Our Portfolio
Airware
Airware develops an operating system for commercial-grade unmanned aerial systems (UAS). UAS enable software systems to interface directly with our physical world, enabling real-time measurement and optimization of physical infrastructure, urban environments, and agricultural and energy production.
This is a nascent technology with broad potential to transform many industries. Airware is establishing a platform as the technology moves from its monolithic roots in the defense industry to a modular architecture supported by a sophisticated and diverse commercial industry.
Following a pattern from PC’s and mobile devices, Airware’s operating system integrates subsystems (flight control, navigation, datalink, and payloads) and provides a development suite for application developers to focus on application-specific value creation.
Regardless of the commercial UAS applications that ultimately gain traction, Airware stands to benefit and serves as a vantage point for further investment in this space as the market matures.
BluWrap
Sitting at the confluence of population growth and the global middle class’ growing appetite for animal protein, BluWrap is a technology-enabled logistics company that will re-map global flows of protein products through fundamental reductions in the cost structure of moving seafood and other perishable meats to market as well as new capabilities for how these products are inventoried and prepared for sale.
By isolating proteins from even trace amounts of oxygen, BluWrap is able to effectively stop all spoilage on products in their system. BluWrap’s technology is uniquely able to eliminate oxygen to extremely low levels and to do so at very low cost.
By enabling customers to effectively inventory an otherwise perishable product, BluWrap enables transformation of the supply chain. Product is delivered into customers’ hands in fresher condition and with more days of shelf life, reducing spoilage loss and giving customers more flexibility. Product can be inventoried closer to customers with just-in-time supply and traceability data not seen before in the industry. Short term pricing fluctuations can be played to advantage. Use of ocean freight vastly reduces carbon footprint and new markets can be reached from production regions where air freight links are inadequate or too expensive.
BluWrap has demonstrated their technology on salmon, pork, chicken, and other fish species including tilapia, barramundi and pangasius. The company has shipped hundreds of tons of product to consumers worldwide.
EnerG2
EnerG2 engineers advanced nano-structured carbon materials for energy storage and is focused on the production of these materials for energy storage devices. Proprietary manufacturing technologies allow its products to surpass the material limitations of naturally occurring carbons, producing high surface area, high performance
materials that improve power density and cycle life in batteries and other energy storage devices. EnerG2 is currently delivering its advanced carbons to customers for ultracapacitors, lead acid batteries, and lithium ion batteries. EnerG2 was acquired by BASF in 2016.
Kurion
Kurion is an advanced materials company providing solutions for isolation and long-term storage of nuclear and other hazardous waste. It was the only U.S. company and the only startup to participate in the unprecedented cleanup effort of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Kurion's technology centers around two critical tasks: separating nuclear waste from water or other liquids, and isolating that waste in a way that stabilizes it for the hundreds of years required for it to naturally decay.
Kurion’s systems are modular, reliable, and substantially
reduce total costs for cleanup, enabling it to pursue waste projects that have accumulated over decades. The company was founded by veterans of the nuclear services industry, with experience in commercial nuclear operations, as well as the cleanup of Three Mile Island. The cleanup at Fukushima adds significant credibility to their marketing effort and the company now serves customers in long-term projects on three continents. The company has acquired additional technologies and built an engineering capability to execute on large projects, positioning it as a sustaining standalone player in the global waste industry. Kurion was acquired by Veolia, a French conglomerate that specializes in water, waste and other essential services in 2016.