Cortado Ventures Doubleshot Newsletter: July 2025

by | Jul 23, 2025 | Media, Newsletters

BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)

Celebrate our milestone in being the first VC firm in the country with three consecutive Kauffman Fellows, reflecting national recognition and deep leadership across our team. Our Portco Highlight features Fluid Efficiency, a deeptech company applying advanced chemistry to critical infrastructure. We’re also previewing original blogs from our summer interns, launching this fall. Check out our wins from across the portfolio from Pipedream’s underground delivery tech and Nuview’s Moonraker mission to new retail platform certifications, sustainable materials recognition, and more. We close with a spotlight on AltCap, a capital access champion in Kansas City & Missouri.

Newsletter Elements

  • Cortado News
    • Kauffman Fellows Milestone
    • NextGen Insights
  • Portco News
    • Portco Highlight: Fluid Efficiency
    • Portcos in the News
      • Pipedream Labs
      • Nuview
      • AI Driller
      • Motive
      • Exum Instruments
      • MITO Materials
    • Portco Jobs
  • Ecosystem News & Events
    • Builder Highlight: AltCap
    • Upcoming Events

Cortado News

Cortado Ventures Makes Kauffman Fellows History

We’re proud to share that Cortado Ventures is the first venture capital firm in the country to have three partners selected for the prestigious Kauffman Fellows Program in three consecutive years, a historic achievement that highlights the depth of our leadership and the national relevance of the Midcontinent venture ecosystem.

With Susan Moring’s recent selection to Class 30, she joins Nathaniel Harding (Class 28) and Mike Moradi (Class 29), marking a first-of-its-kind milestone in the 30-year history of the program. The Kauffman Fellows network spans over 1,000 investors and leaders from more than 840 firms globally, with just 67 participants selected this year across 20 countries and six continents.

As the only firm ever to achieve this distinction, Cortado’s milestone reflects more than just recognition, it’s a signal of what’s possible when exceptional leadership is cultivated outside the coasts. Our firm’s presence in the Kauffman Fellows network affirms our belief that the Midcontinent is not only participating in the future of venture capital, it’s helping to shape it.

Read the full story!

NextGen Insights: Fall Blog Series Preview

This fall, we’ll be publishing original blogs from our summer interns: Elianna Huang, Raeed Zainuddin, and Joy Akande. Each of our interns are offering up hot takes on the future of VC. These blogs reflect not just the research of emerging talent, but the next generation’s lens on how innovation is evolving.

Want a preview of what’s to come?
You can follow our blog on Medium and explore past intern-written pieces, including:

Browse the full archive here:
Read past blogs on Medium

Portco News 

Portco Highlight: Fluid Efficiency

This month, we’re spotlighting Fluid Efficiency, a deeptech company applying advanced chemistry to solve one of the energy sector’s most persistent challenges: inefficient fluid flow in pipelines. Their proprietary MegaSupraMolecule (MSM) technology improves the movement of water, oil, and gas, leading to higher throughput, lower energy costs, and reduced environmental impact.

What makes Fluid Efficiency stand out isn’t just the science, it’s the scale of potential application. From oilfields to industrial water systems, their technology delivers immediate ROI by optimizing existing infrastructure without the need for expensive retrofits. It’s a win-win for operators and the environment.

Fluid Efficiency exemplifies the kind of platform-ready innovation we look for at Cortado, grounded in deep science, built by experienced founders, and aimed at solving mission-critical problems in large, legacy industries.

Learn More –
Why We Invested
Read the Press Release
Visit Fluid Efficiency

Portcos In The News

Pipedream Labs: Fulfillment at 100mph and Grocery Delivery Reinvented

Pipedream Labs unveiled plans for its rapid fulfillment center, announced a new robot capable of 100mph speeds, and shared its roadmap for an Austin underground delivery network. They’re also preparing to launch a drive-thru grocery concept this fall, blending robotics, infrastructure, and retail innovation in a way that few others are doing. Learn More – Read the full announcement!

Nuview: Lunar Vision Takes Shape with Moonraker Mission

Nuview is taking its lidar capabilities to space, now pointing its tech toward the moon with the Moonraker mission, expanding the possibilities of its satellite data platform. Learn More – Read the full announcement!

AI Driller: AI Drives Deeper in the Permian Basin

AI Driller continues to make waves in oil & gas with AI-powered automation for the Permian Basin, reinforcing its relevance in energy innovation. Learn More – Watch the full story!

Motive: Expanding Across Premium Auto Brands with New Certifications

Motive continues to gain momentum across the automotive retail space, now earning official certification as a website provider for Lexus, INFINITI, and Nissan dealer networks, across both Canada and the United States. With this milestone, Motive becomes Nissan’s only global certified website partner, unlocking enterprise opportunities across North America.

These certifications allow Motive to directly support premium auto brands with its modern, customer-first digital storefront platform designed to improve user experience, drive engagement, and streamline dealership operations.

Early adopters like Lexus of Lehigh Valley, Lexus of Naperville, and Applewood Auto Group are already making the switch, signaling a shift in how dealerships approach online customer experience and conversion. These partnerships validate Motive’s ability to serve enterprise clients at scale and pave the way for broader rollout across the auto industry.

Read the announcements here and here.

Check out Motive’s demos and webinars.

Exum Instruments: Mass Spectrometry Innovation in Action

Exum shared new applications of its Massbox platform, highlighting use cases in materials science, battery development, and more, all through its compact, accessible spectrometry tools.

Read the full stories here and here.

MITO Materials: National Recognition for Sustainable Manufacturing Leadership

MITO’s co-founder and CEO Haley Marie Keith was recently featured by Manufacturing USA’s Modern Makers series, highlighting her as a leader transforming how advanced materials are built and used. The piece explores Haley’s journey as a founder, MITO’s commitment to sustainable innovation, and their flagship product’s role in creating lighter, stronger, and greener composites.

As MITO continues to grow its footprint in the advanced manufacturing space, this recognition reinforces their position as a high-impact, mission-driven startup redefining what’s possible in performance materials.

Read the feature
Visit MITO Materials

Portco Jobs

Our portfolio companies are on the lookout for talented individuals like you. Discover the current opportunities and take the next step in your career.

ArborXR – Customer Success Manager

Lumata Health – Strategic Finance Manager

Lumata Health – Director of Clinical Operations

Lumata Health – Director of Care Management-LCSW/MSW

Lumata Health – VP of Data and AI

Lumata Health – VP of Engineering

Pipedream – Mechanical Engineer

Pipedream – Sr. Mechanical Engineer

Pipedream – Wildcard

Safety Radar – Sales Director

Ecosystem News & Events

Builder Highlight: AltCap

This month, we’re spotlighting AltCap, a mission-driven capital provider working to build a more inclusive economy across Missouri, Kansas, and beyond. AltCap supports underestimated entrepreneurs by delivering flexible financing, hands-on guidance, and strategic resources to help small businesses thrive. From community development investments to direct support for women- and minority-owned ventures, AltCap plays a vital role in unlocking opportunity and strengthening the economic fabric of the Midcontinent.

Learn more about AltCap and their work here.

Ecosystem Events

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