Vantora raises $100 million to build startups corporate clients can keep

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Published Saturday, September 19, 2026 · 1:08 AM EDT

Vantora, formerly UP.Labs, received $100 million from Silversmith Capital Partners in its first outside investment. The firm builds startups around problems faced by corporate customers, which fund the ventures and become their first buyers. Under its revised approach, those customers can acquire the startups and keep the technology inside their own businesses. Founder John Kuolt said that makes it possible to pursue sensitive projects, such as using AI to automate industrial machinery, that clients would not want sold to competitors. The studio launched with Porsche in 2022 and has also worked with Alaska Airlines, J.B. Hunt and other corporate partners.

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