karan Kunjur, CEO at K2 Space, “but higher capability satellites have been far too expensive for most proliferated applications. This is the gap K2 fills – making highly capable, powerful satellites available to a much broader market. And because our satellites are designed to proliferate in higher orbits, our constellations require fewer satellites and fewer launches to provide global coverage.”

K2 Space recently announced a government contract for its first mission, “Gravitas”, which is designed to both demonstrate the platform’s ability to operate in the high radiation environment of medium-earth orbit (MEO), and perform the first of its kind low earth orbit (LEO) to MEO electric propulsion orbit raise. Taking advantage of the platform’s high power generation and versatile payload deck, the Gravitas mission will carry a mix of National Security and commercial payloads, demonstrating the ability to execute against critical mission areas while enabling a wide variety of space applications.

“We are at the dawn of a Space Supercycle,” said Erik Kriessmann, Partner at Altimeter Capital, “where new launch vehicles and reduced-cost, reliable access to space are transforming the entire market. K2 Space is taking advantage of this paradigm shift by mass-manufacturing multi-mission satellites that deliver unprecedented capabilities and enable multi-orbit constellations.” Added Connor Love, Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, “As the demands of space operations evolve, so too must the capabilities of satellite builders.”

K2 Space is entering 2025 on the heels of a blockbuster 2024 for the company. In addition to winning new government and commercial business, the company scaled from 25 to 90 full-time employees, and successfully completed full activation and operation of all hardware launched on its first in-space mission, including the flight computer, microcontroller core board, motor controller, and reaction wheel. Given how much of the bus K2 is building in-house, this successful component mission represents a major milestone – burning down significant technical risk – in preparation for Gravitas.

“We’ve attracted huge interest from both commercial and national security customers, who tell us that the platform we’ve designed is unique, differentiated, and unlocks a multitude of pressing applications for their organizations,” Karan continued. “As we’ve been able to prove out our technology and price point, customers have expressed greater excitement – but also urgency – in what we’re building. The Series B is a vote of confidence from our investors, and importantly, allows us to more quickly address what is a critical gap in the market.”

About K2 Space

K2 Space is developing a high-powered, low-cost satellite bus platform that delivers the capability of exquisite satellites at the price point and speed of small satellites. Redesigned from the reaction wheel up, the K2 bus multi-manifests up to ten satellites per launch vehicle, is made to handle the harsh environment of MEO and GEO, and has the highest power electric propulsion system ever flown – making it the platform of choice for Proliferated LEO, Proliferated MEO, and Proliferated GEO.  K2 Space was started by a team of former SpaceX engineers and has raised $180M in venture capital to date, with the backing of leading funds like Lightspeed Venture Partners, Altimeter Capital, and First Round Capital.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE K2 Space

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 13, 2025 — Vouch, the leading business insurance provider for high-growth companies, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the team and book of business of StartSure Insurance Services, Inc., an insurance provider that simplifies how small businesses get insurance.

Vouch is also announcing the first close of its Series D funding round, led by Allegis Capital with all other major investors participating, reinforcing its position as the go-to insurance platform for high-growth companies.

As part of the acquisition, the StartSure team, including CEO Tim DiPietro, will join Vouch. StartSure clients will gain access to a broader suite of insurance products through Vouch’s brokerage team, while Vouch clients will benefit from StartSure’s proprietary MGA programs for coworking and inventory insurance.

“Through this Series D financing and joining forces with StartSure, Vouch is expanding our capabilities to provide unmatched service and innovative products to high-growth companies,” said Sam Hodges, CEO of Vouch. “StartSure’s expertise in insuring startups and flexible workspaces aligns perfectly with our mission, and our latest funding will allow us to expand our brokerage capabilities and develop new insurance products.”

Tim DiPietro, CEO of StartSure, added: “Vouch is a natural home for StartSure. We share a commitment to making insurance simple and accessible for founders. Joining forces means our clients will benefit from expanded resources, broader coverage options through Corix, and Vouch’s reputation for exceptional service.”

With the backing of Allegis Capital and the integration of StartSure, Vouch is accelerating its expansion, ensuring that startups—no matter their stage—have access to tailored, high-quality insurance solutions.

About Vouch

Vouch is the tech-enabled insurance provider for high-growth companies, with access to 80+ insurance carriers and instant quoting capabilities through our MGA brand, Corix. Backed by industry experts and top-tier investors, Vouch provides fast, tailored, and founder-friendly insurance solutions to help startups manage risk at every stage. With a tech-driven approach and deep expertise in emerging risks, Vouch is redefining how entrepreneurs protect their futures. For more information, visit vouch.us.

About StartSure

StartSure is the insurance platform built for modern businesses. Designed to remove the complexity of coverage, StartSure offers fast, flexible, and transparent insurance solutions tailored for startups, small businesses, and entrepreneurs. Whether it’s general liability, cyber protection, or tenant coverage, StartSure delivers seamless, tech-driven policies that grow with your business. For more information, visit startsure.co

Media Contact
Clark Kays
[email protected]

SOURCE Vouch

SAN CARLOS, Calif. and DALLAS, Feb. 13, 2025 — Trive Capital (“Trive”), the Dallas-based private equity firm, is excited to announce its recent investment in Chilton Auto Body (“Chilton” or the “Company”). Headquartered in San Carlos, California, Chilton is a leading collision repair platform operating 20 auto body repair shops across California.

For over 55 years, Chilton has provided its customers with a comprehensive range of auto body collision repair services, from structural damage and bumper repair to light cosmetic and paintless dent repairs. While the Company services all vehicle makes and models, Chilton specializes in repairing electric vehicles (“EV”) from OEMs Tesla, Rivian and Lucid, among others. The Company was the first Tesla-certified body shop and is recognized as a pioneer of EV collision repair.

“Today’s announcement marks a pivotal moment for our company and is a testament to the commitment and strength of our team, our track record for quality and timely repairs, and our relentless focus on providing an industry-leading customer experience,” said Mike Chilton, Chief Executive Officer of Chilton Auto Body. “We are thrilled to partner with Trive as we launch this new phase of growth, while enhancing support for our valued insurance carrier partners and creating new opportunities for our talented team members.”

The Company was founded in 1969 when Charles Chilton opened its first repair shop in San Mateo, California. In 1984 Mike Chilton joined his father in running the business, and starting in 2003 under his leadership, the Company began expanding its shop footprint via brownfield and acquisition. Chilton now operates 20 state-of-the-art repair shops around the Bay Area and Los Angeles and continues to grow throughout California.

“The Chilton leadership team has an exceptional track record of growing its footprint and scale, performing to key scorecard metrics, and delivering quality customer service, all while maintaining industry leading capabilities and EV repair expertise,” stated Jared Reyes, Managing Director at Trive Capital. “We are excited to partner with Mike and the executive team as they look to bring Chilton’s exceptional service and capabilities to new and adjacent geographies via M&A and new brownfield locations.”

“The collision repair industry continues to demonstrate attractive fundamentals. Furthermore, the growing complexity of vehicles and further adoption of EVs together present an attractive market opportunity for players with leading capabilities, state-of-the-art equipment and highly experienced technicians,” added Chris Zugaro, Partner at Trive Capital. “Chilton’s history and reputation position them well to capitalize on these trends, and we look forward to partnering with them in this next chapter of growth.”

King & Spalding LLP served as legal counsel to Trive.

About Chilton Auto Body
Headquartered in San Carlos, California, Chilton Auto Body is a leading U.S. auto body collision repair platform operating 20 shop locations across California. Chilton offers its valued customers a range of collision repair services, including paint and refinish, aluminum welding, bumper repair and calibration, light cosmetic, structural damage repair, and paintless dent, in addition to select ancillary services such as hail damage repair. Chilton’s origins date back to 1969 when the Chilton family opened the Company’s first repair shop in San Mateo, California. For more information, visit www.chiltonautobody.com.

About Trive
Trive Capital is a Dallas, Texas-based private equity firm with more than $8 billion of regulatory assets under management. Trive focuses on investing equity and debt in what it sees as strategically viable middle-market companies with the potential for transformational upside through operational improvement. We seek to maximize returns through a hands-on partnership that calls for identifying and implementing value creation ideas.

The Trive team is comprised of seasoned investment professionals who have been involved in over 250 middle-market transactions representing in excess of $10 billion in revenue across Trive’s targeted industry sectors and situations.

SOURCE Trive Capital

This is the first tranche of a Series A Round for IBI Ag’s novel bioinsecticide platform.

NES TZIONA, Israel, Feb. 13, 2025 — IBI Ag, a pioneering crop protection company developing a wide array of bio-insecticides with a lower ecological footprint, today announced it has successfully closed the first part of its Series A funding round with a $6.1 million investment. This round—led by Corteva, Inc. (“Corteva”), through its Corteva Catalyst platform with the participation of The Trendlines Group (SGX:42T) (OTCQX:TRNLY), Iron Nation, Consensus Business Group (“CBG”) and a grant from the Israel Innovation Authority —underscores the strategic importance of IBI Ag’s innovative biological and naturally-inspired solutions in the global agricultural sector to assist farmers in producing more food by protecting their crops and the global food chain.

IBI Ag has developed technology that leverages single domain antibodies, to produce highly effective crop protection solutions with a low ecological footprint. This technology—adapted from pharma and modified to fit the agricultural market—provides novel modes of action and represents a revolutionary new approach for protecting crops from insects. The products under development target a broad spectrum of insects, both sucking and chewing insects with minimal impact on non-targeted organisms. The company is targeting high value crops to start and will follow with row crop solutions.

“We are thrilled to have the support of our existing and new investors, led by Corteva through their Corteva Catalyst platform,” said Arnon Heyman, Chief Executive Officer, IBI Ag. “This investment will help us to accelerate the development of our single domain antibody technology, providing farmers with sustainable and effective crop protection solutions. We believe our single domain antibody technology is a game changer for driving agricultural productivity while preserving the environment, and the investment announced today is a significant step towards delivering this innovation to farmers across the globe.”

“We see considerable potential for IBI Ag’s bioinsecticides to be a smart solution for farmers to tackle devastating insects while minimizing environmental impacts,” said Tom Greene, Senior Director at Corteva Inc. and Global Leader for Corteva Catalyst. “Our investment aligns with our continued drive to put cutting-edge innovation into the hands of farmers and reflects our strategic focus on accelerating development of next generation biological and naturally inspired solutions.”

About IBI Ag
IBI-Ag is a pioneer in the Agri-biotech industry, committed to developing innovative and sustainable solutions for crop protection. The company’s proprietary technology platform, the first of its kind, utilizes nano-bodies—a type of antibody—to create effective, selective, and safe biological insect control solutions. This breakthrough technology has the potential to protect the global food chain by helping farmers protect their crops with a lower ecological footprint and to transform the agricultural industry by offering an environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative to chemical pesticides. IBI Ag was established by The Trendlines Group together with the founders Amir Ayali PhD and Rony Oren Benaroya PhD, and with the support of the Israel Innovation Authority.

Media Contacts:
IBI Ag: Arnon Heyman, CEO IBI Ag, e-mail: [email protected]

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2619674/IBI_Ag_team.jpg

SOURCE IBI Ag

JERSEY CITY, N.J., Feb. 13, 2025 — Exero Medical, a US and Israel based company focused on early detection of post-operative complications using tissue healing data, has secured up to  $12.7M in funding to complete its FDA pivotal trial and launch its breakthrough-designated xBar system in the United States. The round includes $10M in upfront funding and additional milestone-based warrants, as well as $2.7M in non-dilutive grants.

This financing includes investments from new investors Longevity Venture Partners, Tech Council Ventures, and Edge Medical Ventures, alongside participation from existing investors.

Mortality rates in patients with severe complications after gastrointestinal surgery can be up to 20% due to challenges in identifying these complications early. The xBar system uses sensors placed at the surgical site to collect data that can assist clinicians in early detection of major, life threatening complications after gastrointestinal surgery. 

Raissa Hacohen, Managing Partner at Longevity Venture Partners, comments, “We were thrilled to lead Exero’s latest round as we believe in the potential of innovative medical technology to unlock new health data. We support Exero’s vision of creating efficiency within the healthcare system and improving patient outcomes by adding dimensions of new health data into the existing workflow.”

Mark Kolb, Partner at Tech Council Ventures, adds, “Exero Medical’s breakthrough xBar system has the potential to revolutionize post-operative care by providing critical real-time data to detect complications early—ultimately saving lives and reducing healthcare costs. Tech Council Ventures is proud to support Exero’s growth and expansion into the U.S. market.”

Shai Policker, General Partner at Edge Medical Ventures and Chairman of Exero, shares:

“We are excited to welcome new investors in support of Exero’s clinical program, regulatory clearance, and launch of the xBar system. Additionally, Exero’s new US headquarters in Scitech Scity at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ, will serve as a vital hub for these important initiatives.”

About Exero Medical

Exero Medical’s mission is to empower health care providers with high-quality, actionable post-operative tissue healing data that can save lives, improve prognosis, and reduce cost of care. The company’s flagship product, the xBar system, has been granted Breakthrough Device Designation by the FDA. Exero Medical was founded in 2018 by MEDX Xelerator, and is backed by the Israeli Innovation Authority, Tech Council Ventures, Longevity Venture Partners, Edge Medical Ventures, Consensus Business Group (CBG), Unorthodox Ventures, and Clalit Health Services – the largest HMO in Israel.

The xBar system is not approved for sale in the United States and is limited to investigational use.

Media contact:
Eileen Ke
Vice President, Business Development
(+1) 267-342-0576
[email protected]

SOURCE Exero Medical

PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 13, 2025 — Eudia, a groundbreaking Augmented Intelligence platform for Fortune 500 legal teams, today announced the close of its Series A funding round for up to $105 million, led by General Catalyst with participation from Floodgate, Sierra Ventures, Hakluyt Capital, Defy, Everywhere Ventures, B3 Capital, Backbone, Firsthand, as well as prolific angel investors Gokul Rajaram, Chris Re, Andrew Sieja, Mike Gamson, and Scott Belsky.

In tandem, Eudia unveiled its name, mission, and platform to the public after operating in stealth for the past 18 months. As an Augmented Intelligence platform tailored to the unique needs of in-house legal departments, Eudia is reimagining how legal teams operate—providing agentic capabilities that augment human expertise, optimize risk, and unlock significant business value.

A Vision for the Future of Legal Leadership
The legal industry faces a unique challenge: balancing the growing demand to support businesses at unprecedented speeds while maintaining an uncompromising approach to risk management. In-house legal teams are overwhelmed, relying on expensive outside counsel tied to outdated billable-hour models, while current AI tools risk accuracy, privacy, IP, and security.

Eudia believes in a future where legal leaders transcend these limitations. The company’s Augmented Intelligence Platform empowers legal departments to own their institutional knowledge, harness it through AI, and supercharge their in-house lawyers. By blending AI with human expertise, Eudia enables Chief Legal Officers (CLOs) to go beyond problem solving—proactively driving company strategy, strengthening risk management, and capturing untapped value for their business.

“Visionary CLOs see AI’s potential but understand they cannot compromise on trust, accuracy, or a deep understanding of their organization’s unique context,” said Omar Haroun, Co-Founder and CEO of Eudia. “Eudia combines a proprietary Augmented Intelligence platform with human expertise to supercharge legal professionals, helping organizations scale efficiently, mitigate risk effectively, and unlock billions in unrealized business value.”

Rapid Adoption by Industry Leaders
Already trusted by leading organizations, Eudia’s solutions are being used by the CLOs of some of the world’s most prominent Fortune 500 companies, including Cargill, DHL, Duracell, and Coherent.

“Eudia is not a software provider, it is the future of our department. Eudia is headcount I don’t have to hire, it’s enterprise risk reduction in that it helps us understand the legal data we already have. It’s a major part of our transformation story. The team has earned my trust over the past 18 months, delivered significant ROI, and enabled my legal team to act as a real strategic partner to the business, by building an AI brain that delivers information and insights that were previously inaccessible or cost-prohibitive,” said Rob Beard, Chief Legal Officer of Coherent.

Similarly, Mark Smolik, Chief Legal Officer of DHL Supply Chain Americas, shared: “As a team we spend a great deal of time evaluating and implementing new and creative ways to drive innovation in our department. Of the many tools we’ve evaluated, Eudia stands out as highly differentiated, by building AI agents that are designed for the real needs of corporate legal departments. The team have earned my trust with every interaction, and I’m thrilled to have access to Eudia’s Augmented Intelligence platform.”

Proven Leaders Positioned to Define the Industry
Eudia’s leadership team combines expertise in the legal, AI, and operational domains with decades of experience transforming industries:

• Omar Haroun, CEO: A serial entrepreneur with over a decade in Fortune 500 legal technology, previously leading AI strategy at Relativity, and founding Text IQ.
• Ashish Agrawal, CTO: A pioneering AI expert who has held builder and leadership roles at Amazon, Apple, Google, and startups, including Cresta.
• David Van Reyk , COO: Former Private Equity investor at CVC Capital Partners, with experience executing large scale transformations and M&A.

Together, the team is building a first-of-its-kind platform that prioritizes trust and long-term impact for legal departments.

Accelerating Growth with General Catalyst
By partnering with General Catalyst in this investment round, Eudia is accelerating its rapid growth trajectory. With access to General Catalyst’s expertise and network, Eudia aims to enhance its product offerings, expand its customer base, and unlock new opportunities in how legal teams operate.

“Eudia represents the next generation of legal —one that leverages AI responsibly and effectively to address the nuanced needs of in-house legal teams,” said Hemant Tenja, CEO and Managing Director of General Catalyst. “We’re excited to support Eudia as they redefine what is possible for Chief Legal Officers and their organizations using applied AI.”

As part of this partnership, Eudia is committed to continuing its track record of delivering unparalleled value to corporate legal departments by helping them streamline operations, execute world-class risk management, and unlock their full potential.

“We see Eudia as taking a unique approach to AI in legal—unlocking not just software budgets, but also the far larger legal services market where inefficiencies run deep. By automating workflows, Eudia enables customers to save on external legal spend and drive efficiency gains internally, for example up to 98% in compliance reviews,” said Marc Bhargava, managing director at General Catalyst. “This isn’t only software improvement —it’s work transformation, automating both software and basic services tasks to ultimately free up teammates to deliver better client outcomes by focusing on higher-value work.”

About Eudia
Eudia is transforming the role of legal departments in Fortune 500 companies with its Augmented Intelligence Platform. By combining the power of a best-in-class AI platform with expert humans-in-the-loop, Eudia eliminates routine work, illuminates previously unseen insights, and empowers legal teams to deliver measurable business value. Eudia’s approach helps Chief Legal Officers efficiently scale operations, mitigate risk, optimize external counsel spend, and free their teams from the ‘toil’ of menial legal tasks.  Eudia enables legal departments to become strategic partners to the businesses they support. Headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, Eudia is backed by General Catalyst and trusted by some of the world’s largest organizations. To learn more, visit www.eudia.com.

SOURCE Eudia

Ingredion Ventures, Lever VC, and Sucden Ventures join existing key investors to close an $18M funding round.

DAVIS, Calif., Feb. 13, 2025 — Oobli, the first company in the world to successfully build a sweet protein platform, today announced its partnership with Ingredion, a leading global ingredient solutions provider. Together, Oobli and Ingredion will accelerate industry access to great-tasting, affordable and healthier sweetener systems by bringing natural sweetener solutions like stevia alongside Oobli proteins – proteins that sweeten.

“Sweet proteins are a long-overdue addition to the toolkit of better-for-you sweeteners,” said Ali Wing, CEO at Oobli. “Working with Ingredion’s best-in-class teams to pair natural sweeteners with our novel sweet proteins will deliver game-changing solutions in this important, growing and timely category.”

Sweet proteins are a great-tasting, healthier sweetener that can be a foundational part of any combination of sweetener ingredients in food and beverages, including sodas, baked goods, yogurts, candies and more. Sweet proteins can also be used to cost effectively complement other natural sweeteners, helping food companies achieve ideal levels of sweetness, meet nutrition objectives and manage costs.

“We’ve long been at the forefront of innovation in sugar reduction solutions, and our work with sweet proteins is an exciting new chapter in that journey,” said Nate Yates, VP and GM Sugar Reduction and Fiber Fortification, CEO Pure Circle at Ingredion. “Whether we’re enhancing existing sweetener systems with sweet proteins or using our established sweeteners to unlock new possibilities, we see incredible synergies across these platforms.”

Oobli and Ingredion recently tested several co-developed products to better understand the opportunities for sweet proteins and stevia. Both companies shared enthusiasm about the consumer feedback collected, which ultimately led to the partnership. Next month, the two companies will unveil some of these novel sweet treats at Future Food Tech in San Francisco on March 13-14, 2025. 

This partnership news follows recent announcements by Oobli that it had received FDA GRAS “no questions” letters for two sweet proteins (monellin and brazzein), confirming that these novel sweet proteins are safe to be used as a sweetener in food and beverage products.

In addition to their latest regulatory and partnership announcements, Oobli has also recently completed $18M in Series B1 funding, adding new strategic food and ag investors including Ingredion Ventures, Lever VC, and Sucden Ventures. These new investors join existing Oobli investors Khosla Ventures, Piva Capital, B37 Ventures and other leading investors.

This round supports Oobli’s expansion across food and beverages with sweet proteins, both as a standalone solution, as well as in combination with other natural sweeteners, such as stevia, developed in partnership with Ingredion.

About Oobli
Oobli is a sweet protein technology platform company focused on replacing sugar in food and beverages. Sweet proteins have no glycemic impact or effect on the gut microbiome. Produced via fermentation, Oobli sweet proteins are both cost-effective as a sweetener replacement and climate friendly, saving massive amounts of land, water and carbon compared to farmed sugarcane. Oobli is the first and only company in the world regulated to sell sweet proteins as a sweetener, with two FDA “no questions” letters, four proteins with self-affirmed FDA GRAS status and one protein with FDA FEMA GRAS status. In addition to selling its own protein-sweetened chocolates, Oobli partners with companies to help deliver great-tasting, affordable and healthier products. For more information, visit oobli.com.

About Ingredion
Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR) headquartered in the suburbs of Chicago, is a leading global ingredient solutions provider serving customers in more than 120 countries. With 2024 annual net sales of approximately $7.4 billion, the company turns grains, fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based materials into value-added ingredient solutions for the food, beverage, animal nutrition, brewing and industrial markets. With Ingredion‘s Idea Labs^® innovation centers around the world and more than 11,000 employees, the company co-creates with customers and fulfills its purpose of bringing the potential of people, nature, and technology together to make life better. Visit ingredion.com for more information and the latest company news.

Media Contact
[email protected]

SOURCE Oobli

Founded by 16-year old CEO Harper Moss and successful tech entrepreneur Gregory Ray as CTO, CarbonZero.Eco has already pre-sold $7M of biochar and inked a deal with California farmers to locate its first Biochar production site

LOS ALTOS, Calif., Feb. 13, 2025 — CarbonZero.Eco, a Silicon Valley-based venture-backed startup tackling regenerative agriculture and CO2 removal through Biochar, today emerged from stealth and announced a $3.5M seed round that includes investments from managers and executives at Google, Meta, Amazon and the CEOs of several late stage start-ups. The company also announced it has inked deals worth seven million dollars ($7M) with more than 300 almond farms in Colusa County and Yolo County, California to mitigate up to 1.5M tons of CO2 emissions from waste breakdown. The new capital will fuel the company’s mission to help American farmers enhance soil quality, increase crop yields, and generate additional revenues while also removing CO2 from the atmosphere by revolutionizing Biochar production at scale.

“Harper’s passion, persistence and drive led her to start an amazing company tackling regenerative farming and carbon emissions at a critical time for both, and I am so excited to see how far she takes it along with Greg and the impressive team they have put together,” said angel investor Rich Miner, co-founder of Android and former founding partner at Google Ventures.

New Construction and Preliminary Assessment with Puro.earth

CarbonZero.eco’s first Biochar production site–located in Colusa County, CA where almonds are processed–is slated to open in late April 2025. Puro.earth, the world’s leading carbon crediting platform, has vetted the planned facility which has passed Puro.earth’s preliminary assessment, registering CarbonZero.eco as a biochar CO2 Removal Certificate supplier. The company will begin generating certificates in summer 2025 for the CO2 removal.

“Harper pitched our ownership group and convinced us that she would build a business model that we would all benefit from,” said Dan Pronsolino, General manager, Cortina Hulling and Shelling LLC. “We look forward to working with her and Greg to increase crop yields, improve soil health and create additional revenue for the more than 300 local growers we serve. We are excited to be the first location for CarbonZero.Eco and hope that others learn from what we are doing here.”

Biochar Production at Scale Benefits Both Farmers and the Environment

Every year, at least 1,300 million tons of agricultural waste is produced, and the amount is likely to expand further in a world with a growing population to feed. The current approach to handling this waste through landfills and incineration has contributed to approximately 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions and also created various toxic pollutants. 

Biochar is a process that stabilizes carbon within the biomass, locking it away for thousands of years, effectively preventing its release during decomposition and contributing to carbon removal. This carbon removal generates valuable carbon removal certificates that are highly sought after in the market. Supported by over 6,000 studies, Biochar has also been proven to significantly enhance soil quality and crop yields for future generations. CarbonZero.eco has teamed up with California almond farmers to convert up to 1.5M tons of almond shells–which would normally decompose in 24 months and release their carbon as CO2–into Biochar.

Founding Story: Harper Moss and Gregory Ray Team Up to Fuel Biochar Production in the U.S. 

CarbonZero.Eco CEO Harper Moss and CTO Gregory Ray are on a mission to introduce Biochar to roughly 525M acres of farmland in the US, which could benefit from its regenerative properties, requiring over 2.6 billion tons annually. To achieve this goal, CarbonZero.Eco is addressing two main challenges: farmer enablement and the substantial Biochar shortage in the US. One of the key unlocks for the company was building their plant in a location where hundreds of farms already aggregated their biomass, so that the company’s plant required no additional transportation so the carbon impact is extremely net-positive.

Harper was just 15 years old when she first conceived the vision for CarbonZero.Eco driven by her passion to make a positive impact on the planet in a way that would also benefit the farmers who feed our nation. Realizing the remarkable potential of biochar in revitalizing farmlands and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere — a practice largely overlooked across the 8.5 million acres of California farmland – Harper embarked on a mission to introduce the transformative benefits of biochar to farmers. 

“Farmers are the beating heart of our country, yet haven’t been a big enough part of the carbon conversation before. Regenerative farming and carbon sequestration go hand in hand thanks to Biochar, and I am humbled that hundreds of farms trust us enough to partner with us on this journey,” said CEO Harper Moss. 

About CarbonZero

CarbonZero.eco, a Silicon Valley-based VC-backed startup, is tackling regenerative agriculture and climate change through Biochar, aiming to mainstream its use in farming and address the impending Biochar shortage. With kilns capable of producing 30,000 tons of Biochar per year, five times more than current technology, they are revolutionizing Biochar production at scale. CarbonZero.eco’s process benefits farmlands and stabilizes carbon for up to a millennium. The company’s first project in Colusa County, CA will mitigate 1.5 million tons of CO2 emissions from waste breakdown.

Media Contact:
408-761-4285
[email protected]

SOURCE CarbonZero.ECO, Inc.

–  Enhanced Games Land Multi-Million-Dollar Series B, Co-Led by 1789 Capital. 
–  Massive Investment Fuels the Enhanced Games’ Mission to Enhance Humanity Through Progressing Science and Sport.

NEW YORK, Feb. 13, 2025 — Omeed Malik, Chris Buskirk, and Donald Trump Jr.’s 1789 Capital has co-led a multi-million-dollar Series B round for the Enhanced Games, alongside significant contributions from Karatage, Christian Angermayer’s Apeiron Investment Group, and other blue chip investors. This new investment will drive the Enhanced Games towards hosting its upcoming inaugural record-breaking event.

The Enhanced Games are challenging traditional sports paradigms by embracing science, innovation, and fairness, to create the Third Olympiad – a new era of athletic excellence. This landmark funding injection underscores the momentum and global belief in the Enhanced Games’ vision. The new investors will join seed investors Peter Thiel, Balaji Srinivasan, and Christian Angermayer.

Dr Aron D’Souza, President of the Enhanced Games, expressed his enthusiasm for the support: “With these powerhouse investors, we’re building something revolutionary – sports without hypocrisy, where the best can actually be the best. Our investors see the future, and they’re backing it with conviction.“

Omeed Malik, Founder of 1789 Capital, shared his excitement: “The Enhanced Games aren’t just another sports league – they’re a declaration of freedom. For too long, we’ve let bureaucrats and corrupt institutions decide what’s ‘allowed’ in sports and what’s not. That era is over. We’re giving power back to the athletes and the fans, and I can’t wait to see history being made.“

Chris Buskirk, 1789 Capital’s Founder and CIO, commented: “The Enhanced Games represent the kind of bold, forward-thinking innovation that drives real progress. I’ve always backed ventures that challenge the status quo and push mankind forward. Just as we’ve seen breakthroughs in finance, defense tech, and media, we’re now seeing sports evolve to embrace science, technology, and human potential. This is an investment in the future – not just of athletics, but of a freer, more competitive world.”

Donald Trump Jr., Partner at 1789 Capital, added: “For over 100 years, elites in charge of global sports have stifled innovation, crushed individual greatness, and refused to let athletes push the limits of what’s possible. That ends now. The Enhanced Games represent the future – real competition, real freedom, and real records being smashed. This is about excellence, innovation, and American dominance on the world stage – something the MAGA movement is all about. The Enhanced Games are going to be huge, and I couldn’t be prouder to support this movement that is changing sports forever.“

The Enhanced Games are poised to redefine the boundaries of human achievement, creating a platform where the limits of performance are tested, broken, and celebrated.

The countdown to the world’s first Enhanced Games is underway. Sign up at www.enhanced.com to get regular updates like the upcoming announcement of the host city and the date of the event.

About the Enhanced Games:

The Enhanced Games are on a mission to enhance humanity, redefining the future of sports by merging scientific progress with elite athletic performance. Founded in 2023 by Australian entrepreneur Aron D’Souza, the Games challenge conventional sporting norms, embracing medicine and science to push human potential while prioritizing safety, transparency, and innovation.

Science and technology are recognized as fair advantages, allowing athletes to choose natural or enhanced competition. Setting the new gold standard in athlete health and safety, Enhanced mandates state-of-the-art medical profiling to monitor key health markers. And unlike traditional events, all athletes are paid, with world record-breakers earning million-dollar prizes.

Privately funded by leading investors, the Enhanced Games operate independently of taxpayer money, ensuring financial sustainability and innovation. This is the future of sport – where science, athleticism, and progress inspire superhuman achievement.

About 1789 Capital:

Founded in 2022 by Omeed Malik, Chris Buskirk, and Donald Trump Jr., 1789 Capital is an investment firm that focuses on providing financing to companies in the budding Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Growth (“EIG”) economy, which is driving the next era of American prosperity. The firm is based in Palm Beach, Florida.

This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2619353/Enhanced_Games.jpg
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2619352/Enhanced_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Enhanced Games