A follow-on investment in ClearFlame Engine Technologies

April 19, 2021
, , News, Recent Investment

The SWAN Impact Network made a seed investment in ClearFlame Engine Technologies early in 2020, and is pleased to now announce a follow-on investment one year later.

ClearFlame is taking the diesel fuel out of the diesel engine for heavy-duty industries. Their disruptive, patented engine technology maintains all the rugged performance and practicality of traditional diesel engines that end users expect while completely replacing petroleum-based diesel fuel with decarbonized liquid fuels—nearly eliminating all criteria pollutants and emissions.

ClearFlame offers a rapid pathway to widespread emissions reduction for heavy-duty industries by leveraging existing production capacity and infrastructures. Moreover, our technology lowers costs—for both OEMs and end users—by eliminating the need for complex aftertreatment technologies.

The heavy-duty engine industry is approaching a time when the continued pressure to reduce CO2 and diesel criteria pollutants (NOx and particulates) is leading to the elimination of diesel-fueled engines. It’s why heavy-duty engine manufacturers, fleet owners, end users, and regulators are aggressively seeking viable alternative technologies. ClearFlame is the future of diesel engine technology.

SWAN has invested in Advanced Ionics

April 15, 2021
, , News, Recent Investment

The SWAN Impact Network is pleased to announce an investment in Advanced Ionics. Advanced Ionics   is providing Clean Hydrogen for Heavy Industry, designing a new generation of electrolyzers specifically for industrial users, such as ammonia/fertilizer production, hydrogenation, metal fabrication, glass, methanol, synthetic fuels/chemicals, and power plants, among others. They replace existing  hydrogen manufacturing with a more affordable, cleaner alternative.

Announcing an Investment in Sonnest

February 1, 2021
News, Recent Investment

The SWAN Impact Network is pleased to announce that it led an investment in Sonnest. Sonnest is transforming cardiac ultrasound. Their Electrast™ is the first electrically sensitive imaging agent for assessing and monitoring the perfusion, structure, and function of the heart, allowing low cost ultrasound procedures to provide information only previously available from much higher cost scans.  Electrast™ is a contrast agent that activates with ultrasound and the heart’s local electric field if the heart tissue is perfused and viable. Sonnest allows Doctors to:

  • Analyze better data, faster. Cardiac perfusion data in point of care setting.
  • Diagnose- No cath lab needed. Most cost-effective diagnosis without harmful radiation.
  • Respond – Triage and treat. Improve patient care and outcomes confidently.

Announcing an Investment in ATX LED

January 27, 2021
News, Recent Investment

After performing extensive due diligence, the SWAN Impact Network is pleased to announce that it has led the investment in ATX LED. ATX LED is revolutionizing residential home lighting with a next-generation architecture that extends LED lights’ operating lives, supports advanced smart home automation, and significantly reduces the cost of installing lighting in new homes, by reducing labor and copper costs.

Announcing a follow-on investment in Shyft Power Solutions

June 10, 2020
News, Recent Investment

The Southwest Angel Network  is working to support portfolio companies in these uncertain times, and is pleased to announce an incremental investment in Shyft Power Solutions.

Shyft was founded at Stanford University as a byproduct of the research of the co-founders, and facilitates the adoption of solar energy and storage in micro-grids, thereby enabling widespread access to clean, reliable and affordable energy. Shyft builds the technology that enables the transition to a decentralized, democratized and digitized energy landscape, and is focused on markets with unreliable power grids.

Follow-on investment in Family Plan

May 25, 2020
News, Recent Investment

The Southwest Angel Network is please to participate in follow-on funding for Family Plan. SWAN made a seed investment in September of 2018. Since that time Family Plan has made significant  progress and has now closed a multi-million dollar round.

Family plan works to reduce the stress on a family following a divorce.  Using Family Plan, parents can manage custody scheduling on a shared calendar in real time, arrange and make payments instantaneously and with authentication, and make and log texts and emails to support open communication and maintain a reliable record. No other mobile app provides this suite of functions. This app has been developed with input from a team of divorced parents, divorce lawyers, and ex-judges to address both an important social need and a large market opportunity.

Family Plan was founded and is led by Mark and Laura MacMahon, from Maine, who founded the company for the same reason many companies are founded – they had a problem they wanted to solve, and the available solutions just weren’t good enough. In the years after Mark’s divorce, he found that he was spending hours a week just trying to stay on top of managing his schedule, finances, and communications all related to the kids. Mark and Laura decided to build a set of tools that would help families thrive after a breakup – reducing conflict along the way.

SWAN provides follow-on funding to CURB

April 23, 2020
News, Recent Investment

SWAN made a first investment in CURB in 2019, and is pleased to announce a significant follow-on investment that will assist the company in its rapid revenue growth.

CURB provides an interactive energy efficiency solution that enables homeowners to reduce electricity consumption by up to 20%.  CURB uncovers home energy trends, pinpoints power hogs, and gives users control over their electric bill.

SWAN has invested in ClearFlame Engine Technologies, Inc

March 30, 2020
News, Recent Investment

The heavy-duty engine industry is approaching a time when the rising cost of petroleum-based diesel fuel—and continued government regulation of CO2 and diesel criteria pollutants (NOx and particulates)—are leading to the decline of diesel-fueled engines. Heavy-duty engine manufacturers are aggressively seeking viable alternative technologies. ClearFlame Engine Technologies is introducing a disruptive, patented engine technology that easily integrates into existing compression ignition engine manufacturing which delivers uncompromising engine performance at a lower cost.

ClearFlame Engine Technology has the potential to reduce well over five gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Our network’s investment was part of the company’s $3M funding round.

A Perspective on Prospering in Uncertain Economic Times

March 23, 2020
Blogs, Recent Investment

I have been around startup companies for 35 years and have experienced both good and bad economic cycles. We have  now entered uncertain times.

That said, from a company’s point of view, a financial down turn can be a good time to create an early-stage  start-up.

  1. There will be fewer competitors of your same vintage, which can help lesson competition in the marketplace and with investors. This advantage persists over time. As the economy recovers from a downturn, companies will see fewer other companies at their specific stage of fund-raising. Said another way, when your company becomes a teenager, there will not be many teenagers around vying for attention.
  2. Operating costs often get more reasonable (e.g., lower cost of office space)
  3. It can be easier to bring on early employees (who may have been laid off)

And from personal experience, I know that a down turn is a really difficult time to for a company to raise a many million-dollar, later-stage VC round. During the 2008 recession, I had to sell my company at a loss to the investors because I could not raise a $12M series C round.

For investors, capital-efficient, pre-seed companies who can get by for a few years on minimal dollars suddenly looking pretty interesting. And the current environment means that pre-money valuations and valuation caps will be more attractive. The balance of power has shifted somewhat toward investors.

Announcing an Investment in SpeechVive

March 20, 2020
News, Recent Investment

The Southwest Angel Network is pleased and excited to announce an investment in SpeechVive. SpeechVive offers a proven device that allows the majority of Parkinson’s patients to the recover the ability to carry on a conversation. This patented technology was created by co-founder Dr. Jessica Huber. The company has revenue and is poised for rapid growth.

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