Vantora Raises $100M to Build Physical AI Startups

Startup studio UP.Labs has rebranded as Vantora and raised $100 million from Silversmith Capital Partners. The firm builds startups for corporate partners like Alaska Airlines, Porsche, and J.B. Hunt, and is now focused on physical AI solutions exclusively for those partners rather than the broader market. The new model creates a proprietary M&A pipeline, allowing corporate partners to acquire and internalize the startups Vantora builds for them. CEO John Kuolt says this unlocks sensitive, high-value use cases that companies would never allow to be sold to competitors, particularly in industrial manufacturing and autonomous systems.