Kim Kardashian Joins the Tech Investor World

Lon Harris
Lon Harris is a contributor to dot.LA. His work has also appeared on ScreenJunkies, RottenTomatoes and Inside Streaming.
​Kim K surrounded by celeb investors
Andria Moore courtesy of Yahoo News / Late Show with James Corden

Reality star and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian joined the ranks of celebrity tech investors last week when she launched the private equity fund Skky Partners alongside Carlyle Group veteran Jay Sammons. The firm will leverage Kardashian’s branding know-how to help launch and grow the next generation of companies in media, hospitality, luxury, digital and ecommerce, along with Sammons’ experience steering brands like Supreme, Beats by Dre, Vogue, McDonald’s China and Moncler. Kim’s “mom-ager” Kris Jenner is also on board the project as a partner.


Obviously, a lot of startups are desperate for attention and oxygen, and celebrities love free products and need things to discuss on talk shows. So collaborations between tech and gadget companies and notable influencers are nothing new. Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas has been a long-time fixture at CES, where he has promoted his own brand of wearable devices, 3D printers and robots. Rapper Chamillionaire of “Ridin’ Dirty” fame has been angel investing for over a decade, and has made enough smart bets in companies like Maker Studios, Cruise and Lyft that he’s since started his own companies and was named the first “entrepreneur in residence” at Upfront Ventures.

Over the past decade, we’ve seen these relationships expand in depth and complexity. Obviously, a celebrity brings their personal brand to a company, and that can help expand its visibility. Traditionally, this might have been arranged along the lines of an endorsement deal; the celebrity agrees to post a few complimentary Instagrams or tweets, maybe shows up to a product launch or two, poses for a billboard and moves on with their lives. But increasingly, stars are asking for not just a fee for their endorsement, but a chunk of ownership in the company itself, and in exchange, they’re providing additional layers of support.

“For every dollar that someone might get paid in an endorsement deal, they can drive $10 worth of enterprise value,” Plus Capital founder and managing partner Adam Lilling said. His company specializes in connecting early-stage companies with celebrities and influencer-slash-investors. “So why aren’t they taking a piece of the upside vs. taking cash? Celebrities are very entrepreneurial. They build their own brand up. The idea of ‘blue people on another planet’ becoming ‘Avatar’ just like disappearing photos becoming Snapchat; they both take imagination and execution and entrepreneurship to make it happen.”

This can mean simply advice or suggestions for the management team, or collaborations around new product launches or announcements, but increasingly it also means the nuts and bolts kind of work that would traditionally be associated with real institutional investors.

“Celebrities partnering with VCs can be an incredible combination when done correctly,” Octane AI co-founder, investor and “Business Envy Podcast” co-host Ben Parr said. “A celebrity can attract deal flow that others can’t, while providing their portfolio companies with an instant audience and very important connections. In my experience, everyone responds when a celebrity introduces you to someone. VCs bring the financial rigor, tech network and institutional knowledge a celebrity may lack.”

Beyond just insight from someone who has already worked with the public and built an audience of their own, having a celebrity investor on board also indicates a level of commitment to the product, as well as authenticity, that a simple endorsement fails to truly communicate.

A number of celebrities recently invested in the Pearpop platform and marketplace, which connects individual creators and brands for collaborative projects and campaigns. It’s a bit like Cameo, but instead of making personal videos for your friends, you hire influencers to collaborate with you, to help grow your own personal audience or expand your company’s footprint. Creators on the service run the gamut from the traditional (such as musicians and craftspeople) to the more unconventional (such as clowns).

The company added $16 million in financing in April, spread out over two rounds, and already claims to have attracted 10,000 creators to the platform. “Stranger Things” star Noah Schnapp, Lil Nas X, Jake Paul, Paris Hilton and Ashton Kutcher’s Sound Ventures have all put funds into the company. As influencers, their very presence speaks to a level of awareness of issues that face the creators and personalities likely to use the platform; having them back the company itself improves the product.

“Celebrities are enjoying being venture capitalists,” said Adam Struck, founder and managing partner of Santa Monica’s Struck Capital. “VC is the coolest game on the planet. You’re seeing all these celebrities not only create funds to take advantage of their status, but post-retirement, actually calling themselves venture capitalists. A good example is The Chainsmokers; they started off endorsing different companies, investing here and there, but now they’re full-throttle venture capitalists. It’s definitely taking it up a notch.”

We’ve also seen the rise of so-called “influencer investors” like Canadian teen Josh Richards. After building a large following on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, Richards followed a conventional path to fame, signing with Warner Records in 2020 and recording his own particular blend of Lil Dicky-inspired hip-hop. In 2021 Richards launched the $15 million Animal Capital venture fund with former Goldman Sachs banker Marshall Sandman and fellow TikTok stars Griffin Johnson and Noah Beck. Animal Capital pitches itself to founders and investors as a source for 100 million engaged users, by which they mean tapping Richards’ massive fanbase. These fans can be leveraged as customers, of course, but they’re also just a helpful source of audience information and data.

“A celebrity must put in the work to be a good VC, however,” Parr said. “They can’t just let a VC borrow their brand and do nothing else. The best-performing celebrity investors call their portfolio companies, make intros and ask thoughtful questions about the businesses they’re evaluating.”

The list of stars and notables from other industries coming into the tech world continues to grow, and now includes Snoop Dogg, Serena Williams, Jay-Z, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Will Smith, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and Sofia Vergara. DiCaprio actually took a stake in Struck Capital in 2020, and actively participates in finding new investments and mentoring founders.

“From [DiCaprio’s] team, we’re seeing a lot more activity than just writing and posting the tweet,” Struck said. “They’re helping us with business development, connecting the dots and leveraging the platform.”

At first, this group leaned heavily male, as a lot of famous women were focusing funds on industries outside of the technology space. (Two of the most famous women celebrity-slash-entrepreneurs – Rihanna and Gwyneth Paltrow – had their greatest success in the beauty and wellness space, inspiring an entire generation of Fenty and GOOP wannabes.) But this early lead has (slowly) started to erode. According to Money UK, as of March 2021, 10 of the 30 most prolific celebrity investors were female.

Kardashian has a fairly lengthy resume at this point as a businesswoman and entrepreneur. Obviously, her family is a reality TV powerhouse. Their latest series, “The Kardashians,” had one of the largest Hulu premieres in history, and a recent report from Samba TV confirms it’s one of the key shows driving new sign-ups for Disney’s streamer. Her shapewear label Skims recently doubled its valuation – now clocking in at $3.2 billion – after raising $240 million in new funding over the summer. She recently relaunched and expanded her make-up brand KKW as a complete line of skincare products, known as SKKN. (The name change also reflects her recent divorce from rapper Kanye West and subsequent change of initials.)

So when Kardashian and Sammons indicate that Skky Partners will leverage their “complementary expertise,” it may not simply be boilerplate business-speak, but a real outline of their working relationship. And if history is any guide, it could be poised to pay off; Ashton Kutcher turned a $30 million fund into $250 million in just six years as an investor thanks to early gambles on Uber and Airbnb. His firm, Sound Ventures, is among the largest celebrity-driven VC groups, with 175 investments across sectors including health, media, entertainment, and security. (Sound’s 2021 investments include the email platform Superhuman and NFT exchange OpenSea.)

“The idea that [Kim Kardashian] would move into private equity is smart because she’s a person of scale,” Lilling said. “As the company gets its escape velocity, you’re able to put gas on a fire. A celebrity…can help when there’s actually a customer base or a user base or awareness. They can help take it to the next level.”

It’s worth noting that Kardashian was also one of the many celebrities who dipped a toe into cryptocurrency recently, and has lived to regret it. She’s one of three celebrities being sued by investors for allegedly making misleading promotional statements. So just like a real VC, she’s already had some bumps in the road, from which to learn.
From Sunset Boulevard to Outer Space: LA’s Latest

🔦 Spotlight

Good Morning Beliebers and Los Angeles!

While Justin Bieber’s new album dropped last night, here’s what else is making headlines in Los Angeles this week.

Luma has opened its Dream Lab on Sunset Boulevard, boldly positioning itself at the forefront of AI-powered creativity. Known for transforming ordinary photos into cinematic 3D scenes, Luma is combining cutting-edge research with practical tools to build a playground for artists, engineers, and anyone ready to push the boundaries of visual storytelling. In their words: “From Hollywood blockbusters to the next generation of immersive media, this is where the magic happens.”

Meanwhile, well beyond our skyline, SpaceX reportedly hit an eye-popping $400 billion valuation in a recent share sale, making it one of the most valuable private companies ever. The milestone reflects both investors’ fervor for the commercial space race and LA’s unrivaled role as the launchpad of aerospace innovation.

LA continues to prove it can deliver on the ground, in the cloud, and far beyond the stars. See you next week.

🤝 Venture Deals

LA Companies

     
  • Varda Space Industries, the El Segundo–based company manufacturing pharmaceuticals in microgravity, has raised $187M in a Series C round led by Natural Capital and Shrug Capital, bringing its total funding to approximately $329M. The funds will support an increased launch cadence of robotic drug-production capsules, expansion of its El Segundo lab for biologic drug crystallization, and broader efforts to scale commercial microgravity-driven drug formulation and hypersonic reentry testing. - learn more

LA Venture Funds

  • Rebel Fund participated in Vellum’s $20M Series A round, which was led by Leaders Fund. The company helps businesses build and optimize LLM-powered applications. Vellum plans to grow its team and speed up product development with the new funding. - learn more
  • Bold Capital participated in a $31M Series B funding round for Aqtual, a Hayward, California based precision medicine startup developing a cutting edge cell free DNA (cfDNA) multiomics platform. The capital will help commercialize Aqtual’s flagship rheumatoid arthritis diagnostic, currently being tested in a 1,300 patient trial, and support expansion into other chronic and autoimmune diseases. - learn more
  • Strong Ventures invested in VERAMORE, a skincare brand focused on addressing early signs of aging in women. Since launching in March 2022, VERAMORE has grown over 300% annually, expanded to more than 16 products, and entered markets including Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, Europe, and Korea. The funding will support its D2C growth, product-driven marketing, and planned global expansion starting with Japan in 2025 and the U.S. and Europe in 2026. - learn more
  • Mucker Capital joined a $3.7M seed funding round for Velvet Capital aimed at launching its DeFAI operating system and $VELVET governance token. Velvet’s vertically integrated DeFi toolkit combines AI-powered trading, portfolio management, APIs, and a native token to streamline on-chain investment for funds, DAOs, and individual traders. The funding will accelerate platform development, the rollout of its tokenomics, and broader adoption of its intent-based DeFi suite. - learn more
  • Btech Consortium Fund participated in a $8.5M Series A funding round for Castellum.AI, a New York based financial crime compliance platform that uses in‑house risk data, AI, and screening tools to help financial institutions manage AML/KYC compliance. The funds will be used to expand their team, enhance integrations with financial institutions, and accelerate adoption of their AI‑powered compliance solutions. - learn more
  • Bold Capital Partners joined the oversubscribed $45M Series A round for Centivax, a South San Francisco biotech company dedicated to developing a universal flu vaccine using a proprietary mRNA-based immune-engineering platform. Led by Future Ventures, the funding will help Centivax advance its lead candidate into Phase I clinical trials and expand its broader universal immunity pipeline targeting pathogens like RSV, HIV, and malaria. - learn more
  • Alpha Edison participated in Honor Education’s $38M Series A funding round for the San Francisco–based learning platform. Honor uses AI‑enhanced, mobile-first courses and credentialed programs to improve engagement and leadership development. The funding will be used to scale AI capabilities, personalize learning experiences, and expand the company’s operations and customer‑success teams to meet rising demand. - learn more
  • Wasserman Ventures participated in a $7M seed round for Fantasy Life, the fantasy sports platform founded by Matthew Berry. The funding will support the launch of Fantasy Life’s revamped platform, featuring new “Guillotine Leagues,” a modernized app experience, and enhanced content and tools to scale its audience and technology offerings. - learn more

LA Exits
  • El Segundo based Kaye Capital Management, a fee only RIA with approximately $700M in assets under management and $300M in assets under advisement, was acquired by Modern Wealth Management, marking its 17th acquisition and pushing its total AUM over $8.5B. The deal strengthens Modern Wealth’s presence in California and adds Kaye’s institutional retirement plan expertise to its suite of financial and retirement solutions for clients. - learn more
  • NIRx Medical Technologies was acquired by Gilde Healthcare’s private equity fund and combined with Artinis Medical Systems to form a world-leading neuroimaging group. Both companies will retain their brands and locations while collaborating on R&D, product development, and global expansion of their functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) tools to advance research in mental health, neurodegenerative diseases, and stroke rehabilitation. - learn more
  • Emotive, a conversational SMS marketing platform, has been acquired by Privy to create a unified solution for e-commerce brands that combines email, SMS, pop-ups, and real-time customer conversations. The integrated platform will help over 10,000 merchants simplify their marketing, personalize customer interactions, and strengthen relationships with dedicated strategists and transparent pricing. - learn more

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Tinder, Starlink, and Apple’s New Studio: This Week in LA

🔦 Spotlight

Happy Independence Day, Los Angeles! 🇺🇸

While you're celebrating freedom, here are some electrifying updates lighting up LA’s tech, satellite, and music scenes:

🔥 Tinder mandates Face Recognition in California

  Image Source: Tinder

Tinder is now requiring all new users in California to complete a biometric face check, a brief video selfie processed via FaceTec, to verify profiles are genuine. The video is deleted post-verification, though an encrypted face map remains while the account is active. This West Hollywood based move could redefine trust, safety, and privacy in mainstream consumer apps.

🌐 Starlink clears hurdle to launch in India

Elon Musk’s SpaceX backed Starlink has cleared most regulatory and licensing hurdles with India’s Department of Telecommunications, marking a key step toward launching satellite broadband in one of the world’s fastest growing markets. Final approvals from the national space regulator are pending, and services, expected to deliver high speed connectivity to underserved regions, could launch in the coming months. This is a major milestone for Starlink’s global expansion.

🎧 Apple Music opens Culver City creative hub

  Image Source: Apple

Apple Music is celebrating its anniversary by launching a brand new 15,000 square foot, three story studio in Culver City. The facility, featuring a 4,000 square foot soundstage, spatial audio suites, podcast booths, and more, is designed by Eric Owen Moss and slated to open mid August. It solidifies LA’s reputation as a creative powerhouse and reaffirms Apple’s commitment to investing in and nurturing our city's cultural ecosystem.

From dating apps to deep space to sound stages, LA isn’t just watching the future unfold, we’re building it.

Here’s to independence, imagination, and everything this city dares to launch next. Happy Fourth, Los Angeles.

🤝 Venture Deals

LA Companies

  • Castelion has raised a $350M Series B round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners alongside Altimeter Capital to scale its hypersonic missile production capabilities. The El Segundo-based defense startup plans to use the funds to expand manufacturing, accelerate testing through its SpaceX-inspired rapid development model, and position itself as a cost-effective supplier of hypersonic weapons to the U.S. military and its allies. - learn more
  • Earth Sama, a Calabasas, California–based climate-tech platform that helps rural farming and Indigenous communities generate and manage carbon credits, secured investment from Omtse Ventures. The funding will support the rollout of Earth Sama’s blockchain-powered field app, climate-creator platform, and smart-contract tools to scale community-led carbon credit projects globally under the Paris Agreement’s Article 6.4 framework. - learn more

            LA Venture Funds

            • Plassa Capital participated in Metafide’s $3.275M funding round. Miami based Metafide, the creator of SURGE, a gamified trading platform that combines AI neural networks and human insight, will use the funds to scale and launch SURGE into the market. - learn more
            • BOLD Capital Partners participated as a founding investor in Syntis Bio’s $33M Series A round, with an additional $5M in NIH grants. The Boston-based biotech is developing oral therapies for obesity and rare diseases, and the funding will help advance its SYNT platform, moving its lead obesity treatment, SYNT-101, into Phase 1 trials and supporting development of SYNT-202 for homocystinuria. - learn more
            • BAM Ventures participated in Cred’s $15M seed round for its predictive intelligence startup. San Francisco based Cred uses AI to unify company data with real time market signals and deliver actionable insights for sales and operations. The funding, led by defy.vc, will be used to scale Cred’s platform, expand its customer base, and grow team and product capabilities. - learn more
            • BOLD Capital Partners participated in Gallant’s $18M Series B round to advance its ready-to-use stem cell therapies for pets. The funding, led by Digitalis Ventures with additional support from NovaQuest Capital, will help Gallant bring its off-the-shelf regenerative treatments to market. - learn more
            • Rebel Fund joined the seed round for Rocketable, contributing to the $6.5M raised to build a portfolio of fully automated SaaS companies. San Francisco-based Rocketable, backed by True Ventures and others, uses AI agents to operate acquired software products, and Rebel’s support will help scale both the platform and acquisitions. - learn more 
                    LA Exits
                    • Leasepath, a cloud-first provider of equipment lease and loan management software, has been acquired by Solifi to enhance its mid-market offerings. The deal allows Solifi to expand Leasepath’s Microsoft Dynamics-based platform into new global markets while keeping Leasepath’s team and leadership in place. - learn more

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                              Senra Raises $25M to Rewire LA's Aerospace Supply Chain

                              🔦 Spotlight

                              Hello Los Angeles,

                              In the shadow of LA’s booming space and defense scene, a new kind of hardware startup is scaling up. And it's not building flying cars or flashy robots. It’s building the infrastructure that builds everything else.

                              This week, Senra Systems announced a $25 million Series A led by Dylan Field and CIV, with participation from General Catalyst, Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, Andreessen Horowitz, 8VC, and Pax Ventures. Their Redondo Beach-based facility is using custom automation, software, and new design tools to quadruple production speed. The goal is to solve a notoriously manual, bottleneck-prone part of the supply chain: wire harness manufacturing.

                              The company also launched Amp, a CAD software platform that bridges the gap between harness design and physical production. It's a process that has historically been slow, fragmented, and hard to scale. In other words, Senra isn’t just building machines. They’re rewiring the very systems that power aerospace, defense, and industrial tech.

                              It’s not sci-fi. It’s supply chain innovation. And it’s very LA.

                              Catch the latest LA venture deals, acquisitions, and fund updates below.

                              🤝 Venture Deals

                              LA Companies

                              • 2wai, co-founded by actor Calum Worthy and producer Russell Geyser, has emerged from stealth with the launch of its avatar-based social app, allowing users to create lifelike “HoloAvatars” in under three minutes for real-time, multi-language conversations. The platform gives individuals, especially creators and entertainers, control over their digital likeness by restricting avatar responses to pre-approved information, helping counter deepfake threats. The launch follows a $5 million pre-seed raise and sets the stage for broader use by celebrities, brands, and educational partners. - learn more
                              • Superfiliate secured a $2M strategic growth round led by HappyStack to fuel its rapid expansion in the creator commerce space. The platform, which automates influencer and affiliate marketing for CPG and DTC brands via deep Meta and TikTok integrations, has achieved an impressive 400% year-over-year growth. The investment will support scaling its automation engine, deepening social commerce partnerships, and onboarding more e-commerce brands. - learn more
                              • Gemist, a Los Angeles–based jewelry-tech startup, secured $6M in seed funding from Entrada Ventures, Artemis Fund, and Collide Capital, bringing its total funding to $9M. The platform offers real-time 3D visualizations, dynamic pricing, and integrated e-commerce for custom fine jewelry, and is used weekly by over 14,000 customers to design personalized pieces. The new capital will enhance its visualization tools, pricing engine, and commerce features as Gemist expands its footprint. - learn more
                              • Chronicle Studios has raised an oversubscribed $11.6M seed round co-led by Patron and Point72 Ventures to fuel the development of original, audience-driven franchises. Founded by former DreamWorks and Warner Bros. exec Chris deFaria and tech entrepreneur Aaron Sisto, the LA-based studio plans to invest in independent creators and build AI-powered tools, like automated YouTube thumbnails and social analytics, to help storytellers grow and monetize their IP. - learn more
                              • Stackup, a developer platform for crypto applications, has raised a $4.2M in seed funding round led by 1kx. Stackup helps crypto businesses build better user experiences and manage on-chain user data, and the funding will be used to grow its engineering team and expand support for more blockchain networks. - learn more
                              • Doên, a fashion brand known for its vintage-inspired, California aesthetic, has closed a growth equity round led by Silas Capital. The funding will help the company expand its retail footprint, grow its team, and scale operations. Doên plans to continue building its community-driven brand while deepening its commitment to sustainability and women's empowerment. - learn more
                              • Root has raised a $9M seed funding round led by Konvoy and Headline, to develop its platform for managing online communities. The app, currently in closed beta, enables users to build custom tools like raid planners and task trackers right into their social experience. The fresh capital will fuel team expansion and product development ahead of a broader rollout. - learn more
                              • AndrenaM, a defense-tech startup founded by a former SpaceX engineer, raised $10M in just 36 hours. The company is building an AI-powered maritime sensing network using sonar-equipped buoys to provide real-time underwater surveillance. The funding, led by First Round Capital, will support team expansion, custom hardware development, and scaled deployments off the California coast. - learn more

                                      LA Venture Funds

                                      • Westlake Village BioPartners joined Neuron23’s $96.5M Series D financing round. The capital will fund the global Phase 2 NEULARK trial of NEU‑41, a brain-penetrant LRRK2 inhibitor for early-stage Parkinson’s disease, as well as support commercial and R&D scale-up. Neuron23 also announced that the first patient has been dosed in the NEULARK study, with initial results expected in 2027. - learn more
                                      • Fika Ventures participated in Spinwheel’s recent $30 M Series A round led by F‑Prime Capital. The funds will be used to accelerate their AI-powered platform that streamlines debt and credit management, reducing friction in account authentication, automating payments, and integrating liability data, all to deliver instant, developer-friendly credit APIs. This investment supports rapid growth across fintech and banking partners aiming to improve consumer credit outcomes. - learn more
                                      • Chaac Ventures participated in a $7M seed funding round for Meridian, a New York and Miami‑based startup using its AI-powered deal management platform to help private equity firms streamline sourcing, automate workflows, and improve diligence efficiency. The funding will accelerate product enhancements, expand the global go‑to‑market strategy, and deepen its traction with large institutional investors. - learn more
                                      • WME joined a debut funding round for haircare disruptor isima, which raised over $12M to accelerate its launch. Shakira-backed and science-driven, isima will use the capital to scale operations, expand product development, and roll out via isima.com and placements at Ulta Beauty (U.S. in July; Mexico in August), debuting across nearly 30 global markets. - learn more
                                      • M13 participated in Maven AGI’s Series B round, which raised $50M to expand its Business AGI platform for enterprise use. The funding brings Maven’s total capital raised to $78M. The company will use the investment to accelerate product development and go-to-market efforts as it scales its AI platform that unifies customer journeys across support, sales, and operations. - learn more
                                      • Alexandria Venture Investments joined GeneCentric Therapeutics’ $8M Series C round. The funding will support the commercial launch of GenomicsNext™, a groundbreaking liquid biopsy platform that combines extensive gene expression profiling with high‑fidelity DNA variant detection from ctDNA. This capital is expected to carry GeneCentric through 2026 and to help it scale predictive biomarker development for oncology applications. - learn more
                                      • MTech Capital and B Capital participated in COVR Global’s $2.5M seed round, led by MTech Capital. The funding will help COVR develop its AI-powered Decision Engine—a modular platform that enables insurers to make instant, data-driven claims decisions, such as coverage validation, liability assessment, and settlement automation. The investment will fuel product development and team growth as COVR scales across the UK, Spain, Japan, and Australia - learn more
                                      • Bedrock and Khosla Ventures co-led Mach Industries’ $100M Series B round. The defense-tech startup will use the capital to ramp up production at its Forge Huntington factory, grow its Mach Propulsion engine division, and further develop and deploy its advanced unmanned systems—Viper, Glide, and Stratos. This funding brings Mach’s total raised to about $185M as it scales vertically integrated defense manufacturing. - learn more
                                      • Fifth Wall participated in Juniper Square’s Series D funding round, which secured $130M at a $1.1 billion valuation. The investment will be used to accelerate the development and deployment of JunieAI, an AI-powered, agentic platform tailored specifically for private markets general partners to streamline investor relations, reporting, and fund administration. - learn more
                                      • Mucker Capital led CarePilot’s $2.5M seed round, with participation from KCRise Fund. The Overland Park-based startup will use the funding to further develop its AI-powered tools including its new “ProblemAssist” diagnostic and coding tool and expand its team as it scales solutions for healthcare providers. - learn more
                                      • Prototype Capital participated in Sunrise Robotics’ seed round, which raised $8.5M to emerge from stealth and advance its factory automation technology. The Ljubljana-based startup develops dual‑arm robotic cells trained in simulated environments, enabling rapid, cost-effective deployment and continuous learning across a fleet. The funds will be used to scale AI and simulation capabilities, expand team and manufacturing across Europe, and deepen customer deployments in sectors like electronics, supercars, and battery production. - learn more
                                            LA Exits
                                            • Comco, the pioneer behind the MicroBlaster® micro-precision sandblasting system, has been acquired by Medical Manufacturing Technologies (MMT), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management. This strategic move integrates Comco’s advanced abrasive technology into MMT’s suite, expanding its capabilities in precision microblasting for medical, aerospace, microelectronics, and industrial applications. MMT CEO Robbie Atkinson emphasized that the acquisition strengthens their end-to-end manufacturing offerings, while Comco President Colin Weightman joins MMT to drive continued innovation and customer growth. - learn more
                                            • 3BlackDot, the creator-first gaming and digital media studio known for popular YouTube franchises like Gaming While Black and Alpha Betas, has been acquired by Offscript Worldwide, the parent company of Revolt. With an audience of over 128 million subscribers, the acquisition marks Offscript’s entry into the $347 billion gaming industry and strengthens its creator-led IP development and distribution capabilities. 3BlackDot will now leverage Offscript’s infrastructure to scale its cultural impact while maintaining its creator-first approach. - learn more
                                            • Dr. Squatch, the fast-growing natural men’s grooming brand known for its social-first marketing and strong DTC presence, is being acquired by Unilever from Summit Partners. The move gives Unilever access to a brand with viral campaigns, influencer collaborations, and revenues reportedly around $400M, enhancing its premium personal care offerings. The deal is expected to close later this year pending regulatory approvals. - learn more
                                            • CloudSoda has been acquired by Diskover Data, combining CloudSoda’s intuitive data orchestration and automation with Diskover’s enterprise-scale indexing, metadata enrichment, and AI-ready infrastructure. This comes alongside Diskover’s $7.5M seed round, led by Snowflake Ventures and NetApp, positioning the company to accelerate unified, intelligent management of unstructured data. - learn more
                                            • Inspire Clean Energy has been acquired by Rhythm Energy, significantly expanding Inspire’s reach beyond its original markets. The merger creates one of the largest independent green energy retailers in the U.S., combining Inspire’s subscription-based, 100% renewable electricity plans with Rhythm’s technology-driven platform. This union positions the combined company to serve millions more customers nationwide, offering enhanced digital tools, demand-response programs, and time-of-use pricing to promote clean energy adoption. - learn more

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