201 Ventures

freedom++ / backing phds who can win a bar fight

[Ian Hogarth @soundboy]

1/ Europe can lead in hypersonics - if it builds differently and builds faster. That’s why I led @pluralplatform’s investment into @HypersonicaGmbH’s €23 million Series A

[Eric Slesinger @ericsles]

More firepower, for more firepower.

There's no time to waste and @DimitriosKottas says it best: "We’re in a race against time and should measure deployments in days, not decades."

@201vc_ is doubling down in @delian_ai's latest $14M Series A.

[Nathan Benaich @nathanbenaich]

“Maritime conflict is heating up globally, from undersea cable sabotage in the Taiwan Strait, Baltic and Black Sea, to contested waters in the South China Sea, Persian Gulf and Eastern Mediterranean,” Nathan Benaich, founder and general partner of AI-focused VC @airstreet, tells @Siftedeu.

“Control of subsea infrastructure is becoming a critical strategic lever too.”

Benaich says Air Street is investing in “full-stack” companies building both hardware and software for sea autonomy. He points to Swedish portfolio company @polarmistai, which makes maritime drones and is building an optical, GPS-free positioning system that it says doesn’t drift over time to prevent navigational errors. The startup is also backed by former CIA officer @ericsles via his new VC firm @201vc_.

Another of Benaich’s favourites, Athens-based @delian_ai, recently launched an autonomous naval and aerial interceptors product — drones and boats that can attack — for things like ocean defence and border surveillance. “There's a huge open space across [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance], subsea surveying, [electronic warfare], logistics and infrastructure protection,” he says.

[Matej Cernosek @mateocernosek]

I'm excited to announce our $10M fundraise!

Currently in D.C. meeting with some awesome folks on the Hill and reflecting on how far we've come.

Just a year ago, @alex__chu__ and I were bootstrapping our first prototype in a garage.

Now, we're announcing our $10M fundraise led by @firstround.

@CapitalAlso, @LongJourneyVC, @201vc_, @bantervc, @homebrew, Wave Function™, and the @coschoolofmines Venture Fund also participated! (See the @BusinessInsider article below for more)

I also want to give a huge shoutout to our amazing team. We've hired some of the top engineers and scientists to support our mission:

@AndrenaM is building an AI-powered, distributed maritime sensing network for persistent autonomous awareness from surface to seabed

Time to turn the ocean into the world's largest sensor network.

Join us and let's build.

[201 Ventures @201vc_]

@boztank @ssankar @kevinweil @bobmcgrewai 😉

[Isembard @IsembardGroup]

Isembard announces a $9M Seed round led by @NotionCapital, which is backed by the UK & German governments. We're on a mission to forge industrial acceleration with software-first manufacturing. 1/9

[Nathan Benaich @nathanbenaich]

👀 @201vc_ is cooking

[Nathan Benaich @nathanbenaich]

“Europe is fundamentally not serious about defence.”

Lots to work on and lots of urgency.

Hard hitting piece by @SineadOS1 ft. @ericsles @jjluff @chalmermagne @WorkMJ @eurodefense_ @airstreet @201vc_