Stealth Startup Spy #259
Ex-Tesla Cybertruck engineer unveils off-road EV powertrain startup, Vauban founder (acq. by Carta) is back in stealth, & Huspy/Uber alum launches YC-backed blockchain payments startup
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In this issue of the Stealth Startup Spy, here is what we will uncover:
Former Unbxd founders (acquired by Netcore for $100M) are back, building a system that lets users query and compute financial data using natural language
Ex-Tesla Cybertruck engineer unveils EV powertrain startup for off-road
Stanford AI alum and ex-Microsoft researcher enters stealth mode
Huspy and Uber alum launches YC-backed blockchain payments startup
After selling Vauban to Carta and leading SPV and fund admin operations there, this founder is back 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
Pavan Sondur - Co-Founder & CEO at Coreworks
🔎Featured Founder under stealth mode in StealthStartupSpy #238
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Technical Founder, Prior Exit
Prior Experience: Ex-CEO and Co-founder at Unbxd (acquired by Netcore for $100M), ex-Software Engineer at Gluster, ex-Sustaining Engineer at NetApp
Coreworks AI uses natural language to query, compute, and report on financial data.
HQ: San Francisco, California, United States
Industry: Software Development | Team Size: 3
Co-Founder: Prashant Kumar (Ex-CTO & Co-founder at Unbxd) - Connect via email
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 2 months
Jonathan Powers - Founder & CEO at Super Powers Mobility
🔎Featured Founder under stealth mode 30 weeks ago
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Technical Founder, Masters Degree
Prior Experience: Ex-Senior Mechanical Design Engineer - Cybertruck & Semi at Tesla, ex-Design Engineer at Honda R&D Americas, ex-Head Engineer at Panther Racing
Connect on: LinkedIn
Super Powers Mobility is developing a “full stack” high-performance, high-voltage EV powertrain specifically designed for off-road use.
HQ: Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania, United States
Industry: Motor Vehicle Manufacturing
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 9 months
Khalid Ashmawy - Founder at Munify
🔎Featured Founder under stealth mode 120 weeks ago
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Technical Founder, Masters Degree, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Co-Founder/ex-CTO at Huspy ($37M raised), ex-Senior Tech Lead Manager at Uber, ex-Software Engineer at Microsoft
Munify (YC S25) is building a future where money moves freely — secure, instant, and global through the power of blockchain.
HQ: United States
Industry: Financial Services | Team Size: 7
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 10 months
Assil Halimi - Founder & CEO at Apollo Atomics
FounderDNA: Technical Founder, Doctorate Degree, Masters Degree, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Ex-Core Physics Engineer at ENGIE, ex-MIT Research & Teaching Assistant, ex-Propulsion Intern at Safran, ex-GE & NI Engineering Intern
Connect on: LinkedIn
Apollo’s nuclear systems combine proven technology, factory fabrication, and compact design to enable fast, reliable deployment at low, predictable cost.
HQ: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Industry: Nuclear Electric Power Generation
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 1 month
TJ Laher - Founder & CEO at PartnerPlex AI
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Former FAANG, Top 10 University, Prior Exit
Prior Experience: Ex-Sr. Director of Product & Partner Marketing at Confluent, ex-Product and Solutions Marketing Manager, Data Analytics at Google, ex-Co-Founder at Speech SF (Acquired), ex-Sr. Solutions Marketing Manager at Cloudera
PartnerPlex AI is building an autonomous co-sell agent that helps B2B sales teams close bigger, faster deals through cloud partnerships.
HQ: Bozeman, Montana, United States
Industry: Software Development
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 4 months
🕵️♂️Key Talent Going Under Stealth
Illuminating clues left behind by world class talent and influential innovators who just went into stealth mode
Remy Astie - Co-Founder at Stealth Startup
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Prior Exit
Prior Experience: Ex-Senior Director (Fund Admin & SPVs) at Carta, ex-Founder & CEO at Vauban (acquired by Carta in 2022)
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: London Area, United Kingdom
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 1 month
Zoey Huang - Co-Founder at Stealth Startup
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Technical Founder, Masters Degree, Former FAANG, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Ex-Applied Scientist at Microsoft, ex-Research Assistant at Stanford AI Lab, Pear VC alum, ex-Intern at Meta
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: Stanford, California, United States
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 1 year 4 months
Andrew Gelbard - Co-Founder at Stealth Startup
Developing secure, intelligent systems in healthcare that make administrative tasks a job of the past.
FounderDNA: Technical Founder, Masters Degree, Former FAANG, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Ex-Principal Data Scientist & Flight Commander at U.S. Air Force, ex-Amazon AWS Ops & Loss Prevention
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: Washington DC-Baltimore Area, United States
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 7 months
John Castillo - Founder at Stealth AI Startup
FounderDNA: Technical Founder
Prior Experience: Ex-VP of Operations at SambaNova (AI hardware), ex-Director at Zoox & Palo Alto Networks, ex-NVIDIA
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: San Francisco, California, United States
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 1 month
Scott Tousley - Founder at Stealth Startup
Prior Experience: Ex-Head of Content at Clay, ex-Head of Marketing at Persefoni, ex-Growth Lead at HubSpot, ex-OIR at Reforge
HQ: United States
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 1 month
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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.