Ceas Investments is the investment arm of Ceas Capital, a global alternative asset management firm with offices in New York, London, and Hong Kong. Ceas Capital was founded in 2009 and manages over $5 billion in assets across private equity, venture capital, real estate, infrastructure, and hedge funds. The firm takes a global outlook with investments in North America, Europe, and Asia. Ceas Investments is focused on venture capital and growth equity investments in technology, healthcare, consumer products, and other high-growth sectors. Some of their key venture investments include companies like Anthropic, Cobalt Robotics, Grovara, and Aeye.
Ceas Investments Leads Series B for AI Startup Anthropic
In September 2021, Ceas Investments led a $200 million Series B round for Anthropic, an artificial intelligence startup based in San Francisco. Anthropic is developing AI assistants that can engage in natural conversations. The company was founded in 2021 by AI researchers Dario Amodei and Daniela Amodei. Ceas Capital’s investment came from its venture fund Ceas Ventures II. The round also included participation from other notable investors like Index Ventures, Amplify Partners, and Future Ventures.
Investment in Security Robotics Company Cobalt
In January 2020, Ceas Investments participated in a $35 million Series B funding round for Cobalt Robotics, a security robotics company. Cobalt develops autonomous robots equipped with cameras and sensors for security patrol and monitoring. The San Mateo, California-based startup was founded in 2017 by Travis Deyle and Erik Schluntz. With Ceas Capital’s investment, Cobalt has raised around $70 million to date from investors including Sequoia Capital, 01 Advisors, and Dragoneer Investment Group.
Backing Grovara, a B2B Marketplace for Organic Brands
In March 2021, Ceas Investments made a seed investment in Grovara, a Philadelphia-based B2B marketplace for U.S. organic food and beverage brands. The seed round totaled $5.5 million and also included investors like SPINS, Bluestein Ventures, and Siddhi Capital. Grovara’s platform enables organic brands to export their products to international retailers in markets like Asia, Europe, and Latin America. The startup was founded in 2019 by CEO Abu Kamara and CIO Peter Groverman.
Investment in Lidar Technology Company Aeye
In November 2018, Ceas Capital was part of Aeye’s $40 million Series B fundraising round. Aeye is a lidar technology company based in Dublin, California developing advanced sensing and perception systems for autonomous vehicles. Aeye was founded in 2013 by Luis Dussan, Blair LaCorte, and Jordan Noone. The startup has raised approximately $60 million from investors including Kleiner Perkins, Taiwania Capital, Hella Ventures, and Airbus Ventures.
In summary, Ceas Investments provides venture capital and growth funding to innovative technology startups across industries like AI, robotics, food, automotive, and more. They have invested in leading companies like Anthropic, Cobalt Robotics, Grovara, and Aeye that are pioneering advancements in their respective fields. Ceas takes a global outlook to investing but maintains a strong focus on American innovation and technology entrepreneurs.