One Way Ventures Q3-2024 Newsletter

Q3-24 investment note.

Hi friends,

As we move through an exciting year, we’re thrilled to share our latest updates and what’s happening with our portfolio companies. This quarter’s been about growth and sharing some positive momentum in our portfolio that’s just been covered in the press. We’re especially excited to highlight recent funding rounds for Tabs, Buddy AI, and Corvus Robotics, with a few more to be announced soon—follow our LinkedIn page, where we post those announcements.

In this edition, you’ll get to know more about Odyssey Spaceworks, a company we supported from their pre-seed stage and recently led in their latest seed round, along with other highlights from our portfolio. You’ll also find insights from our founding partner, Semyon, who recently sat down with Fortune, Fast Company, and Big Think, discussing topics like the unique value immigrant founders bring to the industry, what blackjack can teach you about VC investing, and the nuances of founder mode.

Thanks for sticking with us – we’re excited to keep building with you and can’t wait to see what comes next!

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Investments in Q3

Odyssey SpaceWorks | Frontier Tech

You may have had an opportunity to read about our initial investment in Odyssey SpaceWorks in one of last year’s newsletters, where we backed them in the pre-seed round. Odyssey SpaceWorks builds miniaturized, automated research and development labs in low-Earth orbit that are accessible over the internet in real-time, allowing pharma and academic researchers to engineer biological systems and make discoveries otherwise impossible on Earth at a fraction of the cost of human-run bio-experiments on the space station.

After seeing strong technology validation, including a successful launch and significant customer interest, we were eager to lead their seed round. With a growing team and solid traction, we’re excited to continue supporting Odyssey as they redefine research and development in space.

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Portfolio Highlights

📹Nim, a full-cycle AI video production studio, has launched a public beta of its AI video production platform. Users can now access over 15 AI video creation tools and the latest open-source models within one easy-to-learn interface. [Yury Lifshits]

⏱️Tabs, an AI-powered AR platform that saves businesses time, has raised $25 million in a Series A round, less than six months after its seed funding! [PRWeb]

📚Buddy.ai, a voice-based virtual English tutor for kids that uses speech and virtual human technologies, has just closed an $11 million seed round led by Bitkraft Ventures, with participation from us, One Way Ventures, as well as J Ventures, Point72 Ventures, and others. [TechCrunch]

📦Corvus Robotics, an autonomous inventory management system provider, raised $18M in a Series A. With the funding, the company has a new war chest and is hiring new marketing, sales, and support staffers to begin expanding its customer base. [The Robot Report]

🚗Helm.ai, a leader in AI software for autonomous driving, announced a partnership with Honda to integrate Helm's advanced AI technology into Honda’s next-generation driver assistance systems. [Honda Global]

💵Chipper Cash, a fintech platform offering mobile, cross-border money transfer services, secured a broker-dealer license from the Ghana Securities and Exchange Commission. This new license allows Chipper Cash to offer fractional U.S. stock trading to customers in Ghana, enabling investment in high-priced stocks and ETFs with smaller amounts. [Chipper Cash]

📡Lynk Global, a satellite-to-phone connectivity provider, expanded its strategic partnerships with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) worldwide, including Rogers, Globe, TurkCell, 2Degrees, Spark, and Telstra, along with 40 other global MNOs. Lynk also began limited direct-to-device services in seven countries. [Data Center Dynamics]

🔐Dasera, a data security posture management platform that automates data security and governance controls, has been acquired by Netskope, a global leader in data protection and SASE. Dasera will now serve as the foundation for Netskope’s new DSPM module. [PR Newswire]

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Pathfinder Collective Highlight

Our Pathfinder Collective is a network of unicorn founders, dedicated to helping portfolio companies as they scale.

Juan Pablo Ortega, Co-founder of Rappi and Co-founder & CEO of Yuno.

Rappi, a leading consumer tech company in Latin America, revolutionized online delivery services in the region and became known as the LatAm company with the highest number of startups founded by former employees. Now, as Co-founder and CEO of Yuno, Juan is on a mission to enable any company to seamlessly accept all available payment methods and manage fraud with a single integration.

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One Way Ventures in the News

• I run a $100M VC fund for immigrants —here’s why they’re often better than those born here. (Fortune)

• What counting cards at blackjack can teach you about VC investing. (Fast Company)

• The nuances of “founder mode”: Boundaries and empowerment. (Big Think)

• What’s an Entrepreneur-in-Residence, and How Can One Help Your Startup? (Inc. Magazine)

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Featured Jobs

Interested in working for a venture-backed startup? Explore some of our handpicked selections below or visit our careers page to learn more:

Marketing Analytics Intern at Remoov (📍 Remote, West Coast)

Leasing Agent at Guiker (📍Boston, USA)

Art Director (and many more!) at AI Buddy (📍Remote)

Senior Robotics Software Leader at Instock (📍Remote)

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