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Tech20-year-old high school dropout Zach Laberge raises $31M for AI data center liquid cooling monitoring startup Omen AI
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Zach Laberge, a 20-year-old high school dropout from Nova Scotia, raised $31 million in Series A funding for his startup Omen AI, which monitors liquid cooling systems in AI data centers. The company's sensors continuously analyze coolant for contamination, metal particles, and bacteria, providing real-time results instead of the traditional days-long lab testing process. This helps prevent costly shutdowns of AI chip clusters. Nava Ventures led the round, with participation from CRV, Sheryl Sandberg, Mann+Hummel, and TensorWave executives. Omen has raised $41.5 million to date and has over a dozen customers, mostly specialized AI cloud providers. The company, founded in 2024, initially targeted construction excavators before pivoting to data centers. Laberge hires for skill over credentials, and most of the 30 employees are college dropouts. The funding will be used to grow the engineering team and scale manufacturing.
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As AI chips grow more powerful — and generate more heat — data centers are shifting from air-based cooling to liquid-based systems. For the latest generation of AI hardware, fans alone can no longer dissipate enough heat.
This transition has introduced a new challenge: keeping coolant from degrading or becoming contaminated. Omen AI, a startup founded in 2024, announced a $31 million funding round in June to address this issue.
Real-Time Coolant Monitoring
Traditionally, data centers mail coolant samples to laboratories for analysis, waiting days for results to assess system health. Omen's sensors continuously analyze coolant in real time, detecting:
- Contamination
- Metal particles
- Bacteria
- Other signs of degradation
Zach Laberge, Omen's 20-year-old founder and CEO, described the technology as a "blood test" for cooling systems. The goal is to catch problems early, preventing costly shutdowns of AI chip clusters to flush contaminated coolant — a process that can cost millions in lost computing time.
From Construction to Data Centers
Laberge originally founded Omen in 2024 to build sensors for excavators in the construction industry. After about a year, he realized the company's fluid-monitoring technology was "100 times more valuable for data centers."
Funding and Investors
Nava Ventures led the Series A round, with participation from:
- CRV
- Sheryl Sandberg, former Facebook COO
- Mann+Hummel
- Executives from TensorWave, an AI cloud startup and Omen customer
Omen has raised $41.5 million to date.
Business Model and Customers
Omen sells permanent sensors and portable devices through subscriptions priced per megawatt. The company has more than a dozen customers, Laberge said, most of which are neoclouds — specialized AI cloud providers. Omen is also beginning to work with larger cloud companies.
Beyond data centers, Omen's devices also analyze fluids in industrial machinery.
Founder Background
Laberge said he has been creating companies since childhood in Nova Scotia, including ventures selling smartwatches, running a dog-cookie business, and operating a tool-rental platform.
Team and Growth Plans
Omen has 30 employees in San Francisco, most of whom are college dropouts, according to Laberge. He said he hires for skill over formal credentials. The company will use the new funding to expand its engineering team and scale manufacturing.
Note: The pitch deck Omen AI used to raise its Series A round has been redacted for public sharing.
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High school dropout raises $31 million for AI data center liquid cooling monitoring startup Omen AI