Cultivating Opportunity – Exploring a Decade of Angel Investing
Laura Hill is one of SWAN’s most experienced investors, and been an active Angel investor for 10 years. Listen to this webinar to learn what her investing experience has taught her.
SWAN-supported Yotta Energy named to Global Cleantech 100 list for second straight year
Yotta Energy, an Austin, Texas-based energy storage start-up supported by SWAN investors, has been named to Cleantech Group’s “Global Cleantech 100” for the second straight year. The annual list, now in its 15th year, is a comprehensive showcase of the most promising private companies in the cleantech ecosystem. The list includes companies with innovative technologies, original business models, and bold plans that focus on the ever-increasing climate and environmental crisis.
Selected through a thorough evaluation process, the 100 companies provide sustainable solutions for a wide-ranging array of industry groups: Agriculture & Food; Energy & Power; Materials & Chemicals; Resources & Environmental Management; Transportation & Logistics; and Waste & Recycling.
Read the Press Release
SWAN participates in Vartega’s recent $10M funding round
SWAN is pleased to announce participation in Vartega’s recent $10M preferred equity financing round led by Diamond Edge Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of the Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG).
Vartega’s proprietary recycling processes enable the recovery and conversion of high-performance carbon fiber used in advanced materials for aerospace components, automotive parts, and wind turbine blades. The company’s innovative approach reduces waste and provides manufacturers with a sustainable source of high-quality recycled carbon fiber via Vartega’s EasyFeed Bundles known as Fenix Fiber and Fenix Fiber+™.
More about this latest funding round can be found HERE.
This round marks the third time SWAN members have invested in Vartega, with previous rounds being in 2021 and 2023.
SWAN announces investment in Skope
SWAN is pleased to announce an investment in Skope, a medical device company that manufactures a proprietary stethoscope disinfection technology to help simply and effectively reduce the chance of infections.
The Skope Station is a wall-mounted point-of-care device equipped with a disposable cartridge filled with an EPA-approved disinfectant. It swiftly eliminates infectious organisms, including Covid-19, bacterial spores, and MRSA, from a stethoscope’s diaphragm in one swipe, minimizing workflow disruption.
Tax Law 174 changes the path to Startup Profitability
Under “new” IRS Section 174 capitalization rules, a portion of R&D expenses cannot be expensed for tax purposes in the year when they are incurred. Rather, current-year R&D expenses get spread out over several tax years, including years when early revenue might have resulted in a positive net income.
For example, a hypothetical startup incurred a $350,000 income tax bill in a year when GAAP accounting showed that they were unprofitable. That $350,000 payment to the IRS burned investor-provided funds that could not be used to grow the company.
Melinda Oster, CPA and highly experienced Tax Partner at Atchley and Associates, discussed 174 in an informative webinar which covered:
- Understanding the motivations behind Section 174’s adoption.
- A breakdown of the key provisions of IRS Section 174, including eligible expenses, qualifying activities, and their tax implications.
- Best practices and strategies to ensure compliance with IRS Section 174 while maximizing your tax benefits.
- Examples showcasing the tangible benefits and potential pitfalls associated with IRS Section 174.
Listen to the webinar
SWAN announces its fourth investment in Elevation (Curb)
The SWAN Impact Network is pleased to announce a follow-on investment in the recent convertible note round for Elevation Home Energy.
With a goal to make homes more energy efficient and reduce greenhouse gases, Elevation (which purchased SWAN portfolio company Curb Energy in 2020) offers a unique combination of solar, energy efficiency, and energy monitoring technology to provide homeowners with the most complete solution for smarter home energy with lower carbon usage. Curb connects to a home’s electrical system to give real-time data that enables a homeowner to make smarter decisions about how energy is used in their home.
SWAN first invested in Curb in 2019 and has continued to invested in private company Elevation after Elevation acquired Curb in 2020.
SWAN announces investment in Aiki
SWAN is pleased to announce an investment in Aiki, an app that harnesses technology for two-way communication in school safety situations.
Aiki’s app safeguards school campuses from active shooters, providing rapid alerts, training, and coaching for students. In less than 4 seconds, the system’s advanced algorithms deliver critical lockdown instructions and real-time crisis maps, allowing first responders to pinpoint areas requiring immediate attention through heat maps. The app also allows two-way communication between building occupants and first responders, enhancing response accuracy and efficiency.
SWAN announces follow-on investment in Eisana
SWAN Impact Network is pleased to announce a follow-on investment in Eisana.
Eisana is an oncology solution company providing a platform for multiple products to address cancer treatment issues, including a patent-pending, cryo-compression device for hands and feet to wear before, during, and after infusion to prevent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
They are also developing a patent pending, state-of-the-art scalp cooling device to wear before, during, and after infusion to prevent chemotherapy-induced hair loss. The device is portable and can cool for long periods of time, necessary to have success even for drugs that take longer to leave the body.
SWAN previously invested in the company earlier in 2023.
SWAN announces participation in Yotta Energy’s recent $8M Funding Round
SWAN Impact Network is pleased to announce participation in Yotta Energy’s recent $8M funding round led by Evergy Ventures and with participation from strategic investors BlueScope and Cricetus Felix Ventures and existing investors Copec WIND Ventures, EDP Ventures, Doral Tech Ventures.
Yotta Energy, a leading provider of innovative solar+storage solutions, will use the funding to help the company scale up manufacturing and accelerate the deployment of its SolarLEAF battery technology for commercial buildings.
More about the latest funding round can be found HERE.
SWAN participated in previous funding rounds with the company in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
SWAN announces participation in Advanced Ionics’ $12.5 M Series A Round
SWAN Impact Network is pleased to announce a follow-on investment in Advanced Ionics’ recent Series A Round.
Advanced Ionics, which develops a new category of hydrogen electrolyzers useful for expanding green hydrogen production, recently closed a $12.5 million Series A funding round led by bp ventures, with additional investors including Clean Energy Ventures, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and GVP Climate.
The new funding round will help catalyze Advanced Ionics’ growth and facilitate the initial deployment of its Symbion water vapor electrolyzer technology for heavy industry. And water vapor electrolyzers address two of the biggest obstacles to expanding green hydrogen production: cost and electricity requirements.
More about the latest funding round can be found HERE.
SWAN participated in earlier funding rounds of the company in 2021.