Early Investment Sudo AI Valued at Nearly $2B
TAIPEI, Sept. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Cherubic Ventures today announced the close of its sixth fund (Fund VI) at $68.88 million. The fund size reflects the auspicious meaning of the number eight in East Asian cultures, where it is traditionally associated with prosperity and good fortune. With this close, assets under management across the firm's six funds have surpassed US$500 million.
Investors across all six funds include leading global institutional investors and foundations, as well as publicly listed companies, family offices, successful entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals.
Fund VI maintains the firm's early-stage focus, investing in AI-native companies across infrastructure, developer tools, enterprise software, healthcare, physical AI and robotics. Sudo AI, a robotics startup in the portfolio, has reached a valuation of nearly $2 billion two years after its founding, joining the ranks of unicorns.
"After ten years, I am more certain than ever about why I chose to invest at the earliest stages," said Matt Cheng, Founder & Solo GP of Cherubic Ventures. "Working alongside exceptional founders, finding a path through uncertainty, and ultimately changing an industry is what keeps driving me."
Investing Across AI, From Infrastructure to Industry Applications
As AI reshapes industries, Cherubic Ventures continues to look for founders using the technology to build new products and redefine markets. Since 2024, the firm's AI-native investments have spanned infrastructure, developer tools, enterprise software, healthcare, physical AI and robotics.
In robotics, Sudo AI was co-founded by Hao Su, a leading researcher in embodied AI and 3D vision and co-author of PointNet, and serial entrepreneur Robin Han. Its sudo R1 robotic system is trained through virtual simulation and can reliably handle objects it has never encountered without relying on real-world manipulation data. This addresses a key bottleneck to deploying robotics at scale. Cherubic Ventures was its earliest institutional investor.
Cherubic Ventures is also an early investor in Entire, the developer platform founded by former GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke. The company raised US$60 million earlier this year, the largest seed round ever for a developer tools startup.
While Fund VI is still at an early stage, its portfolio companies have already raised more than $500 million in subsequent funding. Other notable investments include AI-powered patent technology platform Patlytics, along with healthcare and drug development companies Max AI, Generation Lab and therapiAI.
A Decade Alongside Founders, Supporting the Next Generation
Founded in 2015, Cherubic Ventures was among the first venture firms in the world to adopt the solo GP model. It has invested in more than 200 companies globally, with early investments including Hims & Hers, Flexport, Calm, Paidy, 91APP and Astranis.
Across its portfolio, Cherubic Ventures has been the earliest institutional investors in dozens of companies that went on to become unicorns. Hims & Hers is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and 91APP on the Taipei Exchange, while Paidy was acquired by PayPal for US$2.7 billion.
Fund VI marks the beginning of Cherubic Ventures' second decade. "The past ten years have made me more certain that believing in founders before the answers are clear, and backing them through uncertainty, is at the heart of early-stage investing," Cheng said. "In the next decade, we will continue to 'Stay Early' and work with the most exceptional founders to build the future we want to see."
About Cherubic Ventures
Founded in 2015, Cherubic Ventures is a global early-stage venture capital firm that started in Taipei and has built a strong presence in the U.S. market. The firm backs outstanding founders from day one and was among the first venture firms in the world to adopt the solo GP model. Notable investments include Hims & Hers, Calm, Flexport, 91APP, Paidy, Formation Bio and Astranis. To date, Cherubic Ventures has invested in more than 200 startups and brings together more than 500 founders and investors in a distinctive global community.
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Cherubic Ventures Closes $68.88 Million Fund VI as AUM Surpasses $500 Million
The SOLION-100 combines GMDSS, Ship Security Alert System and Long-Range Identification and Tracking capabilities in a single Iridium Certus 100 terminal for newbuild and retrofit vessels.
HAMBURG, Germany, Sept. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM), a leading provider of global voice, data, aircraft surveillance, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) satellite services, and Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. today announced Furuno will offer its new SOLION-100 terminal for Iridium GMDSS. This new Furuno maritime safety terminal is built on Iridium® Certus 100 technology and integrates GMDSS, Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) and Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) capabilities in a single platform.
Iridium GMDSS entered service in 2020 following recognition by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), becoming the first new provider of satellite GMDSS services since the system was established. It delivers regulated maritime distress and safety communications through Iridium's low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network, with global coverage, including the polar regions.
Furuno's addition of Iridium GMDSS to its portfolio gives shipowners and shipyards greater choice in selecting maritime safety equipment for newbuild and retrofit vessels.
"Furuno has been committed to supporting safer navigation at sea for decades, and maritime safety remains at the heart of what we do," said Kiyoshi Furuno, Head of Marine Electronic Products Division and Sales Management Department General Manager, Furuno. "The new SOLION-100 terminal for Iridium GMDSS allows us to strengthen our safety communications portfolio and provide customers with LEO satellite GMDSS technology alongside the Furuno navigation and communications systems they already rely on."
"Furuno has a long history of supporting maritime safety, and its addition of Iridium GMDSS brings together that expertise with the global coverage of the Iridium network," said Wouter Deknopper, vice president and general manager, maritime, Iridium. "Together, we are giving shipowners and shipyards another way to equip vessels with reliable maritime safety communications, including in the polar regions."
Iridium GMDSS is designed to support crews throughout a maritime safety event, from receiving navigational and meteorological warnings through Iridium SafetyCast® to initiating a distress alert and establishing Safety Voice communications with a Rescue Coordination Center. A single-button distress alert transmits the vessel's identification, status and position, while Safety Voice enables crews to communicate directly with rescue authorities to provide additional information about the situation.
The SOLION-100 is expected to be commercially available for retrofit applications in late 2026, with availability for newbuild projects expected to follow in 2027.
Iridium is exhibiting this week at SMM Hamburg. Visit booth Hall B6 Stand 313 to learn more about Iridium PNT, Iridium GMDSS, and other critical maritime safety services.
For more information about Iridium GMDSS, visit https://www.iridium.com/gmdss.
About Iridium Communications Inc.
Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM) operates the world's only truly global mobile satellite network. It serves as a platform for innovation, enabling voice, data, and messaging, positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), and aircraft surveillance services anywhere on Earth. Through its satellite constellation and integrated capabilities like Aireon, the world's only space-based air traffic surveillance system, Iridium delivers services that support safety-focused operations across aviation, maritime, government, industrial, and consumer markets. The company is a leader in satellite Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity and is advancing direct-to-device (D2D) communications based on open standards to expand access to satellite services.
Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Iridium innovates through an ecosystem of more than 500 technology and distribution partners, serving millions of customers worldwide. For more information visit www.iridium.com.
Press Contact:
Investor Contact:
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Kenneth Levy
Iridium Communications Inc.
Iridium Communications Inc.
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Furuno Unveils New SOLION-100 Terminal for Iridium GMDSS
