Facts
- HQ
- San Francisco, CA, US
- Sectors
- Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals
- Founded
- 2015
- Employees
- 73
Philip Johnston announces Starcloud raised $250M at a $2.3B valuation to scale AI compute in orbit
Starcloud raised $250M at a $2.3B valuation to expand orbital AI compute capacity, led by Manhattan West with participation from NVIDIA, Cisco Investments and others; the company will move into a 100,000 sq ft facility to scale production to 100 satellites per week.
Norm Law and Norm Ai Open Washington, D.C. Office; Add Partners Katelyn Kimber and Lindsey B. W. Savage
AI-native law firm Norm Law opened a Washington, D.C. office on Aug. 11, 2026, and added partners Katelyn Kimber and Lindsey B. W. Savage to strengthen its private funds, technology transactions, and AI governance practices. The move positions Norm Law and its sibling Norm Ai closer to U.S. regulators while leveraging Norm Ai’s agentic legal technology for institutional clients in regulated markets.
Augustus Raises $180M Series B Led by Tiger Global at $1B Valuation to Expand Global Clearing Bank
Augustus, a New York-based company building a global clearing bank platform for fintechs and banks, raised $180 million in a Series B round led by Tiger Global at a $1 billion valuation to expand its programmable US dollar accounts and rails. The round included investors such as Hummingbird, QED, Soma Capital, Road Capital Management, CMT Digital, Brevan Howard Digital, Variant, and several fintech and AI founders.
Philip Johnston announces Starcloud’s $170M Series A at $1.1B valuation to build space data centers
Starcloud raised a $170M Series A at a $1.1B valuation to advance development of space-based data centers, funding their third satellite aimed at making AI inference cost-competitive with Earth centers after deploying Starcloud-1 which trained an LLM in space.
Seattle Data Governance Startup Codified Winds Down as CEO Yatharth Gupta Joins Google
Seattle data governance startup Codified is winding down as its founder and former CEO, Yatharth Gupta, takes a new role as director of product management at Google. The company, which raised $4 million in seed funding in February 2024 and developed AI-driven data access controls, provided no further details on the shutdown.
Stefan Kalb Launches Super Labs with $8M Seed to Help Mid-Market Companies Adopt AI Without Tech Expertise
Seattle entrepreneur Stefan Kalb launched Super Labs in September to help mid-market businesses adopt AI without technical expertise, raising $8 million in seed funding led by FUSE. The platform connects non-tech companies with AI vendors and manages integration to prevent these companies from falling behind larger enterprises.
Crisp Acquires Seattle Startup Shelf Engine to Enhance Retail Data and Food Waste Reduction
Seattle startup Shelf Engine, which uses machine learning to help grocers reduce food waste, was acquired by New York-based retail data company Crisp. Shelf Engine, backed by over $60 million in investments and celebrity investors, operates in over 7,000 U.S. stores.
Starcloud Raises $10M More, Totaling $21M Seed to Launch Solar-Powered Orbital Data Centers
Starcloud, formerly Lumen Orbit, has raised a total of $21 million in seed funding to develop space-based data centers powered by large solar panel arrays. These orbital data centers aim to reduce terrestrial data center impacts and improve processing of satellite data by handling computations in space.
Seattle Startup Lumen Orbit Raises $11M Seed Round to Build Space-Based Data Centers for AI
Lumen Orbit, a Seattle-area startup founded in 2023, raised $11 million in seed funding to develop data centers in space for AI and technology services on Earth. The company, valued at $40 million, plans to launch a full-scale prototype in 2025 and is led by CEO Philip Johnston and co-founders with aerospace and space tech backgrounds.
Bench IQ Secures $2.1M (USD) in Funding and Partners with 12 of the Top 100 US Law Firms to Revolutionize Law with AI-Powered Insights on Judicial Decision-Making
Bench IQ raised $2.1 million in funding and announced partnerships with 12 of the top 100 U.S. law firms to provide AI-driven analysis of judicial decision-making, aiming to improve legal research and litigation strategy.
Former Microsoft Exec Yatharth Gupta’s Codified Raises $4M Seed to Advance AI-Powered Data Governance
Seattle startup Codified, founded by former Microsoft executive Yatharth Gupta, raised a $4 million seed round led by Madrona Venture Group to develop an AI-driven data governance platform. The company aims to simplify and improve internal data access management by enabling users to create data access rules in plain English, addressing industry challenges around data access complexity and security.
Seattle Startup Muir AI Raises $3.25M Seed Round to Enhance AI Carbon Emissions Tracking
Seattle startup Muir AI, founded by aerospace veterans Harris Chalat and Peter Williams, raised $3.25 million in a seed round led by Base10 Partners to advance its AI and satellite-based carbon accounting technology. The company helps businesses measure complex supply chain emissions to reduce their carbon footprints.
Amazon and SpaceX Veterans Launch Muir AI to Improve Corporate Carbon Footprint Measurement Using AI and Satellite Technology
Muir AI, founded by Amazon and SpaceX veterans, uses AI and satellite technology to help corporations accurately measure and reduce their scope 3 carbon emissions, particularly from supply chains. The startup aims to fill data gaps that currently hinder precise carbon accounting and enable companies to meet climate goals more effectively.
Seattle Startup Shelf Engine Lays Off 43 Employees Amid Economic Challenges
Seattle startup Shelf Engine laid off 43 employees due to challenging economic conditions, reducing its workforce from about 200 to around 150. The company, which uses machine learning to help grocers manage orders and reduce food waste, continues pursuing its mission despite the cuts.
Shelf Engine raises $41M to expand forecasting and scan-based ordering for Kroger, Walmart; serves 2,000 stores
Shelf Engine raised $41 million to expand its order-forecasting and automation platform used by grocers like Kroger and Walmart to reduce waste and trim costs; the company now serves about 2,000 stores and reported 15x revenue growth last year.
