Participated · Series A · Sep 2018

Treez is an enterprise cloud commerce platform that streamlines retail and supply chain operations within the cannabis industry, led by CEO John Yang. Its solutions include point-of-sale, dispensary inventory management, omnichannel sales capabilities and multiple cashless payment options on a mission‑critical, compliance-focused platform. The platform connects brands and retailers via a centralized brand catalog with real-time market insights and offers an extensible open API for integrations with CRM, marketplaces, payments and data analytics. The company plans to use the new funding to accelerate sales growth, drive product innovation (including new payments and advanced analytics) and enhance functionality for single-store and multi-store operators. It also intends to expand its geographic reach. Last year Treez expanded its workforce by 40% across 19 states and three countries; the company is valued in excess of $260 million. Treez is an enterprise-grade business management platform serving the cannabis supply chain. The platform offers point-of-sale (POS), integrated payments, grow and data software solutions, plus analytics and industry cataloging technology to enable greater automation. Its solutions benefit both brands and retailers across B2C and B2B commerce. Founded in 2016 and based in Oakland, Calif., Treez plans to use new funding to accelerate expansion into legal state retailers and to extend its reach through APIs into ERP, CRM and other complementary tech stacks. The company closed a $13M Series B on 18 September 2020 to support that growth. The funding is intended to deepen integrations and broaden adoption across retail and enterprise technology ecosystems. Treez offers enterprise-quality point-of-sale and retail management software tailored to dispensaries in the legal cannabis industry in the United States. The software is designed to ensure compliance, increase data-driven decision making, and improve productivity for dispensaries. Launched in 2016 by Shareef El-Sissi and CEO John Yang, the company serves as a retail management platform connecting dispensary operations. Treez raised $11.5M in a Series A funding round to support growth. The company intends to use the funds to expand its presence, pursue market expansion opportunities and invest in partnerships to connect each link in the supply chain. Treez is based in Oakland, California.

Participated · Equity · Feb 2018

SkyWatch operates a platform that makes Earth observation data accessible and portable for private-industry customers without requiring customers to re-architect systems or handle unfamiliar formats. The company offers a commercial marketplace (EarthCache) and a new product, TerraStream, for full-service data management, ordering, processing and delivery. SkyWatch also helps satellite operators source customers and handle sales and delivery, addressing go-to-market challenges faced by technical satellite startups. The company has built a strong revenue pipeline and recently announced a partnership with SatRevolution to integrate additional satellite data. The fresh funding will be used to accelerate the rollout of TerraStream and expand SkyWatch’s ability to connect satellite companies with customers. CEO and co-founder James Slifierz frames TerraStream as “Shopify for space,” highlighting integration with third-party ecosystems and the AWS Marketplace. SkyWatch's core product, EarthCache, enables application developers to integrate satellite imagery into any software application with an industry-leading user experience. The company also launched TerraStream, a solution for satellite operators that integrates data storage, cataloging, ordering, processing, and delivery to reduce operational and financial risk. SkyWatch's client roster grew more than 10x over the past year and it will soon surpass 100 customers across more than a dozen industries. The Series A funding will enable the company to accelerate growth toward 1,000 customers over the next 12 months while continuing to develop partnerships with leading satellite operators. The round underscores strong private-sector appetite for Earth Observation data and supports SkyWatch's plans to commercialize and scale its technologies globally. Financially, SkyWatch raised $7.5 million (approximately CAD 10 million) in the Series A to fund these growth and product initiatives. SkyWatch is a Waterloo-based company that operates EarthCache, a platform for aggregating and distributing Earth observation satellite data to applications and marketplaces. EarthCache lets companies integrate satellite data into their software while enabling satellite operators to distribute data to new and underserved markets. The company is negotiating distribution rights with more than 30 satellite operators and targets customers across agriculture, energy, finance, infrastructure, market intelligence, and other industries. SkyWatch raised $4 million and plans to use the funding for strategic hiring, accelerating product development, and building partnerships. CEO and co‑founder James Slifierz said the platform lowers barriers to using Earth observation data by making integration as easy as payments via Stripe or communications via Twilio. Previously, SkyWatch raised $50,000 from Communitech Rev Demo Day in October 2017.

Participated · Seed · Jun 2017

Lynq developed the human compass, a device that uses GPS to enable private, peer-to-peer location and data tracking without cellular networks or infrastructure. Its core technology is a licensable software and network protocol that can be integrated into other devices to enable decentralized device-to-device communication of location, messages, sensor and other low-bandwidth data over miles. The company currently sells its people compass direct-to-consumer and to government customers, which were the primary sources of 2020 revenue. Lynq also completed a $1.7M presale that helped drive early interest and investor traction. Management says licensing the software will evolve into its primary, high-margin and scalable revenue stream, shifting focus from device sales. Near-term plans include growing the team, completing software development, announcing integrations and partnerships, and beginning integration of the technology into licensee devices while continuing device sales. Lynq makes peer-to-peer location devices that let individuals and groups locate each other anywhere, independent of phones, cellular networks, Wi‑Fi and maps. Its rugged, waterproof hardware supports up to 40,000 units in a small area without interference. The company plans a B2B2C rental rollout followed by direct-to-consumer sales targeting families and outdoor enthusiasts, and also aims for government customers. Successful betas were conducted at Telluride and other ski resorts, and additional tests are scheduled at theme parks and festivals. The technology is under evaluation for use in disaster relief, search and rescue, and stealth operations. Lynq was founded in October 2014, is an alumnus of the HAX hardware accelerator, and is led by CEO Dave Shor.

Led · Series A · Feb 2017

Cuebiq provides a SaaS location intelligence platform that analyzes anonymous, aggregated offline location patterns to help marketers and app developers understand offline consumer journeys, measure campaign effectiveness, and enable geo-behavioral audiences for ad targeting. Its product set includes offline location analytics, real-time campaign optimization, footfall attribution, and audience creation for cross-platform advertising. The company reports a 3.2x year-over-year increase in revenue and a 2.4x YoY growth in its customer base, with over 1,300 companies and brands using its solutions. Cuebiq says the financing will support further product development, global expansion, and advancement of data privacy initiatives. The company plans to leverage blockchain technology to create an open data marketplace and is developing a proprietary app and consent/opt-out tooling to support GDPR-ready privacy practices. Cuebiq also runs a "Data for Good" initiative sharing location insights with researchers and nonprofit organizations to support causes like disaster response and smart city development. Cuebiq is a NYC-based provider of a location data platform led by CEO Antonio Tomarchio. Its data intelligence platform analyzes location patterns of 61 million monthly active U.S. smartphone users across more than 180 mobile apps. The company offers a SaaS-based suite including real-time campaign optimization, footfall attribution, geo-behavioral audiences for cross-platform ad targeting, and offline location analytics. Cuebiq delivers actionable insights about real-world consumer behaviors and trends without collecting any personally identifiable information. It serves publishers and advertisers and will use recent funding to enhance its tools and further develop its SaaS platform. The company also maintains offices in Chicago, Italy and China. Cuebiq operates a location intelligence platform that delivers geo-behavioral insights, offline attribution analysis, and audience segments for cross-platform ad targeting via products such as AudienceQ, VisitQ and InsightQ. Its proprietary data methodology and enriched mobile user data draw on more than 160 partner apps to improve data accuracy and enable offline analytics. The company sells tools that measure in-store visits and foot-traffic impact from advertising and offers audience segmentation and enrichment for marketers. Cuebiq plans to use its recent financing to grow publisher supply, expand product and sales teams, open new U.S. offices, and enhance predictive analytics and AI algorithms. The company is headquartered in New York and also has offices in Italy and China. Cuebiq closed a $3.5M Round A to support these growth initiatives.

Participated · Seed · Jun 2016

Crowded.com is a mobile-first candidate network for hourly and on-demand workers where users can maintain an employment profile, get verified, engage in training and assessments, explore potential career paths, and get matched to hourly jobs and on-demand gigs. Led by CEO Howard Schwartz, the company was in private beta with 50,000 workers and hosted hundreds of workers at meetups at its company headquarters. On June 28, 2016, Crowded.com closed a $3.3M seed funding round. The round was led by Tokalon Ventures, with participation from ARC Angel Fund, EarlyStage.nyc Fund, Gambit Ventures and angel investors including Joseph Saviano. The company intends to use the funds to further develop its technology, accelerate expansion of its worker network and increase staff headcount. The financing supports the company’s plans to grow its network and staffing as it develops its platform.