Richard Chenel

Investor - Innovator - Philanthropist

📍 United States🔄 Updated September 2026💼 13 investments📅 6 years investing🗓 Last invested Jan 2026
VC🌍 United StatesInvested this year
13
Total investments
3
Early stage
5
Mid stage
2
Late stage
6y
Years active

Portfolio

12 investments · sorted by recency
All investments
Early stage
Mid stage
Late stage
Investor
2026
Starcloud is building data centers in space to address the AI energy challenge. Starcloud recently launched the first Nvidia H100 to space. Starcloud was founded in January 2024 and raised a $170M Series A in early 2026, becoming the fastest unicorn in YC history. Their backers include Y Combinator (S24), Benchmark, EQT, NFX, In-Q-Tel, the NVIDIA Inception Program, and the World Economic Forums Technology Pioneers. Starcloud White Paper: Starcloud.com/wp Starcloud Concept Video: Starcloud.com
Investor
Dec 2025
Vast is developing next-generation space stations to ensure continuous human presence in space for America and its allies, enabling advanced microgravity research and manufacturing, and unlocking a new space economy for government, corporate, and private customers. Using an incremental, hardware-rich and low-cost approach, Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station. Haven Demo’s 2025 success made Vast the only operational commercial space station company to fly and operate its own spacecraft. Next, Haven-1 is expected to become the world’s first commercial space station when it launches in 2027, followed by additional Haven modules to enable permanent human presence by 2030. With more than 1,000 employees at its Long Beach, California headquarters and over a billion dollars in private capital invested, Vast has built the facilities required to manufacture and operate America’s next space station. The company plans to develop future habitats for the Moon and Mars, dedicated space stations for government partners, and other crewed systems that will unlock the expanding long-term space economy.
Investor
May 2025
Overtune empowers independent artists by making music creation accessible to all. Our mission is to simplify the songwriting process with intuitive tools and a supportive community. Key features include a user-friendly platform for arranging beats, and the innovative LoopGen AI feature for generating custom loops. With Overtune, artists can focus on their creativity while easily sharing their music with the world.
mid stageMusic
Investor
Jul 2024
Mobile, containerized launch on demand and flight-proven satellite propulsion for responsive access to space.
Investor
Dec 2023
Decoding complexity. Empowering finance. Cense was created to support financial institutions and digital asset holders by transforming labour-intensive and time consuming onboarding processes. Our groundbreaking fintech and regtech fully automates compliance journeys within current AML/CFT rules. It unites the worlds of traditional banking and digital assets. Gives you a clearer perspective. And enhances your service offering. Drawing on our extensive expertise in blockchain technology for the financial sector, we’ve taken a revolutionary but missing step. Our pioneering tech forms a comprehensive view of virtual asset holders and their associated risk profile, swiftly and automatically, so you can smoothly and securely approve and automate money flows from a new wave of financial instruments. And stay within the regulations.
early stageBanking
Investor
Apr 2023
Unlocking a world of data and insight with next-gen Earth Observation satellites. To provide extremely broad coverage and ultra high-res SAR data, Alpha combines X and L bands with real-time onboard processing—delivering instant intel.     From environmental and natural-disaster monitoring to precision agriculture, infrastructure monitoring, broad-area surveillance, and security—Alpha’s SAR-XL technology collects data through clouds, smoke, and tree cover, and from below Earth’s soil. Alpha will provide unparalleled space-based information about our world, instantly, on a predictive analytics platform.
Investor
Dec 2022
Agrarius is the world’s first technology that communicates directly with plants to increase growth and resilience. Scientists have known for decades the plants use the mycelial network to communicate with each other. During times of hardship, distressed plants will emit chemical signals through their roots. These signals are dispersed through the mycelial network, triggering an adaptive response in nearby plants. Agrarius mimics these signals. The technology is tested and proven. Humanity can access the internet of the earth for the first time. We can now speak to plants. We can tell them how to grow. The implications are historic.
Investor
Nov 2022
Powering the future of defense and aerospace: high-performing, American-built propulsion and defense systems to support U.S. superiority across all domains.
Investor
Dec 2021
Axiom Space is a human space exploration company, building era-defining space infrastructure and delivering technology-driven solutions that will empower civilization to transcend Earth. Beginning with Axiom Station, successor to the International Space Station, the company is pioneering a next-generation orbital settlement that will foster groundbreaking innovation and research in microgravity and drive the global space economy of tomorrow. Today, guided by the vision of leading humanitys expansion off planet, Axiom Space is the principal provider of commercial human spaceflight services and developer of advanced spacesuits for the Moon and beyond. Connect with us: instagram.com/axiom.space/ twitter.com/axiom_space facebook.com/axiomspace/ youtube.com/axiomspace
Investor
Nov 2020
Phantom will do for space what Henry Ford did for the auto industry mass produced small satellite launch systems that lowers the cost of launch 2-3X below the best ride-share capabilities. We combine mass produced launch with mass produced small satellites, affordable in-space propulsion systems and our Phantom Cloud constellation to make space access simpler and more affordable in an expanding space economy.
Investor
Mar 2020
HealthPointe’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of consumers, through modernizing practitioner and consumer interactions with the power of true Cognitive Artificial Intelligence. We leverage our team’s deep expertise in healthcare, technology and next-generation AI to solve healthcare’s most difficult challenges.
Experience · 15 entries
All (15)
Investments (13)
2026
Investor
2026
Starcloud is building data centers in space to address the AI energy challenge. Starcloud recently launched the first Nvidia H100 to space. Starcloud was founded in January 2024 and raised a $170M Series A in early 2026, becoming the fastest unicorn in YC history. Their backers include Y Combinator (S24), Benchmark, EQT, NFX, In-Q-Tel, the NVIDIA Inception Program, and the World Economic Forums Technology Pioneers. Starcloud White Paper: Starcloud.com/wp Starcloud Concept Video: Starcloud.com
2025
Investor
Dec 2025
Vast is developing next-generation space stations to ensure continuous human presence in space for America and its allies, enabling advanced microgravity research and manufacturing, and unlocking a new space economy for government, corporate, and private customers. Using an incremental, hardware-rich and low-cost approach, Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station. Haven Demo’s 2025 success made Vast the only operational commercial space station company to fly and operate its own spacecraft. Next, Haven-1 is expected to become the world’s first commercial space station when it launches in 2027, followed by additional Haven modules to enable permanent human presence by 2030. With more than 1,000 employees at its Long Beach, California headquarters and over a billion dollars in private capital invested, Vast has built the facilities required to manufacture and operate America’s next space station. The company plans to develop future habitats for the Moon and Mars, dedicated space stations for government partners, and other crewed systems that will unlock the expanding long-term space economy.
Investor
May 2025
Overtune empowers independent artists by making music creation accessible to all. Our mission is to simplify the songwriting process with intuitive tools and a supportive community. Key features include a user-friendly platform for arranging beats, and the innovative LoopGen AI feature for generating custom loops. With Overtune, artists can focus on their creativity while easily sharing their music with the world.
mid stageMusic
2024
Investor
Jul 2024
Mobile, containerized launch on demand and flight-proven satellite propulsion for responsive access to space.
2023
Investor
Dec 2023
Decoding complexity. Empowering finance. Cense was created to support financial institutions and digital asset holders by transforming labour-intensive and time consuming onboarding processes. Our groundbreaking fintech and regtech fully automates compliance journeys within current AML/CFT rules. It unites the worlds of traditional banking and digital assets. Gives you a clearer perspective. And enhances your service offering. Drawing on our extensive expertise in blockchain technology for the financial sector, we’ve taken a revolutionary but missing step. Our pioneering tech forms a comprehensive view of virtual asset holders and their associated risk profile, swiftly and automatically, so you can smoothly and securely approve and automate money flows from a new wave of financial instruments. And stay within the regulations.
early stageBanking
Show all 15 entries ↓
Investment activity
2020–2026 · 13 investments
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