Series B expansion will fuel growth of leading space solar tech with proven on-orbit performance

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Aug. 26, 2025 —  mPower Technology, Inc., the leader in flexible solar power for space, today announced a strategic investment from Lockheed Martin Ventures, the venture arm of Lockheed Martin Corporation. The investment is an add-on to mPower’s recent Series B funding round, bringing total Series B funding to over $24 million.

This capital will further accelerate mPower’s ability to scale production of its DragonSCALES™ solar modules. DragonSCALES provides an industry-leading flexible, resilient, and cost-effective solution for solar power in space, enabling new design possibilities for space missions.

“We are honored to welcome Lockheed Martin Ventures as a strategic investor,” said Kevin Hell, president and CEO of mPower Technology. “Lockheed Martin brings deep mission expertise and a bold vision for the future of space and national defense. Their support is a validation of our role in enabling rapid, scalable, and cost-effective solar power across the new space economy and in support of U.S. security priorities.”

Lockheed Martin Ventures joins an impressive group of investors in the Series B round, including Razor’s Edge Ventures and Shield Capital, both of which focus on technologies critical to national security and resilient space infrastructure.

“Space has never been more important to national security, and affordable, reliable power is a mission-critical enabler for future space operations,” said Chris Moran, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Ventures. “The technology in development by mPower solves some of the hard challenges in unique and innovative ways—opening new doors for spacecraft design, power production, and scalability. We’re excited to support their continued growth and development as we advance U.S. leadership in space exploration.”

DragonSCALES has already been selected for several prominent space programs, including by Airbus Netherlands B.V. for their Sparkwing solar arrays which will power MDA’s AURORA satellites for low-earth orbit constellations like Telesat Lightspeed and the next-gen Apple-backed Globalstar constellation. Production is underway at mPower’s high-volume automated line located at Universal Instruments Corporation in Conklin, New York. The facility will produce over two megawatts of DragonSCALES annually, more than the combined global output of legacy gallium arsenide (GaAs) space solar suppliers.

With over 12 years of on-orbit heritage, mPower has become a trusted solar provider to companies including Airbus, Blue Origin/Honeybee, Firefly Aerospace, Lynk Global, and Gravitics.

About mPower Technology, Inc.

mPower Technology is reshaping the future of space solar with DragonSCALES™. Designed for mass production using standard silicon PV processes, DragonSCALES delivers high-performance, scalable solar power for spacecraft of all types. Learn more at mpowertech.com or follow us on LinkedIn, X, and Facebook.

About Lockheed Martin Ventures

Lockheed Martin is a global defense technology company driving innovation and advancing scientific discovery. Our all-domain mission solutions and 21st Century Security ® vision accelerate the delivery of transformative technologies to ensure those we serve always stay ahead of ready. More information at www.Lockheedmartin.com.

Media Contact:
Natalie Rizk
RiotMind
Phone: +1-505-252-4279
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE mPower Technology

The round was led by YZi Labs, Republic Digital, and HyperChain Capital, bringing Hemi’s total funding to $30 million as it prepares for its upcoming TGE.

CHICAGO, Aug. 26, 2025 — Hemi, the world’s largest programmability layer on Bitcoin, has closed a $15 million growth round, with participation from YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs), Republic Digital, HyperChain Capital, Breyer Capital, Big Brain Holdings, Crypto.com, DNA Fund, Selini Capital, Protein Capital, Quantstamp, and Web3.com, amongst others. With over $1.2 billion in total value locked on the network, the funding will fuel further ecosystem growth on Bitcoin.

With Bitcoin‘s $2.3 trillion market cap, its potential in decentralized Finance (DeFi) remains largely untapped. Until now, developers had to choose between Bitcoin‘s unmatched security or the flexibility of DeFi on other chains. Hemi eliminates that trade-off, merging Bitcoin‘s trust and resilience with Ethereum programmability into a supernetwork, finally unlocking Bitcoin for use in modern financial applications.

Jeff Garzik, co-founder of Hemi and one of the earliest Bitcoin core developers, said: “Bitcoin doesn’t need to be reinvented; it just needs the right tools around it. Hemi provides DeFi protocols with a familiar way to build on Bitcoin, without requiring new skills, compromising on security, or sacrificing decentralization. Our partners share our conviction that Bitcoin can support more than just value transfer; it can support an entire ecosystem.” 

Hemi creates the platform for applications that allow users to earn, borrow, trade, and build on Bitcoin, while seamlessly connecting to other blockchains. The breakthrough Hemi Virtual Machine (hVM), a full Bitcoin node embedded inside an Ethereum Virtual Machine, creates a powerful new layer that fuses Bitcoin‘s security with Ethereum‘s flexibility, unlocking a new frontier for programmable bitcoin. 

The co-founders of Hemi are Jeff Garzik, a renowned former Bitcoin core developer; Maxwell Sanchez, the inventor of Proof-of-Proof (PoP) consensus protocol; and crypto pioneer and investor Matthew Roszak. Today, Hemi is trusted by over 100,000 verified users and supported by a vibrant community of more than 400,000 members. This momentum is driven by a network of over 70 ecosystem partners, including industry leaders such as Sushi, LayerZero, MetaMask, and Redstone, among others. 

Alex Odagiu, Investment Partner of YZi Labs, said, “For YZi Labs, belief in the team and belief in the product go hand in hand. Jeff, Maxwell, and Matthew have decades of experience, and the breakthroughs they’ve engineered with Hemi show they know how to turn that experience into working systems. Hemi creates a new foundation for Bitcoin-native applications that the whole industry has been waiting for.”

Joseph Naggar, CEO and CIO of Republic Digital, said, “Bitcoin‘s role as the world’s most secure settlement layer is unquestioned, but the lack of scalable programmability has limited its potential. Hemi directly addresses this by marrying Bitcoin‘s security with Ethereum‘s developer ecosystem through its supernetwork architecture. With the Hemi Virtual Machine, Proof-of-Proof consensus, and cross-chain ‘Tunnels,’ the platform enables new layers of Bitcoin DeFi, restaking, and asset programmability. We view this as critical infrastructure, and we are proud to back a team with the technical rigor and vision to deliver it.”

Stelian Balta, Founder of HyperChain Capital, added, “Hemi’s dedication to unifying Bitcoin and Ethereum through a smart tunnelling network is very commendable. Their technical proficiency and vision for scalable solutions make them a valuable addition to the blockchain community.”

In preparation for Hemi’s highly anticipated token generation event, with details soon to be finalized and announced, it has recently unveiled the tokenomics for $HEMI. 

About Hemi

Hemi makes Bitcoin programmable, yield-generating, and composable – unlocking the next wave of Bitcoin-based decentralized finance. Built on the combined strengths of Bitcoin and Ethereum, Hemi is a modular protocol engineered for performance, security, and programmability. Hemi was co-founded by Jeff Garzik, a former Bitcoin core developer; Maxwell Sanchez, inventor of the Proof-of-Proof consensus protocol; and crypto pioneer and investor Matthew Roszak. Hemi is backed by leading investors including YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs), Breyer Capital, Big Brain Holdings, Republic Digital, Crypto.com, and HyperChain Capital. Follow Hemi on X and LinkedIn.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2758067/Hemi_pre_TGE_growth_round.jpg

SOURCE Hemi

NEW YORK, Aug. 26, 2025 — Polymarket, the world’s largest prediction market, today announced that Donald Trump Jr. has joined Polymarket’s advisory board, and that 1789 Capital has made a strategic investment in the company. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

1789 Capital is a pioneering investment firm dedicated to funding the next era of American exceptionalism. Mr. Trump Jr., a partner at 1789 Capital, brings decades of experience in forward-thinking business innovation and strategic perspective to Polymarket’s advisory board as the company looks to continue driving global adoption of prediction markets. The power of this investment, coupled with the additional expertise to Polymarket’s advisory board, further powers an effort to expand its footprint as the go-to platform for accurate, real-time insights into public sentiment on topics ranging from politics and economics to culture and global events.

“This strategic investment marks a significant milestone for Polymarket. Our long-term partnership with 1789 Capital will help reinforce Polymarket’s leading position as a trusted source of free, transparent and accurate market information in the U.S. and around the world,” said Shayne Coplan, Founder and CEO of Polymarket. “We are proud to formally welcome 1789 Capital as a strategic partner and Donald Trump Jr. to our advisory board as we continue building our platform to reflect real-world sentiment, in real time, for all to see.”

“Polymarket is the largest prediction market in the world, and the U.S. needs access to this important platform,” said Donald Trump Jr. “Polymarket cuts through media spin and so-called ‘expert’ opinion by letting people bet on what they actually believe will happen in the world. I am pleased that 1789 Capital is investing in Polymarket and am honored to join the company’s advisory board. I look forward to working with the team to advance its mission of bringing truth and transparency to everyone – including the U.S.”

“1789 Capital looks to invest in companies that are entrepreneurial, innovative, and demonstrate great potential for growth. Polymarket meets each of these criteria,” said Omeed Malik, Founder of 1789 Capital. “Polymarket stands at the intersection of free expression and financial innovation by empowering individuals with real-time truth in a world clouded by noise, and we are proud to support its vision.”

Most recently, Polymarket completed the $112 million acquisition of QCEX, a CFTC-licensed exchange and clearinghouse, paving the way for its re-entry into the U.S. market. The company also announced a partnership with 𝕏 as its Official Prediction Market Partner.

Since its launch in 2020, Polymarket has experienced tremendous growth as it has emerged as a vital source of trusted real-time information around the world. In the first half of 2025 alone, users have already made about $6 billion in predictions on the platform. To explore live markets and stay ahead of the curve, visit polymarket.com.

About Polymarket
Polymarket is the world’s largest prediction market. On Polymarket, traders predict the outcome of future events and win when they are right. As traders react to breaking news in real-time, market prices are the best gauge of the likelihood of events occurring. Institutions, individuals, and the media rely on these forecasts to report the news and better understand the future. Across politics, current events, pop culture, and more, billions of dollars of predictions have been made so far on Polymarket in 2025.

About 1789 Capital
Founded in 2022 by Omeed Malik and Chris Buskirk, 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.

Contact
[email protected] 

SOURCE Polymarket

New funding will accelerate Slant’s nationwide rollout, helping financial advisors double their capacity and serve hundreds more clients each year.

LEHI, Utah, Aug. 26, 2025 — Pageport, the company behind marketing and client engagement tools used by more than 1,000 financial advisors nationwide, today announced it has raised $3.3 million in funding from 2048 Ventures and Matchstick Ventures to launch Slant, its AI-first CRM designed exclusively for financial advisors, giving them the tools to serve more clients in less time..

Slant was built to help advisors serve more clients while strengthening the personal relationships that set them apart. For years, Pageport has heard the same frustration from hundreds of advisors: most incumbent CRMs do little beyond storing client data and tracking tasks. They don’t actively help advisors grow their practice or deepen relationships. Slant changes that – transforming the CRM into an active partner that prepares meetings, sends follow-ups, schedules reviews, and keeps client relationships moving forward.

“Financial advice changes lives—but too many Americans don’t have access to it,” said Michael Sheerin, [Title Placeholder]. “Slant’s approach empowers advisors to dramatically increase capacity while keeping their relationships personal and authentic. It’s technology that expands the human impact of financial advice.”

Built to increase advisor capacity

Most advisors can only serve 70–90 clients effectively, which means great advice is often reserved for the wealthiest households. Slant’s mission is to help advisors double their capacity, enabling them to work with hundreds more families and individuals—closing the advice gap that leaves millions without guidance.

AI agents that keep work moving

Slant’s AI Agents act as proactive teammates, handling the work that typically slows advisors down:

• Nudges – Timely, personalized prompts that not only tell you what needs to be done, but also do the heavy lifting for you. Whether it’s a client birthday, a follow-up after a meeting, or an RMD reminder, Slant drafts the email, queues the text, or schedules the outreach—so acting on it takes seconds, not hours.
• Meeting & Scheduling Agents – Slant handles every step of the meeting process for you. Beforehand, agents will prepare a personalized agenda, pull the right documents, and surface key client details. They’ll reach out to propose times, manage confirmations and reminders, and handle reschedules. After the meeting, agents will log notes, update the record, and queue follow-up—keeping the entire workflow moving without constant back-and-forth.
• Chat – An AI-powered assistant embedded in Slant, ready to answer questions, recall client details, find documents, and draft outreach—turning the CRM into an on-demand knowledge partner.

About Pageport

Pageport builds technology that helps financial advisors grow their practices and strengthen client relationships. Trusted by more than 1,000 advisors, Pageport’s solutions—including the newly launched Slant CRM—automate client engagement, meeting preparation, compliance workflows, and personalized outreach. Learn more at slant.app and see how Slant is redefining the CRM for financial advisors.

Media Contact

Hayden Neal

GTM Lead

[email protected]

(385) 342-3244

Slant.app

SOURCE Pageport

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 26, 2025 — Debut, the biotech beauty leader, has secured $20M in investment to accelerate the expansion of its proprietary, AI-based ingredient discovery platform to advance skin longevity innovation and scale its formulation business in the US and Asia.

The funding will propel the discovery of next-generation ingredients that target the 14 hallmarks of aging and empower Debut’s global beauty partners to innovate with peak-performing biotech ingredients and formulations married to novel claims. It will also enable beauty brands at all stages of growth to outsource their formulation innovation in record time, at scale and without the heavy upfront R&D expense associated with biotech.

“Debut is laser-focused on staying at the forefront of skincare innovation and bringing cutting-edge biotech to every beauty brand with the highest-performing and most differentiated ingredients. This funding will enhance our ability to screen upward of 50 billion ingredients to explore the 99.999 percent of unknown molecules that can optimize skin health and make skin longevity a reality,” said Joshua Britton, PhD, Founder and CEO of Debut.

The predictive capabilities of Debut’s proprietary, in-house skin health datasets recently surpassed publicly available datasets, achieving 99 percent data consistency compared to 85 percent in public datasets. “This means we can predict better ingredients, faster, with our best-in-class models that we have invested in over several years. We are excited to go after novel chemical entities (NCEs), as opposed to chasing existing ingredients in nature, to pioneer skin health innovation and support the growth of beauty brands,” said Britton.

Debut’s funding raise comes at a time marked by increased investor caution. The company is poised to enter the Asian market which is driven by advanced formulations and high-performance skincare. “AI combined with an understanding of skin biology enables the creation of custom formulation solutions for different geographies that has previously not been possible,” said Britton. Debut’s expansion into Asia will begin in Singapore where the company will be partnering with leading brands to create custom ingredients and formulations for longevity skincare.

The most recent fundraising round was supported by Fine Structure Ventures, EDBI, Wealthberry, BOLD (the venture fund of L’Oréal), GS Futures, Sandbox Industries and Material Impact, among others.

Debut

The leader in biotech beauty

Debut is building the future of beauty with cutting-edge AI and biotechnology, creating high-performing, innovative ingredients and formulations that propel the industry forward. The company specializes in scientifically-discovered, clinically-proven and inherently sustainable ingredients that provide maximum efficacy. Named one of the TIME100 Most Innovative Companies 2025, Debut is redefining the beauty industry’s standards, centering on performance, potency and purity. 

SOURCE Debut Biotechnology

New funding will support partnerships, product innovation, and team growth across the U.S.

BOSTON, Aug. 26, 2025 — Eyebot, the company behind the 90-second vision test kiosk that delivers doctor-verified glasses prescriptions, today announced it has raised $20 million in Series A funding. The round was led by General Catalyst, with participation from returning investors AlleyCorp, Baukunst, Village Global, and Ubiquity Ventures.

Eyebot is redefining how people access vision care by eliminating traditional barriers like appointment delays, insurance hurdles, and inaccessibility. Its kiosks—currently in malls, universities, retail stores, and grocery chains—provide a free, 90-second vision test that can also generate a glasses prescription reviewed and verified by licensed eye doctors.

With this new round of funding, Eyebot will expand across hundreds of new retail locations, scale its clinical and engineering teams, and deepen its engagement with eye care professionals.

“Clear vision shouldn’t require months of waiting, high costs, or geographic luck,” said Matthias Hofmann, co-founder and CEO of Eyebot. “This funding will help us accelerate our expansion, strengthen our clinical partnerships, and bring accessible vision care to millions more people.”

From Pilot to National Scale

Since its seed round last year, Eyebot has completed over 45,000 free vision tests and is on track to deliver over half a million annually.

Eyebot is focused on enhancing the in-person optical journey, demonstrating that convenient, high-quality experiences can exist anywhere. With several major launches planned alongside leading retail partners and private practices, including high-profile announcements later this year, the company is set to drive nationwide adoption.

A Clinically-Sound, Doctor-Led Approach

Make no mistake though—Eyebot isn’t replacing eye doctors—it’s working with them. Eyebot aims to support eye care professionals by offering doctors new ways to scale their impact, reach untapped patients, and deliver prescriptions safely through a tech-enabled platform grounded in clinical oversight.

Every vision test is reviewed by a licensed doctor. Eyebot has tested more than 2,500 patients in IRB-approved studies, proving its accuracy matches traditional in-person exams. Eyebot’s doctor-reviewed prescriptions have shown to have higher satisfaction scores than the industry average.

To continue strengthening its clinical oversight as it scales, Eyebot has formed a Clinical Advisory Board, led by Eyebot Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Alexander Martin, that includes leaders from both optometry and ophthalmology.

Solving the Real Access Gap

In the US alone, more than 3 million people have vision impairment, and an additional 8 million more have vision impairment from uncorrected refractive error, such as nearsightedness^1,2.

Millions of Americans skip care due to cost, inconvenience, or lack of nearby eye doctors. Eyebot helps fill that gap by unlocking access to high quality vision screenings in locations people already frequent such as malls, pharmacies, grocery stores, and schools.

“Wider access to high quality eye screenings will lead to more doctor visits, which in turn will allow for earlier detection of diseases and save sight”, said Eyebot’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Martin.

The Eyebot kiosks also allow emerging and online eyewear retailers to open physical storefronts with a fraction of the footprint needed today—creating new models for delivering care and driving retail efficiency. At the same time, Eyebot allows established brick-and-mortar retailers to expand their capacity for vision testing by embedding Eyebot into the places people already shop.

“We invested in Eyebot because they’ve built something simple, scalable, and incredibly impactful,” said Caitlin Donovan, Partner at General Catalyst. “They’re tackling a real access challenge in healthcare and doing it in a way that supports clinicians, retailers, and consumers alike.”

About Eyebot

Eyebot is transforming how people access vision care. Its 90-second vision test helps patients get the prescriptions they need—fast, affordably, and without the need for insurance or appointments. Every test is reviewed by a licensed eye doctor to ensure accuracy and clinical oversight. With a mission to make vision care accessible to everyone, equally, at the touch of a button, Eyebot is pioneering a new future for vision care.

About General Catalyst

General Catalyst is a global investment and transformation company that partners with the world’s most ambitious entrepreneurs to drive resilience and applied AI.

We support founders with a long-term view who challenge the status quo, partnering with them from seed to growth stage and beyond.

With offices in San Francisco, New York City, Boston, Berlin, Bangalore, and London, we have supported the growth of 800+ businesses, including Airbnb, Anduril, Applied Intuition, Commure, Glean, Guild, Gusto, Helsing, Hubspot, Kayak, Livongo, Mistral, Ramp, Samsara, Snap, Stripe, Sword, and Zepto.

For more: www.generalcatalyst.com, @generalcatalyst

Media Contact:
Gretchen Pahia
Pitch Public Relations
[email protected]
602-309-4286 

References

1. Varma R, Vajaranant TS, Burkemper B, et al. Visual impairment and blindness in adults in the United States: demographic and geographic variations from 2015 to 2050. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2016;134(7):802-809. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2016.1284
2. Vitale S, Cotch MF, Sperduto RD. Prevalence of visual impairment in the United States. JAMA. 2006 May 10;295(18):2158-63. doi: 10.1001/jama.295.18.2158. PMID: 16684986.

SOURCE Eyebot

The fastest-growing Voice AI and Customer Experience Platform for car dealerships secures funding led by Autotech Ventures

VIENNA, Va., Aug. 26, 2025 — Each year, U.S. dealerships lose more than $2 million in potential service and sales revenue due to unanswered calls, unread texts and disconnected communication workflows. Nearly one-third of dealerships fail to answer at least 20% of incoming calls, with some missing up to half, leaving consumers frustrated and more likely to take their business elsewhere. Almost 25% of leads go without follow-up for 24 hours, and 13% are never logged into a CRM at all.

Pam, the fastest-growing Voice AI and customer experience platform (CXP), is specifically designed to help dealerships address this issue. Pam integrates directly with dealer systems, including CDK, Xtime, WiAdvisor, DealerFX, MyKaarma, TCC, Autoloop, RedCap, Auto.live, and Tekion. Pam and Tekion also maintain a strategic partnership that drives faster adoption. The inspiration for the platform’s name comes from Pam Beesly, the affable receptionist from the hit television series The Office. Pam manages calls, texts, chats, and emails 24/7, ensuring no lead is missed, appointments are booked and confirmed, and every customer interaction is handled seamlessly.

“Every dealership wants to create great in-person experiences. From greeting customers to handing over keys, staff are focused on building trust and keeping customers happy. But those moments only happen if the digital connection works first,” said Abdullah Baig, Pam co-founder. “The reality is it doesn’t. Pam closes that gap and is reinventing the way communication is handled in our industry.”

After 18 months embedded in dealership operations, shadowing service advisors, sitting in BDCs, and analyzing day‑to‑day communication gaps, Pam has emerged as a platform purpose‑built to deliver results. That hands-on approach fueled rapid growth, scaling from thousands of calls to millions of calls and now connects customers with dealerships across 33 states and 3 Canadian provinces.

“We’ve been heads down building and connecting with dealers around the U.S. and have proven results. On average, Pam drives over $50,000 in monthly service revenue for each dealership, without adding headcount,” said Samee Khan, Pam’s CEO and co-founder. “By managing calls end-to-end, booking appointments and automating follow-ups, the platform saves an average of 35 hours of phone time monthly and has powered more than $100 million in repair orders.”

“Pam completely sets all service appointments, sends a follow-up text and logs it directly into our service scheduler,” said Kevin Farrish, owner of Farrish Automotive.”Our appointments are way up, and consumer satisfaction has increased.”

“With Pam, we’ve eliminated the need for a full-time receptionist, or more accurately, three of them,” said Peter Bartlett, CTO, Hennessy Auto Group. “To maintain high phone availability, you typically need coverage for simultaneous calls, breaks, sick days and no-shows. Pam handles all of that seamlessly, without the overhead. It’s a major operational cost savings.”

Pam doesn’t ask dealers to change how they work. She adapts to them. Onboarding takes days, not months, and support continues long after go-live. Dealers consistently describe Pam’s support as the fastest they’ve received from any tech partner. With a 95 percent retention rate and performance tuned to each store’s unique workflows, Pam delivers a platform that just works.

Funding Led by Autotech Ventures to Accelerate Growth

Today, Pam announced new funding led by Autotech Ventures, with participation from HF0 (backers of Ramp), Ali Rowghani’s First Harmonic, Idris Mokhtarzada of RocketMoney, Geneva Pacific, and other leading investors and angels.

“Pam addresses one of the most persistent operational pain points in retail automotive, communication breakdowns that cost dealers revenue daily,” said Alexei Andreev, managing director at Autotech Ventures. “What stands out is how quickly Pam has integrated into dealer systems, enabling the company to expand quickly into new AI-driven functions.”

The new investment will accelerate Pam’s hiring in engineering and go-to-market roles, deepen its integrations with dealer technology providers, and expand its capabilities beyond service into sales and parts.

“We specifically chose Autotech Ventures as our lead investor because of their deep industry expertise and their track record with category-defining companies like Lyft, Outdoorsy and SpotHero,” Khan added. “This partnership is about more than funding; it’s about scaling the right way.”

Looking ahead, Pam is evolving into the industry’s complete customer experience platform — uniting inbound and outbound communication, service, parts, and sales in one intelligent system, positioning the company as the seamless connective layer between dealerships and their customers.

About Pam

Pam is the fastest-growing AI voice and customer experience platform (CXP) helping car dealerships win at the digital doors. She’s always on, never tired, and trained to work the way each store does, with no scripts and no cookie-cutter logic. From phones to follow-up, Pam captures revenue, saves time, and helps dealers deliver the kind of service that keeps customers coming back.

Read more about Pam’s vision at www.pamhq.com

SOURCE Autotech Ventures

The Fast-Growing Brand Fuels a Health-Forward Movement in Dairy with Explosive Market Momentum

WESTFIELD, Pa., Aug. 26, 2025 — Painterland Sisters, the mission-driven dairy brand founded by sisters and fourth-generation dairy farmers, has closed its seed funding round led by angel investment groups The Angel Group, its partner fund Supernatural Ventures, and Spacestation Investments. Scoop Ventures also joined the round, as well as independent angel investors such as Olympic medalists, professional athletes, lifestyle entrepreneurs, and industry leaders.

The funding marks a major milestone for the fast-growing, female-founded brand, known for its organic skyr-style yogurt and its broader efforts to elevate dairy from the ground up. Painterland Sisters’ impressive momentum has captured the attention of mission-aligned athletes and Olympic medalists, including Shawn Johnson and husband Andrew East, Tara and Hunter Woodhall, and Jakob and Olivia Chychrun. Packed with natural protein and billions of probiotics, its skyr has become a staple among many professional sports teams and training facilities, including the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers, with more partnerships on the horizon.

“Painterland Sisters checks every box for us,” said Adam Spriggs, Founding Member at The Angel Group and Managing Partner at Supernatural Ventures. “It’s a brand with proven traction, strong fundamentals, and founders who are all-in on a mission that truly resonates. Their immediate resonance and momentum in the market spoke to the first-to-believe, first-to-move ethos that sets our investment ethos apart.”

Painterland Sisters was founded by sisters Stephanie and Hayley Painter, fourth-generation farmers on a mission to preserve their family’s organic regenerative dairy farm — and others like it — while connecting consumers to the direct source of their food and restoring the health of the land, communities, and people. In less than three years, Painterland Sisters’ organic, high-protein, lactose-free skyr yogurt has resonated nationwide with health-conscious consumers seeking real, nutrient-dense options. The brand is now sold in over 5,000 stores across all 50 states and sold more than 5.7 million cups in 2024 alone. Painterland Sisters is the fastest growing dairy brand in terms of dollar growth, up 161.8% among the top 15 brands in the last 12 weeks compared to a year ago (Data Source: SPINS Total US | Natural Expanded Channel Last 12 weeks | Ref Yogurt & Plant Based / Sub Category: RF Yogurt | 05.18.25 vs SPINS Total US | Natural Expanded Channel Last 12 weeks | Ref Yogurt & Plant Based / Sub Category: RF Yogurt | 06.16.24).

The brand’s rapid rise reflects growing consumer interest in sustainable, nutrient-dense dairy rooted in transparency and impact. Every cup supports organic regenerative agriculture, rural revitalization, and a more intentional food system for the future.

“We were immediately drawn to the founders’ authenticity, mission-driven approach, and explosive early traction,” said Jaxon Stuart, Principal at Spacestation Investment. “In a category long dominated by legacy players, Painterland Sisters stood out by combining best in class product quality with a refreshingly transparent, farmer-owned brand story. The product is so good in fact, that many of our investors doubled or tripled their allocation after tasting.”

Painterland Sisters has also gained support from lifestyle brand entrepreneurs Shea and Syd McGee of Studio McGee, as well as prominent CPG industry leaders backing the brand as the future of dairy, including Kari Pedriana, Co-Founder and CEO of Green Spoon Sales — a leading natural food broker and people and planet first organization; and early investors from a previous round, Terry Brett, Founder of Kimberton Whole Foods, and Kimberton Whole Foods — a chain of family-owned, independent natural food stores, known for pioneering organic retail in southeastern Pennsylvania; and David Hollinger, Founder of Four Seasons Produce — a leading organic and conventional produce distributor in the Northeast, known for championing independent retailers and sustainable farming practices. Additional angel investors include Maddie Serviente — an investment analyst at The Angel Group — and her partner Scott Eastwood.

The investments secured during this funding round will be used as working capital to support operations and innovation as the company forges ahead after its national launch into Whole Foods Market last month. In 2024 alone, the brand used over 8.7 million pounds of milk, reinforcing its deep-rooted commitment to dairy farmers and sustainable supply chains.

“We’re strong believers that dairy isn’t going anywhere — in fact, it’s primed for a renaissance,” continues Spriggs. “As consumers become more educated about supply chains, ingredient quality, nutrition, and gut health, we expect a new wave of interest in elevated dairy products. Painterland Sisters is well-positioned to lead that charge — not only with a differentiated product, but with a story and mission that resonate on a deeper level. Consumers are pushing brands to deliver higher quality and nutrition without sacrificing taste or experience — Painterland Sisters meets that demand head-on.”

This funding follows a $1.2M raise completed through Wefunder in 2024, with 700+ investors supporting the female-founded mission to bridge the gap between people and the source of their food: the American farmer.

“We see massive potential in the premium yogurt space,” continues Stuart. “Today’s consumer craves clean transparent ingredients, gut health benefits, and brands with a mission. Painterland Sisters is not just riding that wave, they’re defining it.”

For more information about Painterland Sisters, please visit www.painterlandsisters.com.

About Painterland Sisters
Painterland Sisters is a woman-owned, family-owned and farmer-owned organic lactose-free skyr yogurt brand. Their mission is to connect consumers with the direct source of their food while restoring the health of the land, communities, and people through the use of organic regenerative agriculture practices. With their simply yummy and nutrient-dense yogurt sourced from their organic family farm and others like it, Painterland Sisters is dedicated to supporting American farmers and providing consumers with a wholesome and delicious product.

About The Angel Group & Supernatural Ventures
Founded in 2020, The Angel Group is a private network of seasoned professionals and investors in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. The group is known for its early backing of breakout brands such as Siete, Poppi, Goodles, Bubble Skincare, Bachan’s, and more recently, Painterland Sisters, Garage Beer, Jesse & Ben’s, and Ayoh!

In 2025, Supernatural Ventures was launched as a venture fund to invest alongside The Angel Group in the next generation of high-potential CPG brands, supporting founders with a powerful ecosystem of hands-on support, deep industry experience, and early belief.

About Spacestation Investments
Spacestation Investments backs breakout consumer brands from pre-seed to Series A. We’ve supported companies like Oura Ring, Olipop, Magic Spoon, MrBeast, and Hyperice. Our model blends a traditional venture fund with SPVs powered by top creators, influencers, and athletes — bringing not just capital, but distribution, cultural credibility, and an unfair advantage to every brand we back. We partner with founders to help them break through the noise, unlock strategic partnerships, and scale faster than traditional capital alone ever could.

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SOURCE Painterland Sisters

Company building next-generation ships, half a football field in length, which can cross the Pacific at unmatched endurance, carrying significant Navy payloads

BOSTON, Aug. 26, 2025 — Blue Water Autonomy, a Boston-based technology and shipbuilding company designing and building highly producible unmanned ships for the U.S. Navy, announced today $50 million in Series A funding led by GV. All existing investors, Eclipse, Riot, and Impatient Ventures, participated. Today’s announcement follows Blue Water’s $14M seed round announced in April 2025, bringing the company’s total funding raised to $64M. As part of today’s news, GV Managing Partner Dave Munichiello joins the company’s Board of Directors.

With this funding, Blue Water Autonomy will build and deploy its first long-range, full-sized autonomous ship next year. Since the seed round, the team has quadrupled in size, completed successful on water engineering tests, and started acquiring long lead material from more than 50 selected suppliers.

“There is an urgent need for autonomous ships designed specifically for maritime security and logistics. This funding gives our team the resources to build long-range autonomous ships from the keel up that will operate on the open ocean for months at a time,” said CEO Rylan Hamilton. “Blue Water Autonomy is laser-focused on perfecting a single platform class. This intentional strategy ensures unmatched quality, speed to market, and reliability from day one.”

China is dominating global shipbuilding with over 200 times greater shipbuilding capacity than the U.S., growing its combat fleet with new naval tonnage while U.S. warship production stalls. Pentagon leadership has accelerated plans for autonomous vessels that will help bolster the fleet, leveraging $2.1B in new Congressional funding for the medium-sized unmanned surface vessels like those Blue Water Autonomy builds.

Future unmanned ships must be producible, affordable platforms that can deliver varied payloads, while complementing and supporting the advanced capabilities of traditional naval assets. While focused on initial naval applications, Blue Water’s leadership sees massive opportunity in commercial maritime markets that are replete with dull, dangerous, and dirty jobs at sea.

Blue Water Autonomy’s team consists of proven founders and Navy veterans, bringing the deep understanding, urgency, and experience necessary to help deliver overdue innovation to America’s sailors and warfighters. The team recently opened a Washington D.C. office and has grown to include shipbuilding veterans with a track record of delivering 30+ ships to the U.S. Navy, including complex destroyers and amphibious ships, and DARPA’s fully autonomous NOMARS. Fusing shipbuilding and robotics talent gives Blue Water Autonomy unique credibility and ability to innovate, iterate, and scale.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with Rylan for nearly two decades, from our time at Kiva Systems through Shopify’s acquisition of his robotics company,” said Dave Munichiello, Managing Partner at GV. “As a former military officer myself, I’ve seen how great leaders are forged through experience, and Rylan exemplifies that—pairing vision with disciplined execution. At Blue Water, he’s assembled a world-class team to autonomize maritime defense, addressing a mission as urgent as it is consequential.”

About Blue Water Autonomy
Founded in 2024, Blue Water Autonomy is making unmanned ships a reality. Blue Water’s autonomous ship design fully-integrates hardware, software, and AI allowing the vessel to operate on the open ocean for months at a time. For more information about Blue Water Autonomy, visit: www.blw.ai 

SOURCE Blue Water Autonomy