Vantora, the startup builder previously known as UP.Labs, has raised $100 million from Silversmith Capital Partners in its first outside investment, alongside rebranding and shifting its business model. The firm continues building startups for corporate partners including Porsche, Alaska Airlines, J.B. Hunt, Wabash, and TDG, but now allows those partners to fold ventures directly into their core businesses rather than bringing them to the broader market.
Founder and CEO John Kuolt said the shift toward a proprietary model has enabled Vantora to pursue previously shelved ideas, particularly in physical AI, where corporate partners often need to retain full ownership of sensitive automation and intelligence systems rather than risk them being sold to competitors. Kuolt cited an example involving J.B. Hunt that the firm previously abandoned because the partner considered it too strategically sensitive to develop for outside distribution, an idea now viable under the new structure.
The company, founded in 2022 with Porsche as its first corporate partner, has since launched multiple startups for its partners and expanded into new sectors including industrial manufacturing and oil and gas, though it declined to name the newest corporate customers. While Vantora still shares office space with venture firm Up.Partners, Kuolt clarified the companies remain financially independent entities.
Featured image: Credit: Piper Ferguson
