Pitch Us, Fundings: Rizse, Decisions Sciences International, H55
09 November 2022 - A Weekly Publication by New North Ventures
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Founded: 2019
Key People: Co-founded by Jacolby Harvey, Idan Fiksel, and Braedon O'Meara
Elevator Pitch: Autonomous unmanned aerial system scans the aircraft fuselage for damage using computer vision and reports identified damage to the analytics platform for easy review and action.
Funding: The company raised $6.58 million of venture funding from undisclosed investors on November 7, 2022.
Decision Sciences International
Founded: 2005
Key People: CEO Dwight Johnson
Elevator Pitch: Security and contraband detection systems intended for maritime ports, land borders, defense checkpoints and critical infrastructures. The company's platform offers an automated scanning system for detecting, locating and identifying unshielded to heavily shielded radiological and nuclear threats as well as explosives, safeguarding the global supply chain.
Funding: The company received $7.77 million of development capital from undisclosed investors in 2022.
Founded: 2017
Key People: Co-founded by Sebastien Demont, Gregory Blatt, and Andre Borschberg
Elevator Pitch: Electric propulsion and battery management solutions intended to enable the clean aviation revolution.
Funding: The company raised an undisclosed amount of venture funding from RTX Ventures on October 12, 2022.
Canada kicks out Chinese companies from lithium mining
Canada has classified lithium as a "critical mineral" and will limit foreign investment in it.
Critical minerals including lithium, rare earths, and cadmium are used in mobile phones, wind turbines, solar cells, electric cars and many emerging technologies.
Chinese miners have been ordered to divest interests and mining assets based in Canada for fear of threat to their national security and critical minerals supply chains.
Could Venture Capital Be the New Frontier in Great-Power Competition?
America’s Frontier Fund (AFF) launched this year, seeks to enlist the country’s private capital markets for the crusade of its economic rejuvenation. The nation’s “first non-profit, deep-tech investment fund,” the organization’s stated mission is to “advance U.S. and allied leadership and protect democracy around the world.”
“The U.S. venture-capital system has been the greatest engine of value creation, maybe in history,” Blashek (attorney and former U.S. Marine) told Foreign Policy. “That doesn’t mean it’s infallible.”
China is using a policy instrument known as industrial guidance funds which blend state funding with private, equity-based management. These funds are intended for developing key high-tech sectors and industrial capabilities. Their current funding target is $1.6 trillion which has no comparable U.S. financing channel.
Look for a new episode of Securing the Future Podcasts wherever you listen. In our latest episode we have guest Laura Thomas of ColdQuanta, sit down with General Partner Brett Davis for an engaging conversation on the future of quantum and national security. Listen below on Spotify.
