Vantora Secures $100 Million to Build Proprietary Physical AI Startups for Corporate Clients

Vantora, a startup builder formerly known as UP.Labs, has secured a $100 million investment from Silversmith Capital Partners as it pivots toward developing proprietary artificial intelligence ventures for corporate clients. Founded in 2022, the firm initially operated with a hybrid model, creating companies for both external markets and corporate partners such as Porsche and Alaska Airlines.

Under the new strategy, Vantora is moving away from launching startups for the broader market in favor of a “proprietary M&A pipeline.” This approach allows corporate partners to retain ownership of the ventures, preventing sensitive technologies from reaching competitors. Founder and CEO John Kuolt explained that the firm previously had to discard high-value ideas that were too strategic to share publicly.

“We were missing on the biggest value problems, which had the biggest upside because of that,” Kuolt told TechCrunch. He noted that large industrial companies require sovereign control over autonomy layers for their hardware, making it impossible to sell such solutions to rival firms.

This shift has unlocked opportunities in physical AI. Kuolt cited a previous collaboration with logistics giant J.B. Hunt, where an AI-driven concept was initially dropped due to confidentiality concerns. Under the new proprietary model, Vantora can now pursue such initiatives.

Since its inception, Vantora has worked with clients including Wabash, TDG (parent company of Ashley Furniture), and various unnamed players in industrial manufacturing and oil and gas. Although Vantora shares office space with venture firm Up.Partners, where it had non-financial ties in its early days, it now operates as a distinct entity. The $100 million raise marks the company’s first outside investment.