NATO DIANA, Blue Innovation Symposium, Hubble Network, Fundings: Baseten, Hyas, Basemark
6 March 2024 - A Weekly Publication by New North Ventures
Jessica Nelson, Senior Associate at New North Ventures, recently spoke at NATO DIANA, the Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic.
The mission of the accelerator is to build a transatlantic innovation powerhouse incubating technologies that lead to a more peaceful and secure world. This cohort consists of 44 companies that are developing dual-use technologies that address some of the largest global issues.
DIANA released its first pilot challenge, which includes three categories of innovation:
Energy Resilience
Undersea Sensing
Surveillance and Secure Information Sharing
DIANA also works with the selected companies to accelerate technology testing, provide mentorship for commercial and technical advice, and support future capital raising.
Jessica Nelson and Allie Coukos from Alumni Ventures gave a presentation to the MassChallenge cohort focused on communication strategies to investors, navigating the dual-use ecosystem as an early-stage startup, frontier technologies, and how the government is supporting the adoption of early-stage dual-use tech.
The Blue Venture Forum is a non-profit organization that provides educational programming about the blue (ocean & marine) technology sector. This first-of-its-kind, forum has a mission to strengthen and grow the number of startups in this sector. Based at Innovate Newport, a technology incubator located in Newport, RI, The Blue Venture Forum is dedicated to creating a global community that fosters and supports entrepreneurs and innovators in blue technology, ocean-related enterprises, and related deep tech verticals.
In late February, The Blue Venture Forum sponsored the Blue Innovation Symposium, the premier event in New England for connecting the marine technology industry through education, networking, and facilitating partnering opportunities. The conference brings together a broad spectrum of representatives of the marine technology industry from the US and globally, including leading-edge marine technology companies and investors with scale-up blue technology businesses. The goal is to create an efficient and accessible platform to help these firms connect and showcase their new technologies to potential partners and investors, with keynote addresses, panel discussions, and a unique series of five-minute flash talks.
New North Ventures General Partner Stephanie Usry Bellistri participated in the Symposium's "Defense and Dual-Use Investing" panel along with John Chait (In-Q-Tel), Nelson Mills (VATN Systems), and Eric Horan (Decisive Point). The panel, moderated by Nate Walton (Sachem Strategies), discussed the critical intersection of national security, tech innovation, and investment and explored the importance of leveraging blue economy technologies in support of our nation's defense.
Exciting news from New North Ventures as we proudly announce our participation in Hubble Network's groundbreaking Series A Round, where they have successfully secured $20 million in funding led by Transpose Platform.
Hubble Network is on a mission to revolutionize Bluetooth technology for space-based communication, aiming to create a global satellite network accessible by any Bluetooth-enabled device. This significant investment milestone positions Hubble Network to launch its initial series of satellites in early 2024, activating pilot customers and advancing toward its vision of establishing the world's first machine-to-machine network connecting over a billion devices.
To assist Hubble Network in achieving this goal, just this week Spire Global, a leading provider of space-based data and services, successfully launched four satellites on SpaceX's Transporter-10 mission, including two satellites for Hubble Network.
Hubble Network's founders, drawing from experiences with ventures such as Life360 and Amazon Sidewalk, bring a wealth of expertise to this transformative endeavor. Stay tuned for updates on the Hubble Network satellites!
Navy Introduces First Robotics Warfare Specialist
The U.S. Navy marked a significant milestone by appointing its first Robotics Warfare (RW) specialist during a pinning ceremony at Naval Support Facility Arlington, Virginia.
The ceremony, attended by high-ranking naval officials, saw Master Chief Christopher Rambert awarded the new RW rating insignia, signifying the Navy's strategic shift towards incorporating advanced unmanned and autonomous technologies into its operations.
The RW rating is tasked with overseeing both active and passive payload systems and sensors, as well as maintaining sophisticated robotics systems. This initiative is part of the Navy's broader plan to develop a hybrid fleet, integrating both manned and unmanned systems to enhance operational effectiveness and strategic reach.
Quick Links:
Founded: 2019
Key People: CEO Tuhin Srivastava
Elevator Pitch: A digital rights management platform designed to protect, allow, and monetize AI models.
Funding: The company raised $40 million of venture funding in a deal led by IVP and Spark Capital on March 4, 2024.
Founded: 2015
Key People: CEO David Ratner Ph.D
Elevator Pitch: A cybersecurity advisory platform designed to detect and mitigate cyber risks before they happen.
Funding: The company raised $25.24 million of venture funding from undisclosed investors on February 29, 2024.
Founded: 2015
Key People: CEO Tero Sarkkinen
Elevator Pitch: An augmented reality tool designed to cover all vehicle functions for software-defined vehicles
Funding: The company joined European Innovation Council Fund on February 29, 2024 and received an undisclosed amount of grant funding.
Look for a new episode of Securing the Future Podcasts wherever you listen. In our most recent episode, we have David Etue, former CEO of Nisos, sit down with General Partner Jeremy Hitchcock for an engaging conversation about the intricacies of cybersecurity, intelligence, and the evolving role of a CEO in navigating complex markets.
