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FounderPortal.ai
Angel Registry Update
Wednesday, March 12, 2026
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11 early-stage US deals totaling $180M+ • 4 named individual angels identified across 3 deals • Sectors: AI/Bio, Space, Defense, Fintech, Supply Chain
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Section 1 — Funding Briefing
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Today we tracked 11 unique US early-stage deals announced in the last 24 hours, totaling $180M+ in disclosed capital. Key themes include AI for biology (Gestala), space-based solar power (Mantis Space), defense UAV swarms (Swarm Aero), and AI data center photonics (Xscape Photonics with NVIDIA backing).
| COMPANY |
AMOUNT |
ROUND |
FOCUS |
LEAD INVESTOR |
| Gestala | $21M | Seed | AI / Biology | General Catalyst |
| Xscape Photonics | $37M | Series A | AI Data Centers | Addition |
| Swarm Aero | $35M | Series A | Defense / UAV | Two Sigma Ventures |
| BackOps | $26M | Series A | Supply Chain AI | Theory Ventures |
| Qurrent | $15M | Series A | Digital Workforce | Cervin Ventures |
| Mantis Space | $10M | Seed | Space / Energy | Rule 1 Ventures |
| Ezra | $8M | Seed | Asset Finance AI | Congruent Ventures |
| Ark Labs | $5.2M | Seed | Bitcoin / DeFi | Tether |
| Taya | $5M | Seed | AI Wearable | MaC Venture Capital |
| finperks | $4M | Pre-Seed | Prepaid Payments | Motive Partners |
| Option Circle | $3M | Funding | AI Trading | Savoie Capital |
| Gestala $21M Seed | AI that can reason about biology to accelerate scientific discovery. Investors: General Catalyst, Lux Capital, AI Grant, angels from Google DeepMind and Recursion. |
| Taya $5M Seed | Privacy-first AI wearable pendant that only records the user's voice. Investors: MaC Venture Capital, Female Founders Fund, a16z Speedrun. |
| Mantis Space $10M Seed | Beaming solar power between satellites with lasers. Investors: Rule 1 Ventures, Montauk Capital. |
| Ezra $8M Seed | AI for asset-backed finance. Investors: Congruent Ventures. |
| finperks $4M Pre-Seed | API layer for prepaid payments. Investors: Motive Partners, seed+speed Ventures, Carsten Maschmeyer. |
| Option Circle $3M Funding | AI-driven autonomous trading platform. Investors: Savoie Capital, Wagon Wheel Capital, StartEngine crowdfunding investors. |
| Ark Labs $5.2M Seed | Programmable finance on Bitcoin. Investors: Tether, Draper Associates, Fulgur Ventures, Axiom Capital, Ralph Ho. |
| BackOps $26M Series A | AI-native OS for global supply chains. Investors: Theory Ventures, Construct Capital. |
| Swarm Aero $35M Series A | Large-scale UAV swarms for defense. Investors: Two Sigma Ventures, Silent Ventures, Khosla Ventures. |
| Xscape Photonics $37M Series A | 8-color laser for AI data centers. Investors: Addition, IAG Capital Partners, NVIDIA. |
| Qurrent $15M Series A | Autonomous digital workforces for back-office operations. Investors: Cervin Ventures, Streamlined Ventures. |
Section 2 — Individual Angels Identified
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We identified 4 named individual angel investors across 3 of the 11 deals. Three of the four are finance veterans investing in fintech and trading platforms.
| Carsten Maschmeyer Founder Portal |
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Background: German billionaire, Die Hohle der Lowen panelist. Founded AWD Holding AG (1988). Invests via ALSTIN, Paladin, Seed & Speed.
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| Ralph Ho Finance Portal |
| Deal: | Ark Labs ($5.2M Seed) |
| Title: | Managing Partner at V0 |
| Location: | San Francisco, CA |
| Email: | Not publicly available |
| Phone: | Not publicly available |
| LinkedIn: | Not found |
| X/Twitter: | Not found |
Background: Ex-PayPal VP Finance, ex-Sequoia Capital Global Equities COO. CFA Charterholder. Advisor to Chooch and Sportening.
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| Paul Savoie Finance Portal |
| Deal: | Option Circle ($3M Funding) |
| Title: | CEO & CIO at Savoie Capital |
| Location: | Greater Chicago Area, IL |
| Email: | Not publicly available |
| Phone: | Not publicly available |
| LinkedIn: | https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-savoie-1635896 |
| X/Twitter: | Not found |
Background: Asset management for family offices and institutional investors. Board member at Motiv Electric Trucks. SEC-registered adviser.
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| James Hyde Finance Portal |
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Background: 25-year Wall Street veteran. Former NYSE Head of Biz Dev for Options. Former Vice Chairman of AMEX Board. Co-founder TAHOE Trading. STANY President Emeritus.
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FounderPortal.ai
A SOAR AI Studio Company
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Angel Registry Update
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This report is compiled by Manus AI for FounderPortal.ai subscribers. All information is sourced from publicly available press releases, news articles, and filings. Contact information for individual angels is sourced from public records only. This is not investment advice.
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