Omen AI
Series ADown to the molecule
A miniaturized spectrometer that reads AI data centers' liquid coolant molecule by molecule, catching contamination before it takes racks offline.
About
Omen AI drops a miniaturized spectrometer directly into a data center's liquid cooling loop, reading more than 21 elemental and biological signatures in real time โ the copper and chromium that signal pump wear, the silicon shed by degrading seals, and the bacteria before it blooms โ replacing the industry standard of mailing coolant samples to a lab and waiting days for results. As AI racks blow past 130 kilowatts, liquid cooling has become mission-critical plumbing, and a single contaminated loop can force a five-to-six-hour shutdown costing millions. Founded in San Francisco in 2024 by CEO Zach Laberge, a 20-year-old high-school dropout who previously sold sensor company Frenter, and CTO Matthew Maduzia, the company raised a $31M Series A led by Nava Ventures in June 2026, bringing total funding to roughly $41.5M. Its sensors are already deployed across data centers managing 10-14 gigawatts of capacity, with early customers including TensorWave.
DailyDropout Take
The timing here is physical, not manufactured hype: NVIDIA's GB200 racks already pull ~130kW and next-gen designs push toward 240kW, well past the ~35kW ceiling where air cooling gives up, so every liquid-cooling loop needs someone watching the water. Laberge has shipped fluid sensors since he was 14, and the backers betting on him โ CRV, filtration giant Mann+Hummel, and angels like Sheryl Sandberg โ look like they're wagering on the operator as much as the idea. The risk is execution: this is hardware, so scaling means manufacturing and long data-center sales cycles, and incumbent Pyxis Lab shipped a competing coolant monitor the same month Omen raised its round.
Discovery signal: A 20-year-old high-school dropout selling his first sensor company before 19, then raising a $31M Series A for his second, in a category (data-center liquid cooling) that's scaling as fast as AI rack density itself.
What Makes Them Unique
Continuous, real-time molecular readout of 21+ elemental and biological signatures in the coolant loop itself, versus the industry norm of periodic lab sampling that can miss a bacterial bloom or wear spike for weeks.
10-14 GW
Data Center Capacity Monitored
~$200B
Customer Assets Under Management
~$41.5M
Total Raised
Target Markets
Founders
Zach Laberge
Founder & CEO
A 20-year-old high-school dropout who founded a construction-equipment sensor company, Frenter, at 14 and sold it before turning 19. Built fluid sensors for cranes and forklifts before turning them on the racks powering AI.
Omen AI is hiring!
Team size: ~20
Funding History
Lead:
Lead: Nava Ventures
Investors
Firms
Individual Investors
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