SAN DIEGO, Feb. 4, 2025 — Zafrens, a pioneering biotech company transforming drug discovery, welcomes imec.xpand to its Series A syndicate, bringing the total capital raised to USD 31 million. imec.xpand is joined by existing investors Prime Movers Lab, Kofa Healthcare, and Global Brain in this financing.

Zafrens’ breakthrough platform allows scientists to create and test hundreds of thousands of potential medicines in a single experiment – a dramatic improvement over traditional drug discovery methods. This innovative approach significantly reduces the time and cost of finding new treatments while providing deeper insights into how these drugs work.

“Our platform represents a fundamental shift in drug discovery,” said Swamy Vijayan, CEO of Zafrens. “By creating and testing hundreds of thousands of potential drugs simultaneously and understanding exactly how they affect cells, we can identify the most promising treatments faster and with greater confidence in their safety. This means we can potentially bring life-changing drugs to patients more quickly and efficiently.”

The company has already demonstrated the value of its platform through successful collaborations with several leading pharmaceutical companies, focusing on multiple classes of drugs. The new funding will enable Zafrens to expand its capacity and engage in additional partnerships with pharmaceutical companies worldwide.

“Zafrens exemplifies the kind of breakthrough innovation imec.xpand seeks to support,” said Benoit Devogelaere, Partner at imec.xpand. “Their platform is fundamentally enabled through nanotechnology, and can accelerate the development of various types of modern medicines, from traditional small molecule drugs to advanced cell therapies and antibody treatments. We’re excited to support their mission to transform how these new medicines are discovered.”

For more information, please contact:
Swamy Vijayan, CEO
[email protected]

About Zafrens Zafrens is pioneering an ultra-high-throughput drug discovery platform to isolate, culture, image, and sequence hundreds of millions of cells per project. The proprietary Z-Screen platform transforms drug discovery by enabling a comprehensive analysis of therapeutic assets across efficacy, safety, and mechanism dimensions. Alongside developing an internal pipeline, Zafrens collaborates with leading pharmaceutical companies to accelerate breakthroughs in oncology, immunology, neuroscience, and more disease areas. For more information, visit www.zafrens.com.

About imec.xpand imec.xpand is one of the world’s largest independent venture capital funds dedicated to early-stage semiconductor innovation. It targets ambitious deeptech start-ups where the knowledge, expertise and infrastructure of imec, the world-renowned semiconductor and nanotechnology R&D center, can play a determining role in their growth. imec.xpand has an outspoken international mindset towards building disruptive global companies and strongly believes that sufficient funding from the start is key to future success.

SOURCE Zafrens

Atombeam Makes Handling Data Faster, More Efficient and More Secure, Addressing the Surge in Edge Computing and Growth of Information Availability

MORAGA, Calif., Feb. 4, 2025 — Atombeam, whose innovative technology redefines how data is used, moved, stored and secured, today announced the closing of its recent Reg A+ funding round, with a total of $20 million raised. The successful funding round was hosted by StartEngine, empowering ordinary, individual investors to gain an ownership stake in the company’s transformative technology. More than 6,500 investors invested in Atombeam during this round. This brings Atombeam’s total funding to $35 million.

“Our technology has been engineered to completely transform data and the way it is used, making it more efficient and secure without compromising the ability to process it,” said Charles Yeomans, CEO and Chairman of Atombeam. “By reducing data size by 75% in a few millionths of a second, bandwidth can be expanded by 4x – which means companies can access more data, faster, and less expensively. By doing so, fewer energy and infrastructure resources are necessary, even while the amount of data being accessed, transmitted and used increases.”

Atombeam’s revolutionary technology is called “Data-as-Codewords,” which uses cryptography and compression to translate data into a set of codewords within an AI/ML-created codebook. A customer then sends and stores their codewords along an event path, for use by a reader application. There, the data is accessed and used through the same codebook, directly in its transformed state. Data-as-Codewords is always compressed, always encrypted, and transmits the data without latency, ensuring transmission and storage is always optimized.

Atombeam plans to use the funding to continue growing the organization, adding to both the go-to-market and research and development parts of its team. The funding will also be used to further develop its Neurpac and Neurcom products, incorporating customer feedback and ensuring that both exceed the expectations of its growing customer base.

Over the course of the past year, Atombeam has continued its momentum, securing new customer implementations and product recognition. To date, Atombeam has been issued more than 84 patents for its technology, with an additional 115 pending. The company is a technology partner with Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions and Viasat’s ELEVATE Partner Program, and its technology was recently chosen by the United States Air Force. Atombeam’s innovative approach to solving the data problem was also recognized with the Gold Award for Technology Innovation by the Merit Awards for Technology, and with a Gold Award for Disruptor Company in Business Products or Services by the Globee Awards for Business.

For more information on Atombeam and how its technology is changing the way data is used by companies, please see its recent explainer video here.

About Atombeam
Atombeam has the potential to revolutionize data management through its Data-as-Codewords Neurpac technology, altering how data is encoded, used, transferred, managed, stored and secured. Atombeam increases available bandwidth an average of 4x, improves access to stored data by making it searchable while encoded, and enhances security with ultralight software, all in a single computing step. Atombeam’s Neurpac is uniquely capable of operating on the smallest machine-generated or Internet of Things data, which is not possible with compression. For more information, please visit www.atombeamtech.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook or YouTube.

Media Contact:
Jeff Drew
Guyer Group for Atombeam
P: 617.233.5109
E: [email protected]

This Reg. A+ offering is made available through StartEngine Primary, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Please read the Offering Circular and Risk Factors disclosure before investing. This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment.

SOURCE Atombeam

Startup raises a total of $11.5 M to develop new SaaS technology 

NEW YORK, Feb. 4, 2025 — Now, more than ever, supply chain operators need a tool that helps them predict and understand disruptions and gives them the power to plan accordingly. In the last twelve months, the Suez Canal was blocked by Houthi rebels, historic drought in the Panama Canal decreased the number of crossings from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, protests at U.S. ports halted shipments, 11 hurricanes impacted trade routes and there is the threat of tariffs against top trading partners.

Desteia, a New York-based startup with operations in the U.S. and Mexico, leverages cutting-edge technology to support leaders and operators, giving them the tools to make optimal decisions for their supply chain in a context of continuous disruptions. The company has secured $8 million in a seed funding round led by Autotech Ventures, Nazca, and Village Global, positioning the company to revolutionize logistics operations with new artificial intelligence tools and graph theory. The round, which brings Desteia’s total funding to $11.5 million, included participation from Foundamental, Bridge Latam, and Nido Ventures.

The additional funding will enable Desteia to focus on U.S.-Mexico trade, where companies move over $850 billion worth of goods annually. Working with customers worldwide, Desteia will provide better visibility to their operations and suggest the most efficient decisions to operators.

Desteia, founded by former Tesla executive Françoise Lavertu and Stanford engineers and entrepreneurs Diego Solorzano and Austin Poore, simplifies logistics by using AI to extract and organize information from unstructured data like emails, messages, and logistics documents. It connects these pieces together using graph theory, the mathematical study of networks—comprising nodes (locations) and edges (routes), creating a clear dashboard for operators to manage shipments across ocean, ground, and air with specific expertise on U.S.-Mexico cross-border operations. This includes integrations to Mexico’s customs system to give further visibility to shipments at port or at the border.

“As we evaluate hundreds of supply chain tech solutions every year, Desteia stood out with its unique approach to extracting unstructured data, which truly feels like magic,” said Burak Cendek, partner at Autotech Ventures. “Unfortunately, traditional communication channels such as email and text are not going away, but recent advances in AI make it possible to meet customers where they are.”

Desteia’s goal is to be the decision-making tool for supply chain operators. With minimal integration effort, the dashboard data provides actionable insights for logistics teams to securely access real-time updates on container ETAs, predict potential disruptions, and identify opportunities for optimization, such as the best carriers or most efficient routes.

“Decision-makers have access to many think tank risk reports but lack the tools to incorporate them into their specific supply chain decisions,” said Lavertu. “We have developed a practical platform that helps them solve this.” Adding that she’s faced those same challenges in her career as an operator and “never found solutions that were so easy to implement for a large organization.”

At the same time, for many operators, managing logistics involves manually handling thousands of emails and hundreds of documents monthly. One Desteia client reported managing 10,500 emails and 600 logistics documents each month. Desteia helps companies with these problems by automating data organization and analysis, allowing operators to focus on decision-making and strategic planning.

“Supply chain managers need oversight of the chain from one end to the other to anticipate delays and disruptions before they happen and before they have a negative impact,” said Solorzano. Disruptions are so common. In fact, it is estimated that companies lose between 3-5% of revenues from them.

Desteia has partnerships and contracts with major retailers, auto manufacturers, and CPGs in North America. Across the board, it has helped users, such as Elektra, one of the largest retailers in Latin America, achieve full visibility without any integrations required or manual work while reducing the time spent reviewing emails.

Adam Zobler, general partner at Foundamental said, “Relying on manual processes and fragmented communication systems means supply chains are fragile and prone to disruption. Desteia offers an exciting opportunity to streamline supply chains by harnessing the power of data.

“The founders are passionate, experienced, and inherently familiar with the problems they are tackling,” said Hector Sepulveda of Nazca. “We look forward to working with Diego, Austin, and Françoise to further develop the product and scale this technology to revolutionize global supply chain management.”

For more information about Desteia, visit desteia.com.

SOURCE Desteia

Leadership Changes to Drive Growth

SANTA ANA, Calif., Feb. 4, 2025 — The housing and mortgage industry faces rapid changes driven by rising interest rates, regulatory challenges, and the demand for digital solutions. Consolidated Analytics (CA) is responding with leadership updates to fuel growth and innovation. Rudy Zabran is transitioning from Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) to Chief Operating Officer (COO), and Steve Faulkner is stepping into the role of CRO. CA is setting the stage to lead during one of the most dynamic periods in the mortgage industry.

A Strategic Leadership Duo for a Changing Market
Rudy Zabran’s appointment as COO marks a decisive moment for CA. With a sharp focus on operational excellence, Zabran will drive the integration of proprietary technologies, streamline workflows, and deliver exceptional value to clients navigating the complexities of today’s housing market. Simultaneously, Steve Faulkner’s new role as CRO underscores CA’s commitment to client-centric strategies. By strengthening client relationships and aligning innovative solutions with industry demands, Faulkner will reinforce CA’s position as a trusted partner in the mortgage space. Together, their leadership promises to pave the way for innovation, and client success.

Expanding Business Development Expertise

In addition to these key leadership changes, CA is proud to announce the addition of two exceptional executives to its Business Development team: Darlene Swain and Sho Amiri.

CA welcomes two industry veterans to its Business Development team. Sho Amiri, with 25+ years of experience across mortgage, title, and capital markets, is known for managing multi-billion-dollar trades and delivering purpose-built client solutions. Sho’s deep understanding of the industry, from servicing and lending to title and due diligence, enables her to provide measurable value. Her dedication to client experience and result-driven strategies solidify her reputation as a trusted advisor and resource.

Darlene Swain is a mortgage industry leader with 20+ years of experience in consultative sales and risk management. She brings proven expertise in driving revenue and forging strategic partnerships with leading data and technology companies. Darlene’s strategic vision and innovative problem-solving skills make her an invaluable addition to CA’s team.

Both executives enhance CA’s ability to drive measurable value for clients. By prioritizing people and innovation, CA combines technology with human expertise to deliver transformative solutions.

A Vision for the Future
CA’s leadership changes and expanded expertise underscore its commitment to tackling industry challenges and redefining client success. With a focus on transformation, operational excellence, and innovation, CA is poised to shape the future of mortgage operations, delivering unparalleled solutions and partnerships.

About Consolidated Analytics, Inc.
Consolidated Analytics is an end-to-end mortgage services platform that delivers value to clients in origination, servicing, and capital markets, from asset-level analysis to enterprise optimization. A leading provider of real estate valuation, risk management, and advisory services, our comprehensive suite of solutions encompasses due diligence, residential and commercial valuation, collateral risk assessment, and regulatory compliance, enabling our clients to stay ahead in today’s dynamic market.

Jana Setterberg
Consolidated Analytics, Inc.
(303) 513-2459  I  [email protected] 

SOURCE Consolidated Analytics

With the new funding, PlantBaby will expand retail distribution, accelerate innovation, and continue to grow its team.

MARIN, Calif., Feb. 4, 2025 — PlantBaby, a pioneering company dedicated to creating innovative solutions in the plant-based nutrition space, proudly announces the successful close of its Series Seed equity financing round. The round was led by B2 Partners, a firm founded by seasoned investor Matt Behrens, at a post-money valuation of $20 million.

“PlantBaby represents the kind of forward-thinking, mission-driven company we look to support at B2 Partners,” said Matt Behrens, Founder of B2 Partners. “Their commitment to creating clean, plant-based nutrition solutions aligns perfectly with our belief in backing businesses that prioritize both health and sustainability. We’re proud to contribute to their journey and help them reach even more families in need of innovative nutrition options.”

This funding will empower PlantBaby to make its products more accessible around the country, through Sprouts, Wegmans, Amazon, Thrive, and their own Kiki Milk website built on Shopify. The new capital allows for further research and development and product innovation in both plant milk and new categories.

“We became acquainted with B2 Partners through an introduction by one of our early investors,” said Alex and Lauren Abelin, Co-Founders of PlantBaby. “Their decision to lead this funding round underscores their confidence in PlantBaby’s vision and potential. We’re thrilled to join forces with such an excellent and thoughtful partner.”

B2 Partners led the seed round and is joining the PlantBaby board, with additional support from Big Idea Ventures, Everywhere Ventures, X Factor Ventures, Women’s Equity Lab Silicon Valley, and Babylist, bringing further momentum to the company’s growth journey.

Founders Lauren and Alex Abelin launched PlantBaby after their son Alakai’s birth, frustrated by the lack of clean-label and dairy-free infant formulas. Their company, PlantBaby, creates products they love and trust, aiming to support families everywhere, especially the 50% of children with chronic health conditions.

PlantBaby’s first product, Kiki Milk, launched in 2020 with Original and Chocolate and has expanded to include Mac Nut and Unsweetened. Unlike other plant milks, Kiki Milk is crafted with a blend of more than six whole food ingredients—free from seed oils, gums, artificial flavors, and preservatives. It is certified USDA Organic and glyphosate-residue free. Each serving naturally provides 5g of protein and contains an excellent source of calcium, thanks to unique nutrient-rich ingredients like sprouted pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, and Aquamin™. To ensure the highest safety and quality, all varieties undergo third-party testing for heavy metals and mold, making Kiki Milk a clean and nourishing choice for the whole family.

“Improving the health of future generations is our North Star as both parents and entrepreneurs,” said Alex and Lauren Abelin. “We’re committed to providing the cleanest, most nutritious, and delicious products—for your family and ours—because every child deserves the best.”

For more information about Kiki Milk and its commitment to clean-label plant-based nutrition, visit www.kikimilk.com, www.plantbaby.co, or follow @kikimilkco on Instagram.

About PlantBaby
PlantBaby is a future-forward nutrition company creating clean-label, organic, plant-based foods, beverages, and supplements to support children from infancy to adulthood. Founded in 2020 in Kauai, Hawaii, PlantBaby is dedicated to improving the food system and prioritizes responsible sourcing. Its signature product, Kiki Milk, launched in December 2021 with Original and Chocolate blends, later expanding to include Mac Nut and Unsweetened. PlantBaby partners with Farmer’s Footprint and EcoCart to promote a healthier planet. Learn more at www.kikimilk.com, @kikimilkco, and www.plantbaby.co.

Press Contact:
AMC Consulting
Annmarie Mercieri Colonna
[email protected]
860-729-3323

SOURCE PlantBaby, Inc.

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 4, 2025 — Today, Aguileros Beverage Group, is pleased to announce the debut of their newly-launched private equity fund focused on Mexican and beverage alcohol-specific opportunities, providing more than just funding by also offering growth solutions through strong relationships and operational expertise.

The Aguileros Fund is looking to raise $5M with a $10M hard cap, with $2M in commitments secured thus far with a fund life of 10 years following first close. The group will invest following three main criteria pillars: Minority investments in high-growth potential companies, Seed capital for new and emerging businesses, and Strategic partnerships in established businesses that can also benefit from restructuring.

Started by Alex Staniloff, Eli Diamond and Abe Cortes, the fund is comprised of highly experienced investors, operators and entrepreneurs, with notable track records across relevant verticals of the wider beverage industry.

Their roster of General Partners span North American geographics, including Canada, Los Angeles, New York City and Guadalajara, many of whom have launched companies of their own as well as having been part of multiple exits totaling over $300M. The team also has established a distribution agency covering Canada nationwide in addition to having built award-winning branding and marketing agencies.

“We believe the time is now to invest in the wider Mexican beverage category and have developed a behemoth group of experts who can take these brands to uncharted new heights in 2025 and beyond through the launch of our fund – Aguileros Venture Fund II, states Alex Staniloff, General Partner and Managing Member.

The team’s extensive group of advisors all come from strong and diverse backgrounds bringing another layer of credibility and connections across the world.

One of the biggest challenges in Mexico’s beverage space is gaining real access to early-stage brands. Many of the most promising opportunities remain insulated within local networks, making it difficult for traditional investors to engage at the right time. Aguileros’ deep-rooted presence in Guadalajara, Mexico City, and across North America provides an unparalleled advantage, granting the fund early access to emerging brands before they hit the mainstream.

Backing this strategy is a world-class advisory team with expertise spanning private equity, operations, brand building, distribution, and finance. The team includes:

• Arnie Fridhandler, a private equity partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP (New York, NY), offering deep M&A and structuring expertise.
• Taylor Foxman, founder of The Industry Collective (New York, NY), known for leading beverage brand strategy and successfully scaling brands to exit.
• Steven Roopenian, Principal at Grobstein Teeple LLP (Los Angeles, CA), bringing financial diligence and restructuring experience.
• Mack Zavitz, General Manager at The Beverage Collective (Toronto, ON), providing extensive distribution and route-to-market knowledge.
• Esteban Morales, founder of Casa Endémica (Guadalajara, MX), specializing in production and supply chain operations within Mexico’s spirits industry.
• Hector Banda, founder of IGL Mexico (Guadalajara, MX), with deep insights into logistics and distribution in Mexico’s beverage market.
• Alan Mulvihill, a key figure in El Gallo Altanero, Roe & Co, and Diageo, offering global brand-building expertise.

Among the fund’s leadership, Eli Diamond, General Partner, Operations, brings a wealth of experience in the Mexican spirits sector. As a board member of the Additive Free Alliance (Tequila Matchmaker), he has been at the forefront of advocating for transparency and authenticity in the tequila industry, working alongside top brands to ensure quality and integrity in production. Eli was also part of the founding team of Ole Cocktail Co., where he played a key role in the brand’s successful launch and distribution rollout, ultimately leading to its acquisition by Mark Anthony Group before its U.S. entry. His expertise in operations, partnerships, and brand growth makes him a critical asset in Aguileros’ ability to identify, nurture, and scale promising brands.

To learn more about getting involved in the current raise, please reach out to Alex Staniloff directly at [email protected].

Media Contact:
Taylor Foxman
609-432-2237

SOURCE Aguileros Beverage Group

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 4, 2025 — Boxsy, the AI-driven operational hub for startups and their ecosystems, launches to the public today, providing founders, investors, and advisors with tools to eliminate operational burdens and focus on growth. With features designed to streamline workflows and deliver actionable insights, Boxsy empowers its users to scale their businesses with greater efficiency and clarity.

Boxsy offers solutions that cater to the needs of startups and their key stakeholders:

• Startup Solution: Empowers founders and entrepreneurs to focus on strategic growth by reducing time spent on daily operations, providing clear financial visibility, and offering access to trusted experts for seamless scaling.
• Investor Solution: Enables investors to make informed decisions with real-time portfolio analytics, proactively manage risks, and strengthen relationships with startups.

“Scaling a startup shouldn’t feel like reinventing the wheel every day,” said Elisabeth Bykoff, Founder and CEO of Boxsy. “We created Boxsy to act as a strategic partner—one that simplifies the complexities of running a business while unlocking opportunities for growth. Whether you’re a founder driving innovation or an investor seeking clarity, Boxsy is here to make the journey smoother and more impactful.”

Boxsy’s AI-driven analytics not only streamline operations but also predict potential challenges before they arise, enabling founders to proactively address issues and maintain momentum. The platform features pre-built dashboards, cash flow monitoring, operational playbooks, and access to a curated marketplace of expert service providers.

Beyond serving founders, Boxsy fosters a connected ecosystem by facilitating seamless communication between investors, advisors, and startups. Investors get a robust toolkit to track portfolio health, reduce risks, and foster collaboration with startups through real-time insights and customizable reporting.

Boxsy’s AI-powered operational platform is now available for general use. Startups can experience its capabilities firsthand with a free 7-day trial. Visit www.boxsy.io to get started.

About Boxsy

Boxsy is on a mission to empower startups and the entire ecosystem by providing a seamless operational hub designed to make entrepreneurship more successful. Our vision is to simplify the operational complexities that often hinder growth, offering founders and their partners the tools, insights, and connectivity they need to thrive. From streamlined reporting to expert-backed solutions, Boxsy is here to help startups scale smarter and build stronger, more impactful businesses.

Media Contact
Alastar Kerpel
Boxsy
[email protected]
510-697-7484

SOURCE Boxsy

EINDHOVEN, The Netherlands, Feb. 4, 2025 — As World Cancer Day is observed, Dutch medical device company Sirius Medical, the leader in surgical marker navigation, announced securing 10M€ in additional scale-up funding. This investment round was led by Invest-NL and Nextgen Ventures, with support from De Groot Family Office and existing investors Brabant Development Agency (BOM), Holland Capital, Curie Capital, Team Holmium, and Sirius Medical’s team.

World Cancer Day is a poignant reminder of the ongoing fight against cancer, and this milestone reflects Sirius Medical’s commitment to enhancing cancer care. Praised by breast cancer surgeons worldwide, the Sirius Pintuition^® surgical navigation platform enables simple, best-in-class, wire-free localization for breast-conserving surgery in any hospital. This latest funding round empowers Sirius Medical to enhance the Sirius Pintuition system and GPSDetect^™ software platform, focusing on usability and intuitiveness, and extending its applications. Additionally, the investment will substantially bolster the sales infrastructure and support expansion into new markets.”

“At Invest-NL our healthcare focus is on investing in innovations that aim to avoid, replace, or relocate expensive care,” Karin Steffens, senior investment manager at Invest-NL commented. “Sirius Medical’s mission to develop sustainable technology solutions while maintaining balance within the healthcare system closely aligns with our mission to accelerate the healthcare transition. We are excited to back a company making such a meaningful difference for women with breast cancer.”

“Announcing this funding milestone on World Cancer Day underscores the urgency of our mission to improve cancer care globally,” says Bram Schermers, CEO of Sirius Medical. “This funding round, in the current fundraising environment, is a clear testament to the talent of the Sirius Medical team, and the Pintuition technology that we have developed. We are proud to continue contributing to the fight against cancer and look forward to the next phase of growth for Sirius Medical. We will have more exciting news to announce soon.”

“The Sirius Medical leadership team has shown exceptional expertise and adaptability,” stated Roel Dekkers, Investment Manager, NextGen Ventures. “The company is well positioned for expansion, and we see a tremendous opportunity for growth in untapped markets.”

About World Cancer Day
World Cancer Day, observed on February 4th, is a global initiative to raise awareness and inspire action to work together to reduce the impact of cancer worldwide.

About Sirius Medical

With its roots in the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Sirius Medical is dedicated to improving care for cancer patients by delivery of unsurpassed, yet affordable solutions that enable precise and efficient removal of tumors. Sirius Pintuition is precise, simple, affordable, and both CE marked, and FDA cleared. Sirius Medical is rapidly expanding with over 250 centers and 35.000 procedures globally.

www.sirius-medical.com | @SiriusMedical | #siriuspintuition

Benjamin Tchang – Corporate contact 
[email protected] 
+31 857 732 727 (The Netherlands)

SOURCE Sirius Medical

As Evolving Drone Threats Continue to Intensify, Hidden Level Sees Strategic Growth as it Executes on a Number of U.S. Government Contracts  

SYRACUSE, N.Y., Feb. 3, 2025 — Hidden Level, a leader in passive radar and radio frequency sensing technology for detecting and precisely locating drones and other threats around you, today announced $65 million in Series C funding led by DFJ Growth with participation from Booz Allen Ventures, Revolution Growth, Costanoa Ventures, Washington Harbour Partners, Veteran Ventures, Founders Circle Capital, and others. This investment comes on the heels of the company’s $35 million Series B which closed only 6 months prior, bringing the company’s funding over the last 12 months to $100M, solidifying its position as a robust technology player in the rapidly evolving national security and critical infrastructure landscape.

The rapid proliferation of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) has introduced significant challenges to national security and the protection of critical infrastructure for the U.S. and its allies. From espionage to the potential for hostile actions, drones represent a growing threat in both military and civilian environments. As drones become increasingly sophisticated, with smaller sizes, enhanced stealth capabilities, and the ability to operate in swarms, traditional radar systems often struggle to provide reliable detection and tracking. This gap in airspace situational awareness underscores the urgent need for advanced sensing solutions capable of identifying and locating drone threats in real-time, even in complex and congested electromagnetic environments, to protect public safety and critical infrastructure.

Hidden Level detects and tracks a wide range of aerial activity, including drones—whether emitting signals, operating covertly as dark drones, or posing as imitations—along with aircraft, balloons, and other objects in the airspace. Its advanced technology also pinpoints the location of drone operators, providing a comprehensive and actionable view of aerial activity. Crucially, Hidden Level achieves this while maintaining full compliance with Title 18 regulations, safeguarding privacy and avoiding the need for changes to existing legislation.

Hidden Level’s technology is increasingly recognized for its necessity in high-security scenarios. The company is on contract this year to support technology deployments for the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Africa Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Central Command, U.S. Northern Command, and other federal, state and local agencies, to address drone threats to U.S. national security, critical infrastructure, and military bases. The company’s technology has been deployed to monitor major events, such as the recent presidential inauguration, where airspace security is critical.

Hidden Level’s innovative approach is powered by its passive radar and RF direction-finding technology, which remains undetectable to bad actors, ensuring strategic sensor placement and uninterrupted operations. By leveraging its vertically integrated design, manufacturing, and testing capabilities, the company delivers sensors optimized for cost, mobility, performance, and spectrum breadth, meeting the diverse needs of its customers. Hidden Level’s scalable solutions—whether delivered as hardware or data-as-a-service—offer unmatched flexibility and utility in monitoring low and high-altitude airspace.

“Hidden Level is addressing a critical gap in our defense capabilities with advanced technologies that identify and track the proliferating UAS threats, while remaining virtually undetectable”, said Randy Glein from DFJ Growth. “This capability is changing the game on the battlefield, providing an electronic surveillance shield for our forces and assets in harm’s way.” 

Hidden Level’s team brings deep expertise in advanced sensing technology honed through experience with the DoD, aviation authorities, and NASA.

“Critical infrastructure is the backbone of our nation’s security,” said Jeff Cole, co-founder and CEO of Hidden Level. “Today’s evolving threats demand comprehensive airspace monitoring, from low-altitude drones to high-altitude aircraft and everything in between. With this new funding, we are poised to expand our impact, enhancing defense capabilities and supporting public safety, critical infrastructure, and emerging commercial needs.”

The new capital will be used to scale the business by expanding manufacturing, hiring across the board, and growing internationally after successful deployments with over a dozen cutting-edge customers, including NASA, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Department of Defense, while meeting the demands of new clients.

The Series C round follows the company’s $30M Series B funding in 2024 led by Lauder Partners with participation from Booz Allen Ventures, Washington Harbour Partners, Veteran Ventures, Valor Equity, and others.

About Hidden Level
Founded in 2018, Hidden Level is a leader in advanced airspace monitoring and drone detection technology, dedicated to securing critical infrastructure and addressing emerging national security threats. Hidden Level’s innovative solutions provide real-time, actionable insights by detecting and tracking a wide range of aerial activity, including low-altitude drones, high-altitude aircraft, balloons, and other airborne objects, as well as their operators.

Leveraging passive radar and RF direction-finding technology, Hidden Level ensures privacy protection while empowering federal, state, and local agencies with unparalleled situational awareness. The company’s vertically integrated approach to product design, manufacturing, and testing enables scalable, cost-effective deployments tailored to the diverse needs of its customers.

Backed by leading investors, including DFJ Growth, Lauder Partners, Revolution Growth, Booz Allen Ventures, Costanoa Ventures, Washington Harbour, Valor Equity, and Veteran Ventures, Hidden Level continues to drive innovation at the intersection of technology and national security.

For more information, visit hiddenlevel.com or follow Hidden Level on LinkedIn.

About DFJ Growth 
DFJ Growth is a prominent investor in emerging technology leaders during their scaling phase of development. Founded in 2005, DFJ Growth partners with extraordinary, mission-driven entrepreneurs disrupting the status quo with game-changing innovations that become iconic companies. Our investments include Anaplan, Anduril, Box, Cellares, Coinbase, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Neuralink, OpenAI, Patreon, Ring (Amazon), ScaleAI, SolarCity (Tesla), SpaceX, Stripe, Tesla, Twitter, Ring, Unity, and xAI. DFJ Growth is a fearless investor and steadfast partner to founders who imagine the future and execute on the hv ir bold visions to define it.

Press Contact: 
Mary Devincenzi
408-761-4285
[email protected]

SOURCE Hidden Level, Inc.