• Rethink Robotics

  Participated · Series E · Jan 2017

  Rethink Robotics, based in Boston, provides smart, collaborative robots for manufacturers, including its Baxter and Sawyer robots powered by the Intera software platform. Its robots adapt to real-world variability, can change applications quickly and perform tasks like people do. The product suite is available in Asia, Europe and North America and is used by customers such as DECO Lighting, DHL and Wasion Group. The company raised $18m in new funding as part of its Series E financing. The new round included Adveq and previous investors Bezos Expeditions, CRV, Highland Capital Partners, Sigma Partners, DFJ, Two Sigma Ventures, GE Ventures and Goldman Sachs. Rethink said it will use the funds for global expansion initiatives and new product development. Scott Eckert is president and CEO. Founded in 2008 and led by President and CEO Scott Eckert, Rethink Robotics develops advanced robots and software for manufacturing environments. The company recently launched Sawyer, a single-arm robot that performs precise tasks such as machine tending and circuit board testing, expanding the market pioneered by its flagship Baxter (launched in 2012). Baxter and Sawyer are driven by the Intera software platform. Their robots are used by manufacturers and distributors across automotive, plastics, consumer goods, and electronics sectors. Rethink Robotics has raised $113.5M to date and closed a $40M Series D. The company intends to use the new funds for global expansion and product innovations. Rethink Robotics develops trainable robotic solutions for manufacturing and research, combining collaborative robots with human labor. Its Baxter robot, driven by the Intera software platform, is positioned as a workforce multiplier for sectors including automotive, plastics, consumer goods and electronics. The company also offers the Baxter Research Robot for academic and corporate research environments, featuring integrated sensors and an open software development kit for custom applications. Led by President and CEO Scott Eckert and based in Boston, Massachusetts, Rethink emphasizes an integrated workforce model. The company intends to use the new funding to support international expansion. Since its founding in 2008, Rethink has raised more than $100m. Rethink Robotics builds Baxter, its flagship product for manufacturing, and the Baxter Research Robot for research environments. The company describes these robots as safe, affordable and simple to use, repositioning robots for places they previously did not appear. Rethink says Baxter and the Baxter Research Robot are changing the definition of what robots are capable of. The company raised $11.5 million in new funding in a round led by Two Sigma Ventures. All existing investors—Sigma Partners, Charles River Ventures, Highland Capital Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Bezos Expeditions—also participated. The report was filed from Boston, MA; no revenue, user metrics, valuation, or instrument details were disclosed in the article. Rethink Robotics develops a new generation of manufacturing robots designed to improve productivity in manufacturing environments. The company plans to launch a new robot product and begin development of additional product lines. It intends to use the Series C proceeds to expand sales, marketing, and services operations. Rethink was founded by Rodney Brooks and is led by president and CEO Scott Eckert. The company was formerly known as Heartland Robotics and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. The article reports the company raised $30M in Series C financing.

• Aevi

  Led · Equity · Oct 2016

  Aevi provides a global gateway for secure payment transactions together with a marketplace for apps and services. Its core product set includes AEVI’s Marketplace, a white-label B2B App Store, alongside its payments gateway. The company completed a €30m capital increase to fund further development of its portfolio and to expand its global presence. Backers on the round included Adveq, which invested €10m, and HPE Growth Capital, which provided an initial €20m tranche in May 2016. Aevi was launched as an independent company in October 2015 and belongs to Diebold Nixdorf, which intends to retain a majority holding long term alongside the new investors. The company also has operations in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom and is led by Managing Director Reinhard Rabenstein.

• FirstCry

  Participated · Equity · Oct 2016

  FirstCry is India’s largest omni-channel retail platform for baby and kids products, offering a broad curated selection and an active online parenting community. The company operates both online and offline, with a prominent offline presence of 900+ stores across 350+ cities. Launched in 2010, FirstCry has expanded operations to Middle Eastern markets to grow its global footprint. It emphasizes a 360-degree omni-channel play and wide curation to serve parents and children across channels. Recently the company completed an INR 435 crore secondary transaction with Indian family offices, representing a liquidity event for existing shareholders. Management said the deal delivered multi-fold returns to early investors and welcomed new investors for their scaling expertise. FirstCry is a SoftBank-backed Indian baby products retailer. The company has raised about $315 million from private equity investors. Named investors in the deal include TPG, ChrysCapital and Premji Invest. DealStreetAsia independently confirmed the transaction. The article describes the investors as a "clutch of private equity investors." The article does not disclose operating metrics, valuation, or use of proceeds. FirstCry is an Indian retailer focused on baby and mother-care products. The company sells a range of infant and maternal care items through its retail channels. SoftBank Group Corp invested about $300 million (Rs 2,120 crore) in FirstCry against fresh equity shares. The transaction was structured as a fresh equity infusion into the company. The article does not disclose operating metrics, a valuation, or plans for use of proceeds. No other investors or prior fundraising details were reported in the article. FirstCry (operated by Pune-based Brainbees Solutions Pvt. Ltd) is an online-first retailer of baby and kids products that offers more than two lakh SKUs across categories such as diapering, feeding, skin and health care, toys, clothing and accessories. The company combines an e-commerce storefront with an offline footprint of around 183 stores across 29 states, with seventeen additional stores planned to open shortly. Founded in 2010 by Supam Maheshwari and Amitava Saha, FirstCry has grown through organic expansion and acquisitions, including the 2016 BabyOye deal. The firm is the most heavily funded baby-products e-tailer in India and has disclosed substantial recent fundraising activity that will materially affect its capitalization. Its latest financing activity, if completed, would bring total capital raised to nearly $500 million to date. Management claims broad product assortment and a multi-channel distribution strategy as core to improving unit economics and customer experience. FirstCry is an online retailer of baby products that also operates an expanding offline store network and a private label (BabyHug). It sells products online, runs branded franchisee stores across 85 cities, has almost 180 stores, and maintains distribution partnerships with over 6,000 hospitals. FirstCry plans to accelerate its omni-channel strategy following its cash-and-stock acquisition of Mahindra Retail's BabyOye chain, which adds about 120 brick-and-mortar stores. The combined business will operate under 'FirstCry.com—A FirstCry Mahindra Venture' with Supam Maheshwari remaining as CEO and Mahindra operating company-owned stores under a master franchise agreement. Financially, FirstCry raised $34 million in the latest round from the Mahindra Group, Adveq, Kris Gopalakrishnan and existing investors, bringing total funding to $125 million to date. Management and analysts say the deal should create synergies to speed the company's path to profitability and strengthen its leadership in the kids segment.

• Second Genome

  Participated · Series B · Apr 2016

  Second Genome develops novel medicines by integrating microbiome and host biology through a drug-discovery platform that identifies novel targets and candidate drugs. Its data analysis techniques enable identification of microbes and microbial biomarkers that influence disease states. The company combines these discovery capabilities with drug development expertise to accelerate the rapid discovery of therapeutic options across a range of microbiome-related diseases. Second Genome intends to use the new funds to accelerate translation of its microbiome discoveries into a pipeline of clinical opportunities. Leadership cited in the report includes newly appointed CEO Glenn Nedwin, Ph.D., CSO Karim Dabbagh, Ph.D., and chairman and co-founder Corey Goodman, Ph.D. Second Genome leverages a microbiome discovery platform that combines genomics technologies, computational biology, and phenotypic screening to identify novel proteins, peptides, and metabolites that play causal roles in human disease and wellness. The company is led by CEO Peter DiLaura and is based in South San Francisco, CA. It closed a $42.6M Series B and has raised $59M in total to date. Second Genome plans to use the funds to expand its Microbiome Discovery Platform across indications tied to barrier function, insulin sensitivity, and immune regulation. The company will also advance the clinical investigation of SGM-1019, a small-molecule inhibitor targeting a microbiome-mediated pathway, through human proof-of-concept studies. The platform-driven approach supports discovery of molecules intended to address inflammation and pain in ulcerative colitis and other indications. Second Genome develops a Microbiome Signature Discovery Platform to identify and validate microbiome signatures rapidly and accurately. The company focuses on microbiome-based personalized medicine for gastrointestinal diseases and disorders, including IBS, IBD, antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and necrotizing enterocolitis. It partners with academic researchers and manufacturers of novel and existing therapies — including developers of probiotic, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical products — to study therapy impacts on the gut microbiome and develop response signatures. The company intends to use the new funding to further develop its personalized medicine solutions for GI conditions. Second Genome was founded in 2009 as PhyloTech and is led by President and CEO Peter DiLaura and co-founder and Chairman Dr. Corey Goodman. The company is based in San Francisco, CA.

No current team members are available.