Cortado Ventures Doubleshot Newsletter: July 2025
Cortado makes Kauffman history, Fluid Efficiency takes the spotlight, NextGen insights are coming soon, and our portcos are making bold moves across tech, retail, and robotics.
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.
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:
Did COVID Change Biotech Funding for Good? by Elizabeth Duncan
VC Dollars Are Becoming Clean Again. Finally, the Change Is Here? by Kingsley Uzogor
Why Investing in Women and People of Color Is Essential for the Future by Selena Simmons
Women Founders Seeding and Expanding the Biotech Industry in OKC by Martha Tsaliki
Making Cents: An Intern-al Reflection - Part 1 & Part 2 by Aaron Salazar Latham
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
July 17, 2025 - Virtual: Using Equity to Fund Your Dreams
July 17, 2025 - Back to Basics: Getting Creative with Capital - Edmond
July 18, 2025 - Coffee & Commerce - OKC
July 18, 2025 - Hosted Happy Hour: Eldridge Brooks Law - Tulsa
July 19, 2025 - Viva Expo and Career Fair - OKC
July 21, 2025 - Ask Me Anything: Kate Sullivan - Tulsa
July 22, 2025 - Mastering Social Media for Business - Tulsa
July 22, 2025 - Virtual: Financial Toolkit for Entrepreneurs
July 23, 2025 - Virtual: Reach Customers Online with Google
July 23, 2025 - Pitches, Pizza & Pints - OKC
July 23, 2025 - Amazon Web Services Meetup - Tulsa
July 24, 2025 - Business After Hours Network - OKC
July 25 - 27, 2025 - The Summer Startup: AI Edition - OKC
July 25, 2025 - Neighborhood Breakfast - Tulsa
July 29, 2025 - REI Oklahoma -- Women Who Mean Business: From Generic to Genuine - OKC
July 30, 2025 - An Introduction to Patents - Tulsa
July 30, 2025 - Virtual: Building Social Media Strategies-Grow Your Brand Online
August 1, 2025 - First Friday Happy Hour With Experience Tulsa - Tulsa
August 2. 2025 - Salesforce Tulsa Community User Group - Tulsa
August 5, 2025 - Ask Me Anything: Ray Fitzgerald - Tulsa
August 7, 2025 - Summer Bash With Experience Tulsa - Tulsa
August 8, 2025 - Introduction to Incremental Development Lecture - Tulsa
August 12, 2025 - Keeping Your Business Website Safe - Tulsa
August 12, 2025 - OKCID: Cocktails & Collaboration - OKC
August 13, 2025 - 1 Million Cups - Tulsa
August 13, 2025 - 1 Million Cups - OKC
August 13, 2025 - Business Networking Lunch - OKC