Artificial intelligence companies across the globe are pulling in significant amounts of venture capital dollars this year. In the last five days of September alone, 52 AI companies raised VC dollars, according to data from VC website Crunchbase.
But Colorado is bucking the trend with high-dollar deals going to space, greentech, adventure and software companies last month.
The five Colorado companies that raised the largest rounds in September collectively secured nearly $346 million. That’s a huge jump from the $61 million raised by the largest local rounds in August.
BioLoomics — $8.7 million
Boulder-based BioLoomics raised $8.7 million in September to double its staff and look for a new 14,000-square-foot workspace. Founded in 2019, the software company uses technology to run several small, single-cell tests at once. BioLoomics hopes its tech will be used to create antibodies to treat cancer and other diseases. Its tech has already been used to develop biosensors to help screen small molecule drugs and antibodies, according to BioLoomics CEO and founder Doug Chapnick.
Optera — $12 million
Another software company in the greentech space raised a $12 million Series A round last month. Boulder-based Optera tripled the size of its sales team over the last two months and said the recent funding will go toward additional hiring. Optera works with mid-sized to enterprise-sized businesses to track their emissions, including those caused by the company itself and suppliers along its supply chain.
Heli — nearly $11.5 million
Founded in 2015, Heli is an adventure booking platform. The online platform allows consumers to book a range of adventures from heliskiing and parasailing to ice climbing and scuba diving. The Aspen-based company raised nearly $11.5 million in mid-September, according to a Form D filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In January, Heli also secured $8.9 million, according to SEC filings.
NovoHydrogen — nearly $23.7 million
Operating in the renewable energy space, NovoHydrogen provides green hydrogen solutions to customers in the power, transportation and industrial industries. Its offerings include on-site and off-site electrolyzers powered by renewable energy that generate hydrogen and oxygen. Last month, the Centennial-based company secured approximately $23.7 million from 16 investors, according to a Form D filed with the SEC.
Sierra Space — $290 million
Pulling in the most local capital last month is Sierra Space with a $290 million Series B round. The Louisville space company said it will put the money toward the development of its commercial space station. Sierra Space, which has been developing the Dream Chaser for several years, has raised $1.7 billion since it spun out as a subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corp. in April 2021.
