Duke Capital Partners

🚀 Carpe, a Duke-founded Startup, Acquired by Topspin Consumer Partners! 🏆 Duke Capital Partners (DCP) is proud to announce the successful acquisition of Carpe, a disruptive, digitally-native sweat control brand, by private equity firm Topspin Consumer Partners. This transaction marks a significant milestone for Carpe and highlights the strength and impact of the Duke community. Carpe was founded in 2015 by Kasper Kubica (Duke University ’17) and David Spratte (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ’17) in their dorm rooms. They met through the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program and discovered they both had hyperhidrosis – excessive sweating – which impacted their daily lives. Determined to find a solution, they embarked on a mission to create an effective antiperspirant hand lotion. Their dedication and innovative approach led to the launch of Carpe, a company with multiple sweat solutions that has helped individuals manage their sweat and regain confidence. The company has grown exponentially, thanks in no small part to unwavering support from Duke alumni and the broader Duke community. Duke Capital Partners led every round of Carpe’s fundraising, with DCP members and Duke alumni Joseph Saldutti, Jay Mebane, Ben Feldman, and Chris Ng Cashin serving on Carpe’s Board. Additionally, Duke Alumni Association President Vikas Patel provided invaluable advisory support and DCP member and investment banker Thomas Mazzucco guided Carpe throughout its acquisition. Collectively, the individuals who constitute Carpe’s board, board observers, and advisors have earned 11 degrees from Duke University, Duke University - The Fuqua School of Business, Duke University School of Medicine, and Duke University Pratt School of Engineering. Kubica, a Melissa & Doug Entrepreneur, and Spratte received early support from the Duke Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative, which played an important role in the company’s earliest days. The collective efforts of these individuals have been instrumental in Carpe’s success. “This past decade has been the most incredible journey I could imagine, and none of it would be possible without Duke,” Kubica said. “The brilliant, supportive members of the Duke community are the reason Carpe has grown to this massive milestone. We are incredibly excited to partner with Topspin and leverage their retail expertise to bring Carpe to every sweaty person in the United States.” Carpe truly is a Duke success story: founded in the Duke dorms, funded by Duke alumni, supported by Duke board members, and ultimately acquired with the support of a Duke investment banker. True to its roots, Carpe continues to be based in downtown Durham, creating local jobs and an enduring impact on the local economy. Carpe’s journey is a testament to the power of the global Duke community. 🔗 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eUXg3u5r #VentureCapital #DukeCapitalPartners #Acquisition #DukeNetwork #Entrepreneurship #Innovation

💬 Otter.ai Introduces Otter Chat: The New Way to Master Your Meetings! 💬 We’re excited to spotlight Otter.ai as they continue to push the boundaries of AI-driven productivity. Their latest launch, Otter Chat, is set to revolutionize how teams engage with their meetings—making it easier than ever to track, ask questions, and get key takeaways in real time. Founded by Sam Liang (Stanford University) and Yun Fu (Duke University), Otter.ai has consistently led the way in AI-powered communication tools. Their latest release reflects a relentless pursuit of simplicity, efficiency, and smart collaboration. At Duke Capital Partners, we’re proud to support founders like Sam and Yun, whose drive and ingenuity continue to shape the future of work. Otter Chat is just another step forward in making every meeting more actionable, efficient, and impactful. 🚀 #DukeCapitalPartners #OtterAI #Innovation #FutureOfWork #AI #PortfolioSpotlight

🌟 Acre Homes Joins the Duke Capital Partners Portfolio! 🌟 We’re excited to welcome Acre Homes, a tech-enabled real estate company, as the newest addition to our portfolio! Acre recently closed a seed round led by Anthemis Group, bringing its total venture capital raised to over $10M, with participation from Sovereign's Capital, Home Technology Ventures, Studio VC, Front Porch Venture Partners, Unpopular Ventures, former CEO of Invitation Homes Fred Tuomi, and Duke Capital Partners. Co-founded by Duke Alum Mike Schneider, Kent Keirsey, Peter Crawford, and Irene Tollinger, the team brings over 15 years of combined experience in real estate and technology to their mission of simplifying the home-buying process and offering smarter, more flexible housing solutions. This funding milestone positions Acre Homes for significant growth as they continue to expand their offerings and scale operations. At Duke Capital Partners, we’re proud to support forward-thinking teams that are transforming traditional industries. Congratulations to the Acre Homes team on this incredible milestone—this is just the beginning! 🚀 👉 Learn more about this exciting milestone: https://lnkd.in/esJxrDGG #DukeCapitalPartners #AcreHomes #Innovation #RealEstateTech #HousingSolutions

🚀 2024, what a year! 🚀 At Duke Capital Partners, we’re celebrating a year of growth and milestones. We achieved 100% year-over-year growth in new portfolio companies, welcoming 10 incredible additions to our portfolio, including Liquid AI, Panakeia, Sprinter Health, RetailReady, xAI, VQ Biomedical, DANNCE.ai, Syntra (YC S24), Acre Homes, and a company in stealth. Our momentum didn’t stop there: the total number of deals grew by 54%, and we saw a 74% increase in total dollars invested—a testament to the strength of the Duke University community and the impact of our partnerships. We also marked two successful distributions to our investors with Carpe’s acquisition and a second large unannounced distribution. In addition, our Student Associate Program has grown 10x in the last six years, engaging more talented Duke students and offering hands-on Venture Capital experience more than ever before. To our portfolio companies, associates, Investors, Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization, and Duke University: thank you for your support in this journey. As this year draws to a close, the Duke Capital Partners team wishes you and yours a happy holiday season. All the best for an even brighter 2025! 🌟 #VentureCapital #YearInReview #HappyHolidays #Growth #Innovation

🚀 Liquid AI raises $250M round led by chip giant AMD! 🚀 Proud to support portfolio company Liquid AI once again on its $250M Series A raise led by semiconductor leader AMD to scale Liquid Foundation Models and accelerate their deployment on-device and at enterprises. Liquid’s mission is to build the most capable and efficient AI system at every scale. CEO, Ramin Hasani, says “we are proud that our new industry-leading partners trust our mission; together, we plan to unlock sovereign AI experiences for businesses and users.” “Liquid AI’s unique approach to developing efficient AI models will push the boundaries of AI, making it far more accessible,” said Mathew Hein Chief Strategy Officer at AMD. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Liquid AI to train and deploy their AI models on AMD Instinct GPUs and support their growth through this latest funding round.” Congrats Ramin, Daniela Rus, Mathias Lechner, Alexander Amini, Felix Naser, Paul Sieminski, Jimmy T. H. Smith, and Jessica (Pritchard) Sabert. This round had continued support from OSS Capital (Joseph Jacks), PagsGroup (Steve Pagliuca, Mey Boukenna , M.D., Ph.D., Seth Posternak), among many others. Full announcement: https://lnkd.in/dt5Qr-Nn To get hands-on with LFMs and deploy them within your enterprise, reach out to the Liquid team: https://lnkd.in/dTbTwiyN To join Liquid AI’s mission, check out open career positions across research, engineering, go-to-market, and operations: https://lnkd.in/dwpfpwyt #liquidai #amd #seriesa #genai

🌟 AiFi Inc. Named to Sports Business Journal SBJ’s 10 Most Innovative Sports Tech Companies! 🌟 We’re thrilled to celebrate AiFi, one of our forward-thinking portfolio companies, for being recognized as one of Sports Business Journal’s 10 Most Innovative Sports Tech Companies! This prestigious honor highlights AiFi’s groundbreaking work in leveraging autonomous shopping technology to revolutionize fan experiences at sports venues worldwide. By integrating cutting-edge AI-powered solutions, AiFi is streamlining in-venue shopping, enhancing efficiency, and creating seamless experiences for fans. This recognition underscores their commitment to innovation and their transformative impact on the sports and tech industries. At Duke Capital Partners, we’re proud to back visionary teams like AiFi that are redefining how industries adapt and innovate. Congratulations to the AiFi team on this incredible achievement—here’s to even greater success ahead! 🚀 #DukeCapitalPartners #AiFi #Innovation #SportsTech #AI #PortfolioSpotlight

🩺 SiPhox Health: Revolutionizing Diagnostics with Innovation 🩺 We’re proud to highlight SiPhox Health, one of our portfolio companies, as they lead the way in healthcare innovation. Already serving tens of thousands of users and hundreds of businesses with best-in-class mail-in testing, SiPhox is now building the future—a fully at-home, multiplexed blood testing platform powered by silicon photonics and microfluidics technology. Watch here: https://lnkd.in/efW3viin At Duke Capital Partners, we’re thrilled to back teams like SiPhox that are redefining healthcare solutions. 🚀 #DukeCapitalPartners #SiPhoxHealth #Innovation #Healthcare #Diagnostics #SiliconPhotonics #PortfolioSpotlight

💳 Revolutionizing NIL Payments: Introducing Teamworks Wallet We’re thrilled to see Teamworks, a company founded by Duke University alumni Zach Maurides and Mitch Heath (a proud double Duke alum), continue to innovate with the launch of Teamworks Wallet. This new platform is designed to simplify NIL payments for student-athletes, offering instant transfers, no fees, secure accounts, and seamless management—all in one place. Teamworks embodies the power of the Duke community, with two DCP investors and Duke alums, Bill Luby and Reginald Love, proudly serving on the company’s board. Together, they’re supporting this transformative platform and inspiring the next generation of Duke University innovators. Experience Wallet today: https://lnkd.in/epckKpuf #DukeCapitalPartners #Teamworks #Innovation #NIL #StudentAthletes #DukeCommunity #PortfolioSpotlight

🌟 SiPhox Health Lights Up Times Square! 🌟 We’re thrilled to see SiPhox Health, one of our portfolio companies, reach a major milestone with their first billboard debut in Times Square, New York City! This moment symbolizes SiPhox’s bold vision and commitment to transforming healthcare diagnostics through cutting-edge innovation. Founded by a team of forward-thinkers passionate about empowering accessible and advanced health monitoring, SiPhox is leading the charge with their silicon photonics-powered platform. From their Boston R&D facility to the heart of NYC, their mission to make diagnostics smarter and more user-friendly is making waves across the industry. At Duke Capital Partners, we’re proud to support groundbreaking companies like SiPhox Health as they redefine the future of healthcare. This is just the beginning! #DukeCapitalPartners #SiPhoxHealth #Innovation #HealthcareDiagnostics #TimesSquare #PortfolioSpotlight

🏆 Realtime Robotics, Inc. Wins Gold for Manufacturing Innovation! 🏆 We’re excited to celebrate Real-Time Robotics (RTR), one of our innovative portfolio companies, for earning the Gold Award for Manufacturing Solution from the Globee Awards for Business! 🚀 RTR is Duke University faculty-founded with technology spun-out of the university. The company is revolutionizing industrial manufacturing with its Optimization as a Service solution. This technology seamlessly integrates robotic arms and other capabilities into workflows, boosting productivity, efficiency, and transforming complex processes into streamlined operations. Congratulations to the entire RTR team on this well-deserved achievement. Learn more about their game-changing innovation: https://hubs.li/Q02YNhy50 #DukeCapitalPartners #RealTimeRobotics #Innovation #GlobeeAwards #Manufacturing #IndustrialTech #OptimizationAsAService #DukeAlumni