TechNexus Venture Collaborative

TechNexus Venture Collaborative is a Chicago-based venture collaboration platform and investment entity that connects corporations with startups to co-create new business models, products, revenue streams, and scalable market access. Founded in 2007, it combines capital investment, incubation, and collaborative engagement to accelerate opportunities and support the growth of innovative ventures across sectors including audio and consumer electronics, B2B software, health and wellness, manufacturing, mobility, media production, and retail. It has facilitated partnerships between dozens of corporations and more than 600 startups, making it one of the most active venture investors in the United States.

Kaitlyn Doyle

Investor

Ahmed Hentati

Investor

Terry Howerton

Partner

Past deals in Consumer Electronics

NanoGraf

Series B in 2023
NanoGraf Corporation is a materials science company based in Chicago, Illinois, focused on the development and commercialization of advanced materials for the energy storage market. Founded in 2012, the company specializes in silicon-graphene electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries. NanoGraf has created a high energy density silicon-based anode material that presents a promising alternative to traditional graphitic-based anodes. This innovative technology has applications across various sectors, from consumer electronics to electric vehicles. The company's materials are designed to enhance battery capacity and reduce charging times, enabling the production of lithium-ion batteries through a cost-effective, chemistry-based manufacturing process.

Mobius

Venture Round in 2022
Mobius enables the ultimate untethered lifestyle by creating inspiring, immersive, transformable, tech-infused mobile platforms.

Native Voice

Venture Round in 2022
Native Voice provides a software development kit for audio device manufacturers to integrate voice capabilities and build a voice-first ecosystem. It serves as a foundational building block, enabling connections with multiple assistants and their skills while acting as a library for brands deploying their own voice-enabled solutions. The company also offers Native Voice Studios, an on-demand platform to create interactive AI companions by developing custom machine learning models and licensed original content to reproduce a character’s authentic personality, tone, and humor. This approach helps IP holders and device manufacturers generate new revenue streams and deepen user engagement with products and audiences.

Aspinity

Venture Round in 2022
Aspinity, Inc. is a technology company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, specializing in the development of reconfigurable analog modular processor (RAMP) chips for ultra-low-power electronics. These compact, analog machine learning chips analyze raw, unstructured sensor data to identify significant events while filtering out background noise before the data is digitized. By directly processing analog signals, Aspinity's technology reduces the need for higher-power processing and optimizes power consumption in always-on, battery-powered devices. Their products are suited for various applications, including voice recognition, industrial machine health monitoring, and wearable health devices in consumer, industrial, and biomedical markets. Since its incorporation in 2012, Aspinity has aimed to transform the architecture of sensing devices through neuromorphic all-analog integrated circuit technology, significantly lowering power requirements and enhancing efficiency in continuous sensing applications.

Soundskrit

Venture Round in 2021
Soundskrit is a Montreal-based company that specializes in the development of innovative velocity-based directional microphones designed to enhance audio capture in smart devices. Founded in 2017, the company aims to address the limitations of traditional pressure-based microphones, which pick up sound from all directions and often require multiple units to isolate specific audio sources. Soundskrit's bio-inspired technology measures the velocity of incoming sound, allowing a single microphone to effectively separate and identify sounds from various directions without compromising size or audio quality. This advancement significantly improves speech recognition and sound localization capabilities, enabling a new range of features in consumer electronics, particularly in noisy environments and multi-speaker scenarios.

Mycroft

Venture Round in 2021
Mycroft AI, Inc. is a developer of an open-source voice assistant platform that enables users to interact with their electronic devices through voice commands. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, with additional offices in Palo Alto, California, and Lawrence, Kansas, Mycroft's software operates as an adaptable platform that can be customized and integrated into various devices, including refrigerators, computers, speakers, wearables, cars, and televisions. The company emphasizes a privacy-focused approach, utilizing artificial intelligence and natural language processing to enhance user experience while maintaining an open-source and open-hardware framework. This allows for extensive extension and personalization, catering to the diverse needs of users.

Native Voice

Seed Round in 2021
Native Voice provides a software development kit for audio device manufacturers to integrate voice capabilities and build a voice-first ecosystem. It serves as a foundational building block, enabling connections with multiple assistants and their skills while acting as a library for brands deploying their own voice-enabled solutions. The company also offers Native Voice Studios, an on-demand platform to create interactive AI companions by developing custom machine learning models and licensed original content to reproduce a character’s authentic personality, tone, and humor. This approach helps IP holders and device manufacturers generate new revenue streams and deepen user engagement with products and audiences.

ShotTracker

Venture Round in 2021
ShotTracker offers wearable technology for basketball players that automatically tracks shot attempts, makes, and misses. Its solution consists of sensors worn on the wrist and net, along with an application that works on various Bluetooth-enabled devices. Founded in 2013, ShotTracker aims to improve athletes' performance by providing real-time statistics during practices and games.

Native Voice

Convertible Note in 2020
Native Voice provides a software development kit for audio device manufacturers to integrate voice capabilities and build a voice-first ecosystem. It serves as a foundational building block, enabling connections with multiple assistants and their skills while acting as a library for brands deploying their own voice-enabled solutions. The company also offers Native Voice Studios, an on-demand platform to create interactive AI companions by developing custom machine learning models and licensed original content to reproduce a character’s authentic personality, tone, and humor. This approach helps IP holders and device manufacturers generate new revenue streams and deepen user engagement with products and audiences.

Tonal

Series D in 2020
Tonal is a smart home gym company that specializes in strength training through a digital fitness platform. Founded in 2015 by Aly Orady and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Tonal manufactures innovative fitness equipment that is wall-mounted and utilizes artificial intelligence to deliver personalized workouts. The system generates variable resistance using magnets and electricity, allowing users to perform a wide range of exercises without traditional weights. Tonal's platform tracks workouts in real-time and offers tailored workout plans aimed at muscle building, strength balancing, and athletic performance. Additionally, the company provides live and recorded classes led by expert coaches, enhancing the user experience and accessibility of full-body fitness training from home.

Aspinity

Series A in 2020
Aspinity, Inc. is a technology company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, specializing in the development of reconfigurable analog modular processor (RAMP) chips for ultra-low-power electronics. These compact, analog machine learning chips analyze raw, unstructured sensor data to identify significant events while filtering out background noise before the data is digitized. By directly processing analog signals, Aspinity's technology reduces the need for higher-power processing and optimizes power consumption in always-on, battery-powered devices. Their products are suited for various applications, including voice recognition, industrial machine health monitoring, and wearable health devices in consumer, industrial, and biomedical markets. Since its incorporation in 2012, Aspinity has aimed to transform the architecture of sensing devices through neuromorphic all-analog integrated circuit technology, significantly lowering power requirements and enhancing efficiency in continuous sensing applications.

Audeze

Series A in 2020
Audeze is a high-end audio manufacturer focused on delivering precise sound reproduction through advanced engineering and craftsmanship. The company offers a range of audio products, including headphones, speakers, and home audio systems, all designed to provide an immersive listening experience. Audeze's innovations in materials science and technology enable the incorporation of features such as surround sound emulation and integrated head-tracking systems, which enhance compatibility with contemporary video games. This commitment to quality and cutting-edge features positions Audeze as a leader in the premium audio market.

Reality AI

Seed Round in 2020
Reality AI, founded in 2015 by Jeff Sieracki and Stuart Feffer, develops software that assists research and development engineers in creating sensor‑based products. Its proprietary algorithms support feature discovery, model generation, component selection, specification setting, bill‑of‑materials optimization, and data collection, including synthetic augmentation and curation. The platform is applied to sound and gesture recognition, predictive maintenance, and other sensor modalities such as vibration, accelerometers, radar, and electrical measurements. Clients span automotive, industrial, and consumer/commercial sectors. The company holds 14 U.S. patents and has six pending, all related to feature discovery and machine learning for sensor and signal challenges. Reality AI operates offices in Columbia, Maryland; Sunnyvale, California; and Tokyo, Japan.

Soundskrit

Seed Round in 2019
Soundskrit is a Montreal-based company that specializes in the development of innovative velocity-based directional microphones designed to enhance audio capture in smart devices. Founded in 2017, the company aims to address the limitations of traditional pressure-based microphones, which pick up sound from all directions and often require multiple units to isolate specific audio sources. Soundskrit's bio-inspired technology measures the velocity of incoming sound, allowing a single microphone to effectively separate and identify sounds from various directions without compromising size or audio quality. This advancement significantly improves speech recognition and sound localization capabilities, enabling a new range of features in consumer electronics, particularly in noisy environments and multi-speaker scenarios.

Reality AI

Seed Round in 2019
Reality AI, founded in 2015 by Jeff Sieracki and Stuart Feffer, develops software that assists research and development engineers in creating sensor‑based products. Its proprietary algorithms support feature discovery, model generation, component selection, specification setting, bill‑of‑materials optimization, and data collection, including synthetic augmentation and curation. The platform is applied to sound and gesture recognition, predictive maintenance, and other sensor modalities such as vibration, accelerometers, radar, and electrical measurements. Clients span automotive, industrial, and consumer/commercial sectors. The company holds 14 U.S. patents and has six pending, all related to feature discovery and machine learning for sensor and signal challenges. Reality AI operates offices in Columbia, Maryland; Sunnyvale, California; and Tokyo, Japan.

Soundskrit

Seed Round in 2019
Soundskrit is a Montreal-based company that specializes in the development of innovative velocity-based directional microphones designed to enhance audio capture in smart devices. Founded in 2017, the company aims to address the limitations of traditional pressure-based microphones, which pick up sound from all directions and often require multiple units to isolate specific audio sources. Soundskrit's bio-inspired technology measures the velocity of incoming sound, allowing a single microphone to effectively separate and identify sounds from various directions without compromising size or audio quality. This advancement significantly improves speech recognition and sound localization capabilities, enabling a new range of features in consumer electronics, particularly in noisy environments and multi-speaker scenarios.

Tonal

Series C in 2019
Tonal is a smart home gym company that specializes in strength training through a digital fitness platform. Founded in 2015 by Aly Orady and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Tonal manufactures innovative fitness equipment that is wall-mounted and utilizes artificial intelligence to deliver personalized workouts. The system generates variable resistance using magnets and electricity, allowing users to perform a wide range of exercises without traditional weights. Tonal's platform tracks workouts in real-time and offers tailored workout plans aimed at muscle building, strength balancing, and athletic performance. Additionally, the company provides live and recorded classes led by expert coaches, enhancing the user experience and accessibility of full-body fitness training from home.

Aspinity

Seed Round in 2018
Aspinity, Inc. is a technology company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, specializing in the development of reconfigurable analog modular processor (RAMP) chips for ultra-low-power electronics. These compact, analog machine learning chips analyze raw, unstructured sensor data to identify significant events while filtering out background noise before the data is digitized. By directly processing analog signals, Aspinity's technology reduces the need for higher-power processing and optimizes power consumption in always-on, battery-powered devices. Their products are suited for various applications, including voice recognition, industrial machine health monitoring, and wearable health devices in consumer, industrial, and biomedical markets. Since its incorporation in 2012, Aspinity has aimed to transform the architecture of sensing devices through neuromorphic all-analog integrated circuit technology, significantly lowering power requirements and enhancing efficiency in continuous sensing applications.

Tonal

Series B in 2018
Tonal is a smart home gym company that specializes in strength training through a digital fitness platform. Founded in 2015 by Aly Orady and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Tonal manufactures innovative fitness equipment that is wall-mounted and utilizes artificial intelligence to deliver personalized workouts. The system generates variable resistance using magnets and electricity, allowing users to perform a wide range of exercises without traditional weights. Tonal's platform tracks workouts in real-time and offers tailored workout plans aimed at muscle building, strength balancing, and athletic performance. Additionally, the company provides live and recorded classes led by expert coaches, enhancing the user experience and accessibility of full-body fitness training from home.

Piccolo

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Piccolo develops gesture-based smart home vision assistant technology. Utilizing artificial intelligence, it tracks inhabitants' movements and adapts to their preferences without constant input.

ShotTracker

Series A in 2018
ShotTracker offers wearable technology for basketball players that automatically tracks shot attempts, makes, and misses. Its solution consists of sensors worn on the wrist and net, along with an application that works on various Bluetooth-enabled devices. Founded in 2013, ShotTracker aims to improve athletes' performance by providing real-time statistics during practices and games.

Mycroft

Seed Round in 2018
Mycroft AI, Inc. is a developer of an open-source voice assistant platform that enables users to interact with their electronic devices through voice commands. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, with additional offices in Palo Alto, California, and Lawrence, Kansas, Mycroft's software operates as an adaptable platform that can be customized and integrated into various devices, including refrigerators, computers, speakers, wearables, cars, and televisions. The company emphasizes a privacy-focused approach, utilizing artificial intelligence and natural language processing to enhance user experience while maintaining an open-source and open-hardware framework. This allows for extensive extension and personalization, catering to the diverse needs of users.

Aspinity

Seed Round in 2018
Aspinity, Inc. is a technology company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, specializing in the development of reconfigurable analog modular processor (RAMP) chips for ultra-low-power electronics. These compact, analog machine learning chips analyze raw, unstructured sensor data to identify significant events while filtering out background noise before the data is digitized. By directly processing analog signals, Aspinity's technology reduces the need for higher-power processing and optimizes power consumption in always-on, battery-powered devices. Their products are suited for various applications, including voice recognition, industrial machine health monitoring, and wearable health devices in consumer, industrial, and biomedical markets. Since its incorporation in 2012, Aspinity has aimed to transform the architecture of sensing devices through neuromorphic all-analog integrated circuit technology, significantly lowering power requirements and enhancing efficiency in continuous sensing applications.

Aspinity

Convertible Note in 2017
Aspinity, Inc. is a technology company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, specializing in the development of reconfigurable analog modular processor (RAMP) chips for ultra-low-power electronics. These compact, analog machine learning chips analyze raw, unstructured sensor data to identify significant events while filtering out background noise before the data is digitized. By directly processing analog signals, Aspinity's technology reduces the need for higher-power processing and optimizes power consumption in always-on, battery-powered devices. Their products are suited for various applications, including voice recognition, industrial machine health monitoring, and wearable health devices in consumer, industrial, and biomedical markets. Since its incorporation in 2012, Aspinity has aimed to transform the architecture of sensing devices through neuromorphic all-analog integrated circuit technology, significantly lowering power requirements and enhancing efficiency in continuous sensing applications.

Mycroft

Convertible Note in 2017
Mycroft AI, Inc. is a developer of an open-source voice assistant platform that enables users to interact with their electronic devices through voice commands. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, with additional offices in Palo Alto, California, and Lawrence, Kansas, Mycroft's software operates as an adaptable platform that can be customized and integrated into various devices, including refrigerators, computers, speakers, wearables, cars, and televisions. The company emphasizes a privacy-focused approach, utilizing artificial intelligence and natural language processing to enhance user experience while maintaining an open-source and open-hardware framework. This allows for extensive extension and personalization, catering to the diverse needs of users.

Reality AI

Seed Round in 2017
Reality AI, founded in 2015 by Jeff Sieracki and Stuart Feffer, develops software that assists research and development engineers in creating sensor‑based products. Its proprietary algorithms support feature discovery, model generation, component selection, specification setting, bill‑of‑materials optimization, and data collection, including synthetic augmentation and curation. The platform is applied to sound and gesture recognition, predictive maintenance, and other sensor modalities such as vibration, accelerometers, radar, and electrical measurements. Clients span automotive, industrial, and consumer/commercial sectors. The company holds 14 U.S. patents and has six pending, all related to feature discovery and machine learning for sensor and signal challenges. Reality AI operates offices in Columbia, Maryland; Sunnyvale, California; and Tokyo, Japan.
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