Peter Flint

We at Upfront Ventures are proud to work with BrightAI as they raise $51M in a Series A to bring AI into America’s critical infrastructure. Story in comments. Much of the world’s essential services, like power grids, water pipelines and HVAC systems, still rely on manual checks and reactive maintenance, which leaves field teams in the dark until something breaks. BrightAI will use this new capital to scale their observability and automation platform and invest in a new HQ in the heart of Silicon Valley. Here’s to a more resilient future. Let’s go!

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Big milestone for Doppler Finance: Doppler just raised a $3M seed round led by Reforge, with participation from DCG, Maven 11, HashKey Capital, GSR, CMCC Global and others. Their goal? Unlock institutional-grade yield infrastructure on the XRP Ledger, something that’s been missing since day one. Here’s the opportunity: -> XRP’s ~$200B market cap has less than 0.1% in DeFi. -> Ethereum, by comparison, has ~20% of its market cap active on-chain. That’s hundreds of billions in idle XRP and Doppler is building the rails to activate it. With custody integrations (Fireblocks, Copper, Bitgo), verifiable proof-of-reserves, and plug-and-play APIs for wallets/custodians, they’re building for regulated capital but with open access. Their $500M+ capital pipeline speaks volumes. This is a major unlock for #XRPFi and one of the most promising attempts to bridge compliant yield infra with an underserved but globally significant asset. Excited to see how this one plays out.

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AI isn't just powering software. BrightAI just raised $51 million to automate inspection and other hardware-based AI capabilities. As Alexa von Tobel, co-founder of Inspired Capital put it: “So many people are so focused on the future of digital AI, but we’re excited about this new layer of AI: the physical world AI.” We are in the early innings of a series of AI-fueled innovations! https://lnkd.in/enhmafvH

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Shutdowns don’t just pause government - they stall America’s ability to build at scale. Factory buildouts, pilot production lines, heavy-equipment installs, and AI datacenter rollouts all depend on predictable public actions: grant payments to fund R&D, timely permits and inspections to break ground, customs clearances for critical machinery, and utility/interconnection approvals to power facilities. When agencies pause, each link snarls. The effects are real: Long-lead experiments stop and become costly to restart. Permits and inspections slip, leaving capital idle and suppliers scrambling. Equipment piles up at ports while customs backlogs delay production ramps. AI datacenter projects stall without steady approvals and infrastructure support. “Pause and resume” kills scale. Startups and manufacturers can’t certify, build, or ramp when timelines are political theater. Other countries keep building - they win the investment and capacity. If we want industrial strength and AI infrastructure here, fund flows, permitting, inspections, and procurement must be reliable. Pass clean funding and protect the steady public processes that let pilots become production. #BuildNotBreak #Manufacturing #AIInfrastructure #IndustrialScale

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LION EQUITY PARTNERS COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF CUSTOM TUBE PRODUCTS, INC. “Custom Tube has established a strong reputation for delivering high-quality solutions to its customers,” said Lion Equity Co-Founder and Partner Jim Levitas. “Combining CTP with ETI creates a highly complementary partnership that broadens capabilities, expands market reach, and positions the business for long-term growth. We’re excited to support both teams as they build on their track records of excellence together.” Link to full press release: https://lnkd.in/gkcr73Bk

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🚀 Exciting News from APEX Ventures! 🚀 We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Golnaz Borghei as a new Principal at APEX Ventures. At APEX Ventures, we believe that evaluating and backing transformative deep tech companies requires more than just financial acumen; it requires a team of scientists and engineers who truly understand the science behind the innovation. Successful deep tech investing, in our view, comes from combining: → 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵 — the ability to scrutinize frontier technologies at their core → 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 — connecting breakthroughs across physics, engineering, life sciences, and digital technologies → 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀-𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 — experience in taking startups from lab bench or prototype to market and scale → 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 — networks that connect technology, capital, and industry across borders Golnaz embodies this rare blend. 🔬 With a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from the University of Cambridge (and a postdoc in Physiology & Neuroscience), paired with an Executive MBA from the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, she unites world-class scientific expertise with sharp business strategy. 💡 At PWC Germany , Golnaz built the firm’s first Corporate Venture Capital unit, scaling it to 24 portfolio companies and multiple fund investments, creating joint ventures, and forging a thriving innovation ecosystem. 🌍 Her prior work at Ventac Partners in the Nordics, co-building biotech companies valued at more than $1B (including IPOs and exits to Roche and Qiagen), as well as her advisory roles with family offices and startups worldwide, further highlight her ability to navigate both science and markets with precision. Welcoming Golnaz to APEX Ventures is another step in building a team where science, engineering, and venture expertise come together. Her unique background further reinforces our belief that only by combining these strengths can we truly unlock the potential of deep tech founders. Please join us in giving her a warm welcome! 🎉 Andreas Riegler,Wolfgang Neubert, Stefan Haubner, Ion Hauer, Tim Hos, Vera Kunz, Hannah Stein, Sandra Lager, Hermann Hauser, Anne Margaret Glover

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