The Venture Codex

Participated · Series A · Jul 2022

XSET is a gaming organization and lifestyle brand that fields some of the world’s top competitive esports teams across titles including Valorant, Rocket League, Rainbow Six, Fortnite, Warzone, Apex Legends and eNASCAR. Founded in 2020 and based in Boston, MA, the company partners with brands such as Ghost Lifestyle, SCUF Gaming, Roots Canada, HyperX, Quality Control Music, Respawn, Fanshark and Wahlburgers. Since launch it has attracted talent from music, sports and entertainment including Swae Lee, Ozuna, Ezekiel Elliott, Nigel Sylvester, Tee Grizzley and Minna Stess. XSET raised $15M in a Series A to support growth. The company intends to use the proceeds to hire executive talent, expand marketing, and create content. It is opening a west coast office, gaming and content studio in Compton, CA and works with socially positive causes including Big Brother Big Sister of America. XSET is a gaming and lifestyle organization founded in 2020 that fields competitive esports teams and builds culture-driven merchandise and content. The company emphasizes diversity and equity, aiming to elevate representation of communities of color, women, and other underrepresented gamers. XSET partners with consumer brands such as Ghost Lifestyle, HyperX, SCUF Gaming, Roots Canada and Wahlburgers, and attracts talent across music, sports, and gaming. Its roster and collaborators include Grammy-nominated artists and pro athletes, and it fields top competitive squads including an all-female CS:GO team. XSET pursues content and brand collaborations alongside competitive play and merchandise as core offerings. The company announced a strategic partnership with QC Media Holdings/Quality Control that includes an investment and planned joint initiatives across content, music, talent recruitment, events, merchandise and licensing.

Participated · Seed · Apr 2021

Toucan builds a Chrome extension that scans webpage text and replaces select words with translations in users' target language to create passive, contextual vocabulary learning. The product supports seven languages (Spanish, Korean, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese) and blends human translators with machine learning and natural language processing to ensure contextual, progressively personalized translations. The company reports about 60,000 monthly active users acquired organically. Toucan operates a freemium model with a Toucan Premium subscription starting at $4.99 per month that increases translation density and offers ad opt-out and sponsorship (“own a word”) features. The startup has a small team (about 12 employees) and plans to grow headcount and expand browser support. Future product plans include internationalizing translations (e.g., Spanish↔English), launching a Safari extension, supporting more browsers and integrating the layer into mobile apps and physical-world experiences. Toucan’s Chrome extension teaches users languages by translating a subset of words on English-language websites into the learner’s target language, with the original English revealed on hover. It currently supports Spanish, French, Italian, German and Portuguese. The product combines natural language processing with teams of translators, including college professors and students, and allows users to report incorrect translations. Toucan is experimenting with engagement and monetization features such as paid "word ownership" sponsorships and a premium subscription that unlocks additional vocabulary while keeping a large portion of the offering free. The company plans to add new languages, launch Firefox and Safari extensions, and explore applying the same approach to other subjects like history or science. Financially, the startup announced a $3 million seed round led by GSV Ventures with participation from several venture firms and strategic angel investors.

Participated · Series A · Apr 2020

H1 is a nine-year-old healthcare data platform that compiles and sells detailed information about physicians to pharma companies, hospital systems, and health insurers. The company emphasizes that its core asset is proprietary provider data, which it views as difficult for AI models to replicate and potentially valuable to AI model makers. H1 turned cash flow and EBITDA profitable last year and is forecasting more than 40% growth this year. The startup has grown organically and through acquisitions of smaller competitors and complementary businesses. H1 raised $100 million led by Altimeter Capital in November 2021 at a $750 million valuation. The recent investment by CVS Health Ventures establishes a strategic partnership with a major healthcare company.

Participated · Series A · Jul 2018

Blavity builds products and experiences for Black millennials through a portfolio of digital media brands. Its properties include Blavity News, AfroTech, 21Ninety, Shadow & Act and Travel Noire. Together those brands reach more than 7 million millennials per month. Founded in July 2014 by Morgan DeBaun, Jonathan Jackson, Aaron Samuels and Jeff Nelson, the company combines tech and media offerings. Blavity raised $6.5M in its first funding round and intends to invest that capital across its brands and to open a new office in Atlanta. The company’s stated plans focus on scaling audience engagement and expanding its product and geographic footprint.