Nick Grossman

If you are building in Climate, definitely join this session with Yvonne Chen to learn more about non-dilutive funding opportunities!

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2026 federal funding update for ecosystem builders A week ago I wrote about where federal innovation funding stands for 2026. Here's what's changed in 7 days: What's now signed into law: The Commerce, Justice, and Science bill passed the Senate 82-15 on January 15 and is headed to the president's desk. This locks in: NSF → $8.75 billion (with protection against disproportionate cuts to any directorate) → Regional Innovation Engines: Up to $200 million EDA → Tech Hubs: $41 million → Build to Scale: $50 million → MEP: $175 million What passed the House, awaiting Senate action: The Financial Services bill passed 341-79 on January 14, confirming: SBA → Entrepreneurial development: $330 million (Congress rejected the proposed cut to $150M) → Regional Innovation Clusters: $9M → Federal and State Technology Partnership (FAST): $9M → Growth Accelerator Fund Competition: $9M What's still in flux: Leaders just released a final bipartisan package for Defense, Homeland Security, Labor-HHS-Education, and Transportation-HUD. The House may vote this week, with the January 30, 2026 deadline approaching. SBIR/STTR authorization remains expired. No new solicitations until reauthorization—though there's been some movement here. There's also a bunch of new AI policy I need to dig into still. The bottom line hasn't changed: You cannot build a 10-year innovation ecosystem on annual appropriations battles. The regions that succeed are strengthening their partnership infrastructure now, and leveraging federal funding as a bonus to accelerate outcomes. See the full analysis: https://lnkd.in/euDxDVkZ

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Lutnick at Zipline: A New Blueprint for the American Drone Economy The photos from inside Zipline's South San Francisco manufacturing facility show Howard Lutnick, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, examining a drone airframe alongside CEO Keller Rinaudo Cliffton — American flags visible in the background. It's a deliberate image, and it carries a deliberate message. The Development: Zipline CEO Keller Rinaudo Cliffton hosted Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick at what the company calls the largest autonomous aircraft manufacturing facility in the United States, located in South San Francisco. The Message: Cliffton framed the visit around a direct claim: America currently leads the world in autonomous logistics, and Zipline intends to keep it that way. The Timing: The visit comes as Zipline operates at a $7.6 billion valuation, holds BVLOS approval across all 50 states, and expands its Walmart partnership across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The Source: Cliffton shared photos and his statement directly on X, tagging both @howardlutnick and @zipline. Zipline's US Factory Is the Strategic Centerpiece Zipline manufactures its autonomous aircraft domestically, a fact that separates it from most of the drone industry and has become a central part of its political positioning. The South San Francisco-based company's manufacturing operation — described by Cliffton as the largest autonomous aircraft facility in the country — was already targeting one Platform 2 Zip per hour at full production capacity by end of 2025. Hosting the Secretary of Commerce there is not a casual tour. It is a statement about supply chain independence, American industrial capacity, and Zipline's place in any serious policy conversation about drone dominance. That positioning is working. Zipline's domestic manufacturing base keeps it clear of the tariff exposure and supply chain risk affecting operators dependent on Chinese-made components, a vulnerability at the center of the DJI ban debate. When Cliffton says "today America is the global leader in autonomous logistics," he is also making the case that Zipline is why. Photo credit: Zipline Cliffton's Case to Washington: AI, Robotics, and Industrial Revolution Cliffton's statement accompanying the visit went beyond factory pride. "We are at the beginning of another industrial revolution," he wrote on X. "AI and robotics will dramatically remake the world over the next 5-10 years. Done right, we can save lives, save money, and save time." The language tracks closely with the framing the Trump administration used around its June 2025 Executive Order on drone dominance, which Zipline credited with unlocking its nationwide BVLOS waiver. Lutnick's presence confirms that Zipline has a seat at the table in Washington's thinking about autonomous systems. The Commerce Department oversees trade, technology, and industrial competitiveness — all of which directly affect whether American drone companies can keep pace with China's ...

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Zipline’s Nationwide BVLOS Expansion Driven by Trump’s Executive Order and CEO’s Vision Zipline, a pioneer in autonomous drone delivery, has secured permission to conduct Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations across all 50 U.S. states, a milestone celebrated by CEO Keller Rinaudo Clifton as a direct result of President Donald J. Trump’s recent Executive Order. Signed on June 6, 2025, the White House’s “Unleashing American Drone Dominance” order aims to revolutionize drone manufacturing and operations, with Clifton highlighting its potential to transform the industry. For DroneXL readers, his insights from recent X posts underscore how this policy shift, combined with Zipline’s 50 million autonomous miles flown, paves the way for a new era of drone delivery. Overcoming Regulatory Hurdles with Part 108 Clifton’s X posts emphasize the long-standing regulatory barriers that have stifled U.S. drone growth, a challenge the Executive Order directly addresses. He notes, “The drone industry in the US has long been hobbled by regulations that make beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations very difficult. @zipline flew 50 million autonomous miles outside the US before becoming the first company to get permission to fly BVLOS commercially in all 50 states.” This achievement, covering distances up to 10 miles per flight almost all beyond-visual-line-of-sight, stems from the order’s directive for the FAA to create a new rule (Part 108). Clifton explains, “The EO directs the FAA to create a new rule (Part 108) that will dramatically simplify regulations for vehicles that are 100 times smaller than cars, rather than 100 times larger. And BVLOS will become a standard and expected capability for these systems.” This shift tackles the outdated Part 135 air carrier certification, originally designed for massive aircraft. Behind the Scenes: Zipline's Drone Delivery Operations Unveiled Clifton points out, “Treating a 60 lbs autonomous aircraft the same as a 200,000 lbs aircraft is problematic.” The new rule tailors regulations to drone scales, promising faster approvals and broader operational scope for Zipline and similar firms. Streamlining Reviews and Unlocking Scale Clifton also highlights the order’s impact on environmental and approval processes, a bottleneck Zipline has navigated. He states, “NEPA continues to be the scourge of any team trying to build something of meaning or consequence in the US. In our case, we wait a year to get through Ayn Randian Environmental Assessments.” The Executive Order streamlines these reviews, allowing approval in one city to apply rapidly to others, unlocking geographic scale across the U.S. Clifton adds, “This EO dramatically streamlines these reviews, which will unlock geographic scale in the US.” This efficiency could slash deployment times, enabling Zipline to deliver medical supplies or goods to remote areas at speeds up to 70 miles per hour. The order also updates hazmat rule...

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5 Startups. 1 Mission: Building a cleaner, smarter future. This Monday, October 27, we’re turning Boston City Hall into a stage for climatetech innovation. Meet the five startups pitching at the Climatetech Showcase for Underrepresented Founders, presented by Startup Boston and City of Boston | Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Cabinet. Here’s who’s taking the mic: 💡 Extrasense Tech – Oliver Sanchez Helping cities and food companies fight pests smarter with AI-powered cameras that detect rodents early, reducing poison use, food waste and truck emissions. 🌱 Mirra – Christa Campbell Developing sustainable, plant-based pigments that rival synthetic colorants - replacing petroleum-derived additives with vibrant, stable, and clean-label alternatives. 🚲 CargoB – Dorothy Fennell The first U.S. cargo bike share company, built to replace short car trips with shared electric cargo bikes that make city living easier, cleaner and more fun. 🏢 Prisere – Donna C. Quantifying the “resilience dividend” with software that rewards businesses for strong climate resilience practices, reducing insurance costs and risk exposure. 🔋 BioEchem – Pei Zhang Turning CO₂ into bio-electrolytes to create non-toxic, sustainable batteries that power the clean energy transition. Join us as we spotlight the founders reimagining how our cities, companies, and planet can thrive together. Register here: https://luma.com/aq1rb4p6

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Trying something new this week - a studio industry roundup with my take on what matters. The studio model is no longer an experiment being run in a handful of places. It is infrastructure being built across geographies, sectors, and institutional types. 5️⃣ stories from the past seven days:  1️⃣ OSS Ventures hit a EUR 40M first close on a EUR 75M follow-on fund -- capital raised specifically to back the 30 companies their studio created since 2019. The "build then fund" lifecycle is maturing. B'More Venture Studio with a similar thesis: studio operations first, then dedicated capital to scale what's working.  2️⃣ Delta40 raised $20M from 54 investors across 13 countries to launch Africa's first integrated venture studio and fund. The LP base is almost entirely DFIs and foundations. Impact capital is discovering the studio model as a deployment vehicle, something I seeing across geographies (conversations with Michael Bob Starr and Damias McDonald this week alone) 3️⃣ Start Holdings launched Start.vc out of NYC and Barcelona after a $200M EV infrastructure exit. Another operator-turned-studio-founder. This is the pattern we see quite often in our work at 9point8 -- experienced operators like Jason Goldsmith who've built and exited deciding the studio model is how they want to build next.  4️⃣ UBC HATCH admitted 10 new deep-tech spinouts for Winter 2026 -- mostly climate tech. University venture builders are quietly becoming one of the fastest-growing segments. Follow Evan Allen and Jaimie Testai to keep track of its rapid evolution.  5️⃣ The INVEST Act is advancing through the Senate. If passed, it expands qualifying VC fund size from $10M to $50M and loosens general solicitation rules for accelerator and university events. For studio-funds -- and for folks in the The Venture Studio Forum community tracking policy -- this could be the most significant capital formation legislation since the JOBS Act. If this roundup format is useful, I'll keep it going. What other noteworthy news hit your desk this week, and what stood out to you?

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Cities run on information. But for decades, the way most municipalities gather that information has been painfully manual. When a single code enforcement officer can only produce ~50 reports a week, entire neighborhoods remain effectively invisible to the systems meant to protect them. Congratulations to Gavin Baum-Blake and the City Detect team on the $13M Series A. Excited to see the next chapter!

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Bezos Earth Fund Announces 24 Phase I Grants Under AI Grand Challenge for Climate and Nature https://lnkd.in/euEuT86g The following 24 organizations have been selected to receive $50,000 Phase I grants for their innovative AI-driven projects: Sustainable Proteins  Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Delft University of Technology Essential Impact Food System Innovations King’s College London New Harvest The Periodic Table of Food Initiative The University of Leeds Wageningen University & Research Biodiversity Botanical Garden Conservation International (BCGI) Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology National Audubon Society The Nature Conservancy New York Botanical Garden Revive & Restore The Smithsonian Institution The University of Geneva The University of Plymouth Wildlife Conservation Society Power Grid Optimization Cornell University’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Wildcard Bioversity International USA Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences The University of Witwatersrand Yale University

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We've interviewed dozens of investors and founders, and collated some real fundraising advice from the front lines of climate tech... What are investors really looking for? We spoke to leading voices from XPRESS Ventures, StarBeam Capital, Future Energy Ventures, and founders deep in the fundraising trenches. Here’s what they said 👇 💬 “50% team, 25% tech, 25% business model—most founders get that balance wrong.” 💬 “The best pitches tell a compelling story—ambitious, grounded, and commercial.” 💬 “Don’t underestimate how little investors know about your space. Educate, early.” 🔥 Quick takeaways: Lead with traction, not tech theory Keep your pitch simple, commercial, and aligned Fundraising is a marathon—stay focused on your mission 🔁 One founder pitched the same investor three times before securing funding. Another said: “Having a co-founder to share the emotional load saved made all the difference.” Full The Green Techpreneur read here. Subscribe for bimonthly insights → https://lnkd.in/etY2UKty #climatetech #startupfundraising #greentech #founderinsights #climateinvesting #startuplife

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💥 Metropolis Technologies Raises $𝟭.𝟲𝗕 💥 Funding comes in 2 rounds: $500M equity round led by LionTree and $1.1B from J.P. Morgan. Metropolis is now 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 $𝟱𝗕. With the fresh funding, the plan is to take their "recognition and payment-automation" tech beyond parking assets. This would include retail stores, drive-throughs, gas stations, hotels and partnerships with real estate/asset owner. Congrats to Alex Israel, Peter Fisher, Courtney Fukuda, Travis Kell, Ryan Hunt,Chris Sherman, Robert Bland, Paul Rooney, Lookman Olusanya and the rest of the Metropolis family. #fundraise #parkinginvestment #parking #parkingindustry #metropolois Parking Today Media Parking Network B.V. National Parking Association International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI) Tim Maloney Advisory Tim Maloney Reservations Lab

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Overlooked/Underrepresented Startups and Founders I hope apply to the Convoi Accelerator: Vertical Industry: Deep/Hard Tech 🤖 Hardware (robotics!) 🔨 Advanced manufacturing 🚀 Defense 🏔️ Climate Tech (someone fix the inversion!) 🔋 Energy (nuclear!) 💻 Cybersecurity 🧬 BioTech/Life Sciences 🏥 HealthTech 👵🏻 Elder/Aging Tech 🤳 Consumer AI "Wicked Problems" in society including: 🏠 Housing affordability ⛺️ Homelessness 🤑 Income inequality 🍎 Food supply/AgTech 💧 Water 🩺 Health care/health insurance 📚 Education 🧘‍♀️ Mental Health/Loneliness epidemic 🚗 Mobility (automobiles, public transit) Demographics: 👨🏻‍💻 Developer led startups 🙋🏻‍♀️ Female Founders Immigrant founders (I don't know what emoji I could possibly use here) 🎖️ Veterans 👨🏻‍⚕️ PhDs Zoom AMA sessions today, Monday and Weds. Link in comments!

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While some criticize the dispersed nature of the Climate Group's NYC Climate Week events, I appreciate this distributed approach — The city-wide panels foster new collaborations and bring together diverse perspectives, creating a more comprehensive view of the issues at hand. Today's highlight was the "AI: Powering a More Productive Energy Future" panel featuring Varun Sivaram, a passionate and convincing founder/storyteller, alongside other notable speakers. - Data centers currently consume 4% of US energy resources, with high-demand facilities facing years of permitting delays and most relying on fossil fuels. - Varun's Emerald AI tackles this problem through demand flexibility and load intelligence-orchestration. This approach enables faster data center deployment and makes better use of renewable power sources. - Despite challenges including: 1) dependency on interoperability and integration layers (which Nvidia is addressing), 2) security and privacy concerns in load navigation, and 3) the need to work with heavily regulated and slow-moving utilities, Emerald and similar companies show promise as forces for good. DataCenterTech is an important category for ComposeVC, which is hosting a panel on a similar topic on Wednesday ("How Physical AI Startups Are Making Real Assets More Efficient and Intelligent"). May the force be with us! Ayse Coskun, Abhishek Sastri

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Last year, we invested in Monumental Labs. They use AI and robotics to reduce the cost of stone fabrication by 90%, automating a process that hasn't fundamentally changed in centuries. They've done building facade work for Carnegie Hall and The Frick, and this year they'll venture into building construction with the opening of a 40,000 sq ft factory in Brooklyn. Before investing, I had to answer a question that's been nagging me for years: when and why did we stop building with beauty? Picture a working-class tenement in NYC from 1910, which has more depth and presence than most luxury towers going up today. It wasn't expensive by the standards of its time. So what happened? A simple distillation: Steel frames replaced load-bearing stone. Widespread real estate financialization created shortened horizons for developers. Structure and surface became separate line items and beauty was eventually cut. Modernism gave developers cover. Ornament was "waste," austerity was "honesty." Yet, stone, an objectively beautiful and structurally sound material, should be cheap. It's abundant and durable. The cost bottleneck was always fabrication and logistics, which remains labor-intensive and dependent on a shrinking pool of a skilled trade. I wrote all of my thoughts down about beauty in real estate in an essay for Thesis Driven. Many thanks to Micah Springut and James Kaminsky for their edits! https://lnkd.in/eT_N4vtk Building with stone is a tooling problem. And tooling problems get solved.

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Definitely recommend reading the recently released "Climate Capital Reset Project" report, by friends Will Coleman Daniel Firger Bill Tarr and Builders Vision. I wrote about it, and some key lessons in light of recent dramatic events, in my latest Forbes column. I've been investing for more than two decades and I've never seen such a significant market shift so quickly. This is not a time for more-of-the-same from climate investors and capital allocators. Dramatic events call for dramatic shifts, and those who adapt too slowly will fall by the wayside. https://lnkd.in/ekbY69Hp #climateinvesting #privateequity #venturecapital #capitalallocators #wealthmanagement

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Noble Mobile, a New York-based mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) founded by Andrew Yang, has raised a $10.3M seed round led by Corazon Capital, with participation from Scott Galloway, Circle Ventures, IDEA Fund Partners, Oversubscribed Ventures, Hustle Fund, Brown Angel Group, Acquired Wisdom Fund, Jim McKelvey (founder of Square), and David Ko (CEO of Calm). The company operates on T-Mobile’s network, offering a $50/month unlimited plan and providing users with “Noble Cash” back for using less than 20GB of data—a business model inspired by Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs. Noble Mobile aims to lower consumer costs, incentivize reduced phone usage, and promote healthier tech habits, with initiatives like “no-phone parties” in major cities. INVESTORS: Corazon Capital, Scott Galloway, Circle Ventures, Idea Fund Partners, Oversubscribed Ventures, Hustle Fund, Brown Angel Group, Acquired Wisdom Fund, Jim McKelvey, David Ko ROUND: Seed AMOUNT: $10,300,000 HQ: #NewYork #NewYork #VentureCapital #NobleMobile #AndrewYang #CorazonCapital #ScottGalloway #CircleVentures #IdeaFundPartners #OversubscribedVentures #HustleFund #BrownAngelGroup #AcquiredWisdomFund #JimMcKelvey #DavidKo #MVNO #TMobile #TradedVC

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Most early-stage founders in Israel know the struggle of applying for the Israel Innovation Authority’s Pre-Seed Grant. Applications often get stuck on the requirement to first show matching investment. We designed the EXPAND III program to remove that barrier. This cohort focuses on Physical AI, robotics, and simulation, areas where early development is expensive and time-sensitive. We’ve secured $300K in investment from Creations VC for each startup accepted into the program. If you’re selected, that investment can serve as your matching capital, helping secure an additional ≈$350K in non-dilutive IIA funding. Instead of chasing investors to qualify for a grant, you can focus on building your company. That’s what makes EXPAND III different. We built a structure that helps founders move fast, meet the IIA’s matching requirement, and gain real funding momentum from the start. (link to apply in comments)

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💰 Funding Alert 💰 Metropolis Technologies 💲 Amount Raised: $500M 🚀 Round: Series D 📅 Founded: 2017 👥 Founders: Alex Israel, Travis Kell, Peter Fisher, and Courtney Fukuda 🔍 Problem: Parking infrastructure is fragmented, outdated, and creates friction for users and property owners ✅ Solution: A software-enabled platform that automates parking access, payments, and analytics across CRE assets 🤝 Investors: LionTree Subscribe to our newsletter launching soon in the comments! 👇 #mobilitytech #cretech #venturecapital #proptech

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🚀 NYC’s City of Yes: Air Rights Boom Hits Full Throttle What if I told you that a single zoning update could unlock billions in new development potential? With the rollout of NYC’s “City of Yes” rezoning plan in December 2024, that fantasy became reality. In this post, you'll discover how transferrable development rights (TDRs) are reshaping Manhattan’s skyline—and how real estate players are capitalizing on this seismic shift. What is the City of Yes? The City of Yes was a trailblazing zoning reform aimed at accelerating housing production across New York. Among its many tools, it introduced greater flexibility in moving air rights—also known as TDRs—and relaxed height limits in select areas . Why it’s a game‑changer 🏙️ Seamless air-rights transfers: Major developers like Bob Knakal’s BK Real Estate Advisors jumped in—and fast. Knakal went from rarely pursuing these deals to spearheading 17 projects simultaneously . ✅ Height limit relief: More headroom means more value—and more incentive to buy or trade unused air rights . ✅ Gold‑rush mentality: Brokers describe it as a Manhattan “air-rights gold rush,” with landmarked properties suddenly sitting on untapped development riches . A closer look—Key benefits Unprecedented scale – Projects are expanding vertically and horizontally at pace. Heritage funds – Landmark owners are cashing-in without losing their historic charm. Market liquidity – Developers now have both flexibility and speed in sourcing air-rights. Challenges & Counterpoints While game-changing, the plan isn’t without critics: Preservation concerns: Community groups argue unrestrained transfers dilute neighborhood character. Special permits return: In late 2024, the City Council reinstated permit hearings for transfers that might spike height over 25 % . “Before City of Yes, Bob Knakal would rarely work on air rights deals. Now … he has 17 in the works.” — Lilah Burke, The Real Deal What it means for you 🫵 Whether you’re a developer, investor, or preservation advocate: Developers = Look into acquiring air rights—they’re easier, faster, and more lucrative. Landmark owners = Time to monetize unused square footage without jeopardizing heritage. Residents & preservationists = Stay involved—City Council still wields control through special permits. ✅ City of Yes The City of Yes isn’t just a zoning reform—it’s a strategic lever, shifting Manhattan’s development equation. If you’re poised to build—or finance—a high-rise, air-rights deals offer a new frontier. Let’s connect to explore how your next project can ride this tide. If you’re ready to explore air-rights opportunities—whether acquiring or selling—send me a message. I’ll walk you through the zoning mechanics, valuation angles, and how to engage with city-level approvals to make your development dreams soar.

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