Stealth Startup Spy #257
Ex-Meta PM & Nuro ML engineer build small language models for game devs, Scale AI alum launches AI data analyst for biogy labs, & Former SpaceX, Tesla, Boeing engineer enters stealth
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In this issue of the Stealth Startup Spy, here is what we will uncover:
Ex-Meta prodcut manager and Nuro ML engineer build Small Language Models for game developers
SpaceX, Tesla and Boeing alum embarks on stealth venture
Former Scale AI engineer launches AI Data Analyst for biology labs
Ex-Head of Design & Gen AI Design Director at MANGO launches AI platform for fashion creation
After nearly a decade leading at Palantir, this founder is now in stealth with a new venture
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
Allison Fu - Co-Founder at Aviad AI
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Technical Founder, Masters Degree, Former FAANG, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Ex-Product Manager at Meta, ex-Researcher at MIT CSAIL, ex-Product Manager Intern at Roblox and CarGurus
Aviad AI provides high-performance small language models (SLMs) tailored for game developers.
HQ: San Francisco, California, United States
Industry: AI/ML/Game Development | Team Size: 3
Co-Founder: Michael Gump (Ex-software engineer at Nuro's ML infra team) - connect via email
Key Investors: South Park Commons
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 1 year 3 months
Daniel Coronado - Founder at Machineflows
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Technical Founder, Former FAANG
Prior Experience: Ex-Software Engineer (Redshift) at Amazon, ex-Data Software Engineer at Qualcomm, ex-Researcher at UC San Diego, ex-ML Engineer at Wave Computing
Machineflows is an AI-native platform that helps CNC machine shops quote faster, automate workflows, and stay compliant across production.
HQ: San Francisco, California, United States
Industry: Manufacturing Tech
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 7 months
Aman Agarwal - Co-Founder & CEO at Novaflow
FounderDNA: Technical Founder
Prior Experience: Ex-Prompt Engineer at Scale AI, ex-Bioinformatician at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, ex-Computational Biologist at Vaxart and Stergachis Lab at UW
Novaflow is building an AI data analyst for biology labs.
HQ: San Francisco, Califronia, United States
Industry: Life Sciences Tech / Bioinformatics | Team Size: 2
Co-Founder: Amulya Balakrishnan (Ex-Software Engineer at Zoom) - connect via email
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 2 months
Sarah Iglesias Hiller - Co-Founder & CEO at Artiso
FounderDNA: Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Ex-Head of Design & Gen AI Design Director at MANGO, ex-Senior Designer Womenswear for Inditex Group (Zara, Oysho and Bershka)
Artiso is an AI platform that helps fashion brands and suppliers streamline the entire creative process in one place.
HQ: Barcelona, Spain
Industry: Software Development | Team Size: 3
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 10 months
Yossi Reitblat - Co-Founder & CEO at Ryft
FounderDNA: Technical Founder
Prior Experience: Ex-Product Manager at Mixtiles, ex-R&D Team Lead at Unit 8200
Ryft is an automated data lakehouse management platform built for Apache Iceberg. It helps data teams optimize performance, reduce costs, and stay compliant without manual intervention.
HQ: New York, New York, United States
Industry: Data Infrastructure and Analytics | Team Size: 16
Co-Founder: Yuval Yogev (Ex-Chief Architect at Sygnia) - connect via email, Guy Gadon (ex-Staff Software Engineer at Meta) - connect via email
Latest Funding: $8M Seed round on 7/9/2025
Key Investors: Index, Bessemer Venture Partner
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 1 year 2 months
🕵️♂️Key Talent Going Under Stealth
Illuminating clues left behind by world class talent and influential innovators who just went into stealth mode
Nick Khormaei - Co-Founder at Stealth Startup
FounderDNA: Technical Founder, Masters Degree
Prior Experience: Ex-Integration & Test Engineer at SpaceX, ex-Propulsion Engineer at Boeing, ex-Tesla, ex-ML Researcher at University of Washington
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: San Francisco, California, United States
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 7 months
Steve Basher - Founder & CEO at Stealth
FounderDNA: Technical Founder
Prior Experience: Ex-Software Development Team Lead at Palantir (8 years), ex-Deployed Engineer at Signac, ex-Software Developer at Playtech Sports
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: London, United Kingdom
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 2 months
Jake Jian - Co-Founder & Head of Data Science at Stealth Startup
FounderDNA: Technical Founder
Prior Experience: Ex-Director - Data Science at 2U, ex-Director - Data Science at RingCentral, ex-Data Science Lead at Grid Dynamics, ex-Senior Principal - Data Science, AI and Automation at Infosys
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: United States
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 4 months
Lei Zhao - Founder & CEO at Stealth Startup
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Technical Founder
Prior Experience: Ex-Sr. Integration Engineer, Sensors at Nuro, ex-Fellow at MiraclePlus (formerly Y Combinator China), ex-Product Design Engineer at Goertek Electronics, ex-Mechanical Design Engineer at Tesla
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: San Francisco Bay Area / Hybrid
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 5 months
Jie Gu - Co-Founder at Stealth AI Startup
FounderDNA: Technical Founder, Masters Degree, Former FAANG
Prior Experience: Ex-Staff Software Engineer at Mineral.ai, ex-Staff Software Engineer at X, the moonshot factory, ex-Senior Software Engineer at Google
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: United States
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 12 months
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Stay Stealthy,
Drake
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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 shine a light on the hidden world of stealth startups.