Piva Capital

Congratulations to Allison ("Ali") M. Wing, Jason Ryder and the Oobli team on the FDA GRAS approval for Monellin, a significant expansion of their novel sweet protein platform! 🎉 This is a major step forward in Oobli's mission to provide healthier, more sustainable alternatives to traditional sugar and artificial sweeteners. With multiple proteins now available, Oobli is poised to transform the food and beverage industry. We're proud to be part of their journey! Read more here in FoodNavigator 👇

Congratulations to OneRail on their $42 million Series C funding round!🎉 This investment is a testament to the incredible vision and execution of founders Bill Catania and Lisa Catania, who are revolutionizing last-mile delivery solutions. OneRail's platform is a game-changer for efficiency and customer experience in the logistics space. We're excited to be part of the company's journey as it continues to scale! 💥💥💥 Find out more in this TechCrunch article by Kyle Wiggers:

We are proud to announce our investment, along with Siddhi Capital, in Plantible Foods' $30M Series B round! We're joined by an impressive group of investors, including Betagro Ventures, Cultivate Next / Chipotle, and Nourish Ventures. 🌱 This investment will fuel the expansion of Plantible's manufacturing capabilities to meet the increasing demand for its clean and sustainable protein. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Tony Martens Fekini, Maurits van de Ven, and the team to reshape the food industry and create a healthier planet. 🌍 More here from Jessica Nix at Bloomberg News ⬇

Congratulations to Koloma on securing a $50 million Series B extension round, led by Japan’s Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries! This brings the company’s total investments to more than $350 million since its 2021 launch. 🙌 This latest round signals growing global interest in clean energy, and we are happy to support the company on its journey! More here from Maria Gallucci at Canary Media Inc.

🌍 We recently co-hosted a breakfast at #NYClimateWeek with Keyframe and Climate Investment (CI) to discuss climate technologies making the commercial leap. We welcomed ~150 attendees from startups, investors, and industry, and heard from speakers on scaling climate technologies for mass commercialization. We had four amazing speakers who shared valuable insights: Josh Brumberger, CEO of Utilidata on electricity market trends and their impact on commercialization. Alp Kucukelbir, Ph.D., Chief Scientist with Fero Labs on accelerating and overcoming challenges in industrial customer adoption. Tim Boeltken, CEO of INERATEC on maturing the supply chain for commercialization. Giulia Siccardo, Director of the Office of Manufacturing & Energy Supply Chains at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on key factors for successful scaling. 🙏 Thank you to our co-hosts, speakers and everyone who attended!

Congratulations to Michael Norcia and the Pyka team on securing $40M in Series B funding! 🎉👏 As an investor in the round led by Obvious Ventures, with participation from Prelude Ventures, Metaplanet, and Y Combinator we are thrilled to continue supporting the company on their journey. We look forward to seeing Pyka soar to new heights with expanded commercialization and further advancements in autonomous electric aircraft technology. ⚡✈️ More here from Devin Coldewey at TechCrunch:

We are excited to celebrate Tadeu Carneiro, Chairman and CEO of Boston Metal, and Tom Darrah, Cofounder and CTO of Koloma, on being recognized in Forbes' first-ever Sustainability Leaders list! 🌱 🌍 This inaugural list highlights 50 visionary entrepreneurs, scientists, and changemakers leading the charge in combating the climate crisis with real, scalable impact. 💡 We are proud to support these visionary companies as they drive meaningful change and create a more sustainable future.  Congratulations to both companies for this well-deserved recognition!

Piva Capital is thrilled to welcome Lee Larson to our investment team! 🚀 Lee's passion for sustainability and expertise in innovative technologies make him a perfect fit for Piva. His background perfectly aligns with our mission to invest in transformative energy solutions. We're excited to have Lee on board as we continue to explore new ways technology can solve the world's most pressing climate, energy, and industrial challenges. 🌎💡 Welcome, Lee!

Earlier this week, we hosted a networking event and panel in our offices to discuss how deep-tech start-ups can work with corporations and CVCs to grow their businesses. The panel featured Scott Walbrun, an investor with BMW i Ventures, Geetha R Dholakia, Ph.D, Ph.D., Portfolio Program Director with TDK Ventures, and Geoffrey Mattson, CEO of Xage Security. It was moderated by Sebastian Startz, Summer Associate with Piva Capital. The conversation revolved around navigating corporate investment and strategic partnerships. The panelists emphasized the importance of aligning goals, leveraging resources, and waiting for product market fit while offering advice on identifying milestones and selecting the right partners. Here are some key takeaways from the discussion: ➡️ Alignment is key: Choose strategic partners whose goals mesh with yours. This can lead to major wins in terms of growth, customer acquisition, and credibility. 🎯 ➡️ Think beyond the tech:  While your tech is important, focus on the business outcomes you deliver. Corporations want solutions, not just innovation. 💼 ➡️ Pilot purgatory is real: Not all pilots lead to contracts. Be selective, prioritize those with a clear path to revenue, and consider getting paid for your work. 💰 ➡️ Relationships matter:  Identify the decision-makers within the corporation and build relationships across departments. This takes time and effort, but it's crucial for long-term success. 🤝 ➡️ Choose your VCs wisely:  Partner with VCs who understand corporate collaborations and can help you navigate the complexities. 💡 Additional tips from the panelists: - Engage corporations when your product is market-ready. ⌛ - Consider charging for custom features or non-recurring engineering work. 🔧 - Leverage your VC's network and expertise to open doors and accelerate growth. 🚀 Thanks to everyone who attended and our panelists for sharing their wisdom and experiences! 🙏 #startups #corporations #CVC #deeptech #partnerships

📣 Aviation's impact on climate change demands urgent action. ✈️ That's why we're proposing a panel to bring together top startup founders and investors at SXSW25 to explore groundbreaking solutions for a greener future of flight. 🌱 The panel which includes Maria Buitron, Investor with Piva Capital, Michael Norcia, CEO of Pyka, Tim Boeltken, CEO of Ineratec, and Justin Heyman, Investor with Rock Creek, who will delve into the latest advancements in electric aircraft, hydrogen propulsion, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technologies. 💡The panel will discuss the emerging trends and investment opportunities within this rapidly evolving sector. Vote for our panel to make it happen! #SXSW25