Montgomery County Investment Activity Spans Technology, Aerospace and Beverage Industries  

Investment activity in February in Montgomery County, Maryland continued the strong start to the year with venture capital and seed round investments across a range of industries, including technology, aerospace and defense, and beverages. In total, investment activity totaled $18.45 million for the month.

In Laytonsville, Fulcrum Autonomy raised $7.5 million in early-stage venture funding from BVVC to advance its multi-domain autonomous systems for aerospace and defense applications. With 8 employees, the company’s AI-driven mission autonomy and unmanned systems platform reflects the County’s growing aerospace and defense ecosystem.

Bethesda-based Just Ice Tea closed a $9 million Series B round backed by Taste Tomorrow Ventures, Big Geyser, Polar Strategic Ventures, and others, bringing its pre-money valuation to $123 million. The company, which has almost 50 employees, produces organic, fair-trade, real-brewed teas intended to promote environmental sustainability and equitable sourcing and this new funding will fuel national retail expansion and product innovation.

Lastly, Bethesda-based Storyraise, which develops a digital reporting platform designed to help nonprofits, foundations, and schools showcase their impact and increase donor engagement, raised $1.95 million in seed funding to expand its impact-focused reporting tools for nonprofits and foundations.

Altogether, February’s investment activity highlights Montgomery County’s diverse business ecosystem, and reinforces its reputation as a place where small businesses across sectors can grow and thrive.