Stealth Startup Spy #101
Stanford CS students launch AI copilot for contractors, Ex-Rivian/Apple/SpaceX/Adobe engineer is building a construction tech company, & Biotech startup producing leather out of fungus exits stealth
Stealth Startup Spy is a data-driven newsletter for investors, journalists and tech enthusiasts interested in uncovering the next big move for key talent, real-time stealth company launches and technology advancements not in plain sight. We leverage the technology built at Gravity to track billions of data points to help you identify tomorrow's opportunities that are currently hiding in the shadows. These signals include tracking the inflows and outflows of talent who work at “Stealth Startups”, bios and profile changes to “building something new” and monitoring press releases to shine a light on the hidden world of stealth startups.
In this issue of the Stealth Startup Spy, here is what we will uncover:
A team of Stanford computer science students launch an AI platform to make contractors' lives easier. (backed by Pear VC)
Biotech startup producing leather out of fungus emerges from stealth mode
Ex-Co-Founder at Busie and Uber/Square alum is building an AI startup
Former employees of crypto payment firm Moonpay team up and debut a YC-backed finance operating system for modern companies
Former Software Engineer at Rivian/Apple/SpaceX/Adobe is building a construction tech company in stealth
And more…
Now let’s shine the spotlight… 💡💡💡
🕵️♂️Founders Coming Out of Stealth
Real-time updates from founders who debut what they’ve been working on under stealth mode
Naweed Tahmas - Co-Founder & CEO at Aeon
FounderDNA: Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Ex-Advisor at Umbra, ex-Special Assistant to the President & Associate Director at The White House, ex-Director at Firehouse Strategies
Connect on: LinkedIn
Aeon is a company developing advanced capabilities at scale for maximum overmatch and deterrence.
HQ: Austin, Texas, United States
Industry: Defense and Space Manufacturing | Team Size: 7
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 3 months
Samuel Akinwunmi - Co-Founder & CTO at Bilanc
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Technical Founder, Masters Degree
Prior Experience: Ex-Senior Data Science & Analytics Manager at MoonPay, ex-Data Lead at Curve, Founder at Overcote, ex-Data Scientist, Machine Learning at Just Eat Takeaway.com
Connect on: LinkedIn
Bilanc enables companies to track their Business Metrics, P&L, Unit Economics, and automate their finance workflows.
HQ: London, United Kingdom
Industry: Software Development | Team Size: 3
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 4 months
Michael Ding - Founder & CEO at Bobyard
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Technical Founder, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Ex-Back End/Software Developer at Nurtue, Co-Founder at Application Genie, ex-Research Intern at Cornell University
Connect on: LinkedIn
Bobyard automates the construction takeoff process with CV and NLP models to make cost estimates 10x faster while eliminating mistakes.
HQ: Menlo Park, California, United States
Industry: Technology, Information and Internet | Team Size: 1
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 13 months
Latest Funding: $3.6M Seed on 12/12/2023
Key Investors: Pear VC
Ashish Vaswani - Co-Founder & CEO at Essential AI
🔎Featured Founder under stealth mode in StealthStartSpy#37
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Doctorate Degree, Masters Degree, Former FAANG
Prior Experience: Co-Founder and ex-Chief Scientist at Adept AI Labs, ex-Staff Research Scientist at Google Brain, ex-Computer Scientist at Information Sciences Institute, ex-Summer Research Intern at IBM
Connect on: LinkedIn
Essential AI‘s mission is to deepen the partnership between humans and computers, unlocking collaborative capabilities that far exceed what could be achieved today.
HQ: San Francisco, California, United States
Industry: Software Development | Team Size: 10
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 14 months
Latest Funding: $56.5M Series A Round on 12/12/2023 | Total Funding: $64.5M
Key Investors: March Capital, Google, Nvidia, AMD, Thrive Capital, Franklin Venture Partners, KB Investment
Cahit Duhan Toprakci - Co-Founder at M-based
FounderDNA: Masters Degree
Prior Experience: Ex-Teaching Assistant at Çankaya Üniversitesi, ex-Vice President at Startup, Organization and Network (SON)
Connect on: LinkedIn
M-based is a cutting-edge startup that utilizes mycelium, a component of fungi, to create eco-friendly material technologies.
HQ: Turkey
Industry: Biotechnology Research | Team Size: 4
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 2 months
🕵️♂️Key Talent Going Under Stealth
Illuminating clues left behind by world class talent and influential innovators who just went into stealth mode
Andrea Zechmann - Founder at Stealth Startup
FounderDNA: Doctorate Degree, Masters Degree, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Ex-Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships and Global Expansion at Rivian, ex-EMEA Expansion & New Market Entry at Tesla, ex-Senior Attorney at Chicago Transit Authority
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: United States
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 6 months
Seth Samowitz - Founder at Stealth Startup
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Prior Exit
Prior Experience: Ex-Head of Go-to-Market at Phantom Auto, ex-Head of New Products at TheGuarantors, ex-GM at Good Uncle, ex-intern at Uber Eats, ex-intern at Square, ex-Co-Founder at Busie
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 2 months
Alexander Seutin - Founder & CEO at Stealth Startup
FounderDNA: Technical Founder, Former FAANG, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Ex-Senior Software Engineer at Rivian, ex-Robotics Software Engineer at Built Robotics, ex-Machine Learning Engineer at Apple, ex-Machine Learning Associate Engineer at SpaceX, ex-Resident Assistant at Stanford University, ex-Software Engineering Intern at Adobe
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: Austin, Texas, United States
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 6 months
Jessie Lucci - Founder at Stealth
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Masters Degree, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Ex-General Manager of U.S. at Hipcamp, ex-Regional General Manager at Lime, ex-Senior Operations Manager at Uber EATS, ex-Senior Analyst, Marketing Partnership at Capital One
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: United States
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 24 months
Juan Manuel Becerro Voces - Venture Builder at Stealth Startup
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Technical Founder, Masters Degree
Prior Experience: Ex-Data & AI Innovation Program Manager at The Adecco Group, ex-Co-founder at IMFAHE, ex-Digital Strategy Consultant at The Cocktail, ex-Digital Strategy Consultant at Wunderman Thompson Consulting
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: Berlin, Germany
Building an HR-tech venture
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 7 months
Stay Stealthy,
Drake
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