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Excited to announce our investment in Alta Resource Technologies alongside Leonardo Banchik (Voyager Ventures) with participation from Orion Resource Partners, Overture Ventures, and WovenEarth Ventures. Rare earths are critical in products from magnets to ceramics and it's important for the US to develop its own supply chain. While the US has some of the best rare earth resources, separating them has historically proven expensive and environmentally unfriendly. Alta through it's computationally designed and optimized proteins allows the US to bring back rare earth production with a cleaner, lower capex, and lower opex solution - and that's just the beginning. Congrats to Nathan Ratledge and the entire Alta team. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gbGnAJn3

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🧬 This week's Austin Bio & Health Roundup highlights exciting exits, partnerships, insightful conversations, & updates from across Texas Bio Triangle 🧬 💸 Venture Exits SuperTruth has acquired imaware, the at-home testing and infrastructure platform, marking a significant step forward in catalyzing better health outcomes with data and AI. Huge congrats to Jani Tuomi, Brodie Flanders, and the entire imaware team! 🤝 Partnership and M&A KdT Ventures has licensed NGM313, a Phase 2-ready asset, from NGM Biopharmaceuticals. KdT formed a NewCo around the asset, with Managing Director Cain McClary, MD stating, “We believe this drug has the potential to alleviate suffering in a large patient population who currently have no disease-modifying treatments.” Babson Diagnostics expanded its partnership with BD, integrating BD’s MiniDraw System with Babson’s Betterway technology. This expansion now includes health systems and larger provider networks. Keep up the momentum, David Stein, Eric Olson, and the rest of the Babson team! 💡 Insights from Local Builders and Innovators It’s always inspiring when two smart friends share ideas. Micha Y. Breakstone 🇮🇱🎗️ joined Taylor Capito on The GenBio Podcast to discuss cell engineering and the future of biotech. I sat down with Ian Wendt and Na-Ri Oh on The RealPharma Podcast to discuss TechBio, business model disruption, and Austin's role in this shift. 🤠 Texas Bio Triangle Dallas-based SpinSci Technologies LLC secured $53M to expand its AI-enhanced patient engagement platform. Congrats Rajit Kumar! Rice University and Houston Methodist announced the launch of a Digital Health Institute “showcasing the transformative potential of combining medicine and engineering to shape the future of health care” What’s Next?

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Want to improve your school's environment while reducing energy costs? Check out our latest blog post, which delves into school energy inefficiencies and highlights how air monitoring and purification solutions can greatly enhance indoor air quality while improving energy efficiency. Did you know? Implementing energy-efficient practices in schools can reduce energy costs by up to 30%, freeing up funds for educational programs and resources! By investing in smart technologies and sustainable solutions, schools can create a healthier environment for students while maximizing their budgets. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ezU35cVE #BackToSchool #HealthyLearning #School #Education #AirQuality #IndoorAirQuality #IAQ #Smartbuildings #HealthandSafety #Government #HVAC #FacilitiesManagement #Architechs

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The Silver Tsunami is upon us, and it's reshaping the mergers and acquisitions landscape like never before. With an estimated $10 trillion in assets set to change hands over the next decade, driven by baby boomers retiring, the opportunity for savvy investors and entrepreneurs is immense. Currently, around 30,000 businesses sell annually, but with more than 8 million baby boomer-owned businesses expected to transition, the volume of transactions could increase tenfold. This is a monumental shift that smart buyers are already preparing for. You don't need to be a Wall Street titan to benefit from this trend; many of these businesses will transition to local entrepreneurs and small business owners. Are you ready to seize a piece of this $10 trillion wealth transfer? Position yourself strategically to take advantage of this unprecedented wave of opportunities. Engage with fellow professionals and explore how you can be part of this transformation. Not sure how? Let's talk about it! #SilverTsunami #MergersAndAcquisitions #BusinessOpportunities

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Thrilled to announce Next Frontier Capital's investment in Hoonify Technologies Inc. Andrew Clark, Victor Kuhns, and team bring decades of HPC experience from Sandia National Laboratories. Hoonify is NFC's first New Mexico investment! Hoonify’s innovation began by placing supercomputers at the edge – in offices, academic institutions, and homes – and liberating them from the traditional high hurdles of supercomputing. Providing immediate and personal access to this technology improves customer performance by up to 300%, achieving higher efficiencies with lower costs compared with alternative solutions. Currently, Hoonify serves U.S. Government and commercial companies in the aerospace and defense and biotech markets that demand accelerated results for their consequential modeling and simulation, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) workloads. With $3.75m in new funding, Hoonify provides clients supercomputing capabilities typically only available to a select few, will use the new funding to fuel additional growth for product enhancements and to position its software platform, TurbOS for entry into additional markets. TurbOS runs on any Intel CPUs or NVIDIA GPUs to enable faster computing performance through parallel computing - using the customer’s existing hardware or options including Hoonify’s all-in-one Cub Desktop Supercomputer. Let's go!

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Join us tomorrow for a panel discussion on the complex relationship many FirstGens have to money and how that affects founders, investors, operators and others. See you tomorrow! https://lu.ma/9rixyzgs

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Too many small and mid-sized businesses struggle with capital constraints out of fear and misunderstanding. Sourcing the capital required to remove those constraints is key to unlocking the value creation potential of these companies. https://lnkd.in/gRYTKEmN #smallbusiness #businesstransformation

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⚡ What does it tell us when 4 of the top 10 performers in the S&P 500 this year (Vistra, GE Vernova, Constellation, and Targa) are in the power generation business? 🧠 The most obvious answer is that the explosion cloud and AI data center development has resulted in significant regional load growth that utilities will benefit from. Still, the degree of outperformance for utilities relative to the historical baseline (+~24% YTD vs. +~9-10% historically) seems surprising, especially when you compare it to the semiconductor industry this year (+~14%) which you would expect to benefit more directly from AI. You can of course make the argument that certain semiconductor businesses are better positioned to exploit this opportunity than others, but the same can be said of utilities. 😴 When I covered utilities in equity research, my biggest takeaway is that these businesses are sleepy and inefficient by design. Typically, utility commissions set allowable returns, capping revenue growth to ~1-3% annually. This growth is generally driven by population growth, regulator-approved rate increases, operational cost increases, and increases in electricity demand. Utilities like Vistra, Constellation, and NRG operate primarily in deregulated markets allowing them to circumvent some of these constraints, but their momentum still surprises me, especially compared to the rate of change I have seen in the VC clean tech market. 🤔 My main question going into 2025 is: are legacy power producers really the best-suited to take advantage of the data center load growth opportunity and, if not, what does a proportional market response look like in the VC clean tech market? 🔋 When I covered the sector in the public markets, I would often hear the phrase "utilities are 2% of GDP but they're the first 2%." The sector has unfortunately become less relevant over time simply due to growing slower than much of the rest of the market, but it's making a serious comeback. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that power is our most foundational industry and simultaneously one that I believe has significant opportunities for disruption (enter Ironspring Ventures portfolio company Base Power Company, amongst others)!

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Grid, schmid, indeed! Much rightful rage directed at Centerpoint here in Houston over the past week, and I wonder if its CEO may last the week? But after the big Texas grid freeze failure of 2021, I decided to put in my own solar+battery system so that it never happened again. It sailed through the blackout with ease - wouldn't have even known we lost power except for the notification sent to my phone by my SPAN smart panel. My desktop computer didn't see the slightest hiccup. Now our own outage only lasted ~12 hours, so wasn't able to give every aspect the full stress test, but approach sunset on the first day w 94% in my battery when the power came back on, and am confident based on prior experience in managing these 2x Tesla Energy batteries, that we would have been fine. Wouldn't have cranked the 2 A/C's as hard as usual during the night, but am confident would have made it to sunrise (and next recharge cycle) just fine. In an island of darkness, our home also became refuge for family, and for that I am doubly grateful. The future of energy is not only electric, but more decentralized. The rapidly declining cost of batteries, and a bit more improvement in software, will make such options accessible for many more people. And then, they too, will never have to go through the pain of an extended outage again! https://lnkd.in/d2ssrphd

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What an electrifying afternoon at the Houston Dealmakers Conference! 🚀🌟💡 The team at Curate Capital including myself took the stage for a fast-paced panel discussion that we hope completely transformed how attendees view social media's role in the venture capital landscape. M&A executives learned how to craft a captivating online brand that not only attracts investors but also builds a community of thriving future deal flow! ✨ The insights shared on leveraging social media for gaining invaluable customer insights were simply game-changing. A few highlights included: - I revealed the secrets behind Curate's concept of using influencers to skyrocket investment value, particularly for CPG brands with a direct opportunity to connect influencers with their products. - Darek of ROI Ventures shared his wife Hollie's journey from brand collaborations to true partnerships with equity in the contract, a model we're taking to scale with Curate Capital's second fund. - Aquila Mendez-Valdez of Haute in Texas shared actionable tips for even the most camera-shy brands to build an online community they can leverage for fundraising and relationship building in a genuine, authentic way. We hope the conversation left everyone feeling inspired and ready to transform their approach! 🎉 It's clear that with social media rapidly evolving within the financial sector, this is one trend everyone should be paying attention to. Thanks to all who participated, and a huge shoutout to the team at Dealmakers for the opportunity! Let's keep the conversation going and unlock endless possibilities together! 🙌💖 #CurateCapital #VentureCapital #SocialMediaMagic

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A few Friday thoughts... After several days in Chicago surrounded by 200+ LPs at the ILPA Members' Conference covering everything from AI to NAV facilities, I'm headed into the weekend energized by what's to come. That may come at a surprise after the week we've had as an industry. The decision from the U.S. Fifth Circuit on the SEC's Private Fund Advisers rules was handed down just moments before we kicked off ILPA’s AGM on Wednesday. All along, ILPA has viewed the PFA as addressing areas that pose risks to both LPs and the industry around transparency, governance and alignment of interest. It was disappointing—albeit not a shock—to see the PFA vacated. But ILPA is choosing to turn our energy to the compelling opportunity before us as an industry. Together, we can chart the path for how we'll work better together, on our own terms. Particularly around transparency. Just days prior to the ruling, we had debuted the next evolution of ILPA reporting templates on fees and expenses and performance for industry feedback. The templates were developed by a broad industry coalition over a three-month period, partly to comply with the PFA quarterly statements rule implementation deadline, but largely because this work needed to be done. We've temporarily paused the comment period. Now we have the benefit of more time to ensure that these minimum reporting standards have cross-industry buy-in to ensure wide support and adoption. Will you join us in this effort, in paving the way forward as an industry? https://lnkd.in/e-6hspU4

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Video from our KBW Panel on future of DEXs just came out - if you want to learn more about what needs to be built for DEXs to compete with CEXs - check it out! https://lnkd.in/gxGrA_rQ

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Are you developing a medical device or digital health? Come learn about regulatory and legal impacts and how design for manufacturing is critical to your startup's success.

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🧬 This week's Austin Bio + Health Roundup brings exciting funding announcements, important community events, accolades, partnerships, and milestones from across the Texas Bio Triangle. 🧬 💰 Funding Humanaut Health has secured an $8.7M seed round to bring access to health optimization and longevity to the general population. It's Austin funding Austin, as Midnight Venture Partners joined the round. Don't miss my short interview with Co-founder and CEO Jim Donnelly below! Optmycare, an AI platform in healthcare & risk management, raised a $3 million in Series A funding, led by Austin's own LiveOak Ventures, to accelerate its growth and build out its technology. 🏙️ Community Mark your calendars for the Nucleate Texas Final Pitch Showcase on May 17th. Catch the final pitches from 1pm to 5pm at Highpoint 2222, and discover what's next in platform discoveries, diagnostics, and therapeutics. 🏆 Recognition BrainCheck, a brain health diagnostic and tools company, received the Care Management Innovation Award at the 8th annual MedTech Breakthrough Awards. Congratulations Kim Rodriguez and the entire team for the well-deserved recognition of your work.   🤝 M&A and Partnerships Babson Diagnostics has announced a new partnership with Cynergy Wellness LLC, to provide clinician oversight for Babson’s customer-initiated BetterWay blood tests. One more step in providing access to this novel technology. Congrats David Stein, Eric Olson and the rest of the Babson team. 🚩 Texas Bio Triangle San Antonio-based Hera Biotech has released promising interim results for their groundbreaking endometriosis treatment. The data showed 92% sensitivity, 95% specificity, and 94% overall accuracy compared to histopathology. Congrats Somer Baburek, MBA on this important step in the development of a greatly needed diagnostic. This week underscores breadth and depth of sector. Let's keep the momentum going! What’s Next? #AustinNext #LifeSciences #Healthcare #Biotechnology

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Excited for DCVC portfolio co Alta Resource Technologies to emerge from stealth! The design space of biology is many orders of magnitude larger than inorganic chemistry, and Alta uses it to massively reduce the cost of extracting rare earth metals. https://lnkd.in/g_q5UwRF

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Excellent 45 second explanation of why organizations with the best intelligence, in today's Global Competition environment - win.

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🧬 This week's Austin Bio & Health Roundup covers new funding, insightful data, expanding footprints, local innovators' thoughts, recognitions, & booming developments across the Texas Bio Triangle. 🧬 💰 Funding Thoughtful AI has raised a $20M Series led by Drive Capital led by Nick Solaro. With that funding Thoughtful launched AI agents focused on claims processing, patient eligibility verification, and other healthcare back office functions. Congratulations to Alex Zekoff and the entire team! Drive Capital's investment in Thoughtful parallels their expansion into Austin putting feet on the ground with new Seed General Manager Anish Zuté. I expect we'll be hearing about more investments from them soon. Modicus Prime raised $3.5M to prevent drug product quality failures in biomanufacturing. A great example of Austin funding Austin as Silverton Partners led the round. Congrats to Taylor Chartier and team! A reminder: You may have seen some media covering SEC filings and trying to scoop startups on their funding announcements. I only announce funding when the companies do as I am not a “journalist” and I'm here to catalyze & support the builders 📊 Data Peter Walker released new Carta data breaking down the sector diversity of funding since 2022 in top. In Austin, Healthtech ranked number 3 at 13%, behind SaaS at 42% and Fintech at 13% (likely a decimal difference). Note that Carta breaks Bio & Health into three subcategories (Healthtech, Pharma/Biotech, and Med Device). Where would the sector rank when combined? Peter, any comment? 🚀 Launches, Expansions, and Milestones Neuralink, the brain computer interface company founded by Elon Musk, is expanding its presence in Texas with a new 100,000+ facility, further solidifying our region's position as a key neurotech hub. Given the recent news about the relocations of X to Austin and SpaceX to Starbase, Texas; might we see an even larger presence (maybe even HQ) for Neuralink in the future? 💡 Insights from Local Builders and Innovators Jaleh Daie, PhD shared her thoughts in SynBioBeta on building a durable bioeconomy and what it will take to get there. 🏆 Recognition Kerry Rupp, partner at True Wealth Ventures, has been appointed to the @Ascension Seton Foundation Board. Having VCs on the hospital boards (including the Foundation) will help further connect them to the innovation ecosystem. 🚩 Texas Bio Triangle Houston-based Octagos Health | The Future of Digital Health raised a $43 million Series B to advance AI-driven cardiac device monitoring. Congrats to Shanti Bansal, M.D. and the whole team! MD Anderson and Rice University are joining forces to launch a cancer bioengineering collaborative, focused on speeding up the movement of innovations from the lab to the market. What’s Next?

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🧬 This week's Austin Bio + Health Roundup highlights significant data trends, my stance on covering funding announcements, new partnerships, and action across the Texas Bio Triangle. 🧬 💰 Funding: The Way I Plan to Cover Funding Announcements You may have seen reports of a local Bio & Health startup’s funding round through an SEC report filing. While some outlets have covered this, my position is not to. I prefer to support our builders directly rather than trolling the filings for scoops. There is plenty of real investigative journalism that our city would be well served by if that is where they focused. Remember I am not a journalist and I am not the media. When the company is ready to announce their round officially, I’ll gladly shout it to the rooftops. 📊 Data Peter Walker at Carta reports that in 2017, Biopharma and Medical Devices captured just under 10% of all VC dollars. By 2023, this figure rose to 17.7%, and in Q1 2024, it reached 24%. The overarching tailwinds favor our sector and region with trends towards Bio & Health and the physical & digital intersection. Energy and hardware, two other sector blossoming in Central Texas, also saw similar share gains. 🤝 M&A and Partnerships Sensi.AI, a 24/7 senior care intelligence agent, is partnering with Caring Senior Service to deploy SensiAI’s platform in Caring’s 50 locations across the US. This partnership allows seniors a better opportunity to age gracefully in their homes. 🚩 Texas Bio Triangle BioMedSA is hosting an event called Women in Bioscience, Thursday June 20th. It’s designed to connect and empower women in the bioscience industry across Central Texas, and features Randi Brosterman Hutchens discussing "Building your Personal Board." Find the link to the event in the comments. Houston-based Lokum, a staffing solution to connect clinicians and clinical staff to health care facilities, has raised a $700K pre-seed round. Congrats Ayoade (Joy) Ademuyewo on the raise. What’s Next? #AustinNext #LifeSciences #Healthcare #Biotechnology

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