Participated · Series A · Aug 2018

Backbone is a cloud-based, next-generation workflow suite that centralizes design, development, and production information for consumer goods companies. Its SaaS platform, launched in July 2019, automates data import, integrates with apps like Shopify, NetSuite, and Slack, and replaces outdated PLM tools. Backbone’s product improves cross-functional visibility, speeds time to market, reduces revision cycles and waste, and supports data-backed decision making. The company works with more than 150 companies, including Allbirds, Warby Parker, Outdoor Voices, Uppababy, Serena & Lily, Betabrand, and Parachute Home. Recent funding was used to advance the platform and expand into fashion, furniture, home and hard goods, and textiles. Backbone plans to increase staffing, hire a Chief Operating Officer, and double headcount from about 50 to over 100 by Q2 2020. Financially, the company has closed an $18M Series A and has raised $23M in total to date. Backbone PLM is a cloud collaborative platform that automates design and production processes for consumer goods and direct-to-consumer brands. It enables teams to manage milestone calendars, create tech packs, iterate designs, and track factory communications, samples, approvals, cancellations, actions and purchase orders through to the end product. The platform aims to reduce lead times across the supply chain and help brands get products to market faster. Founded by brothers Matthew and Andrew Klein, the company works with more than 100 direct-to-consumer brands, including Allbirds, Kith, Outdoor Voices, Parachute Home, Stitch Fix and Warby Parker. Backbone is based in Boulder, Colorado and recently completed an $8M Series A financing, which included $6.7M in Series A equity plus a convertible note. The company says the investment will be used to accelerate growth and continue product innovation.

Participated · Equity · Oct 2017

Reachify is an intelligence platform that aggregates data and insights to help buyers and sellers of enterprise software make more informed decisions. The company positions itself as the first software-evaluation platform for enterprise technology buyers and a customer-evaluation platform for software sellers, harnessing data and its community to deliver real-time actionable insights. Buyers at Fortune 500 companies and the Internet Retailer Top 500 are already using Reachify to inform purchases, and sellers use its insights to reduce sales friction. Reachify says it accurately reflects players in the rapidly evolving enterprise technology industry and helps buyers discover optimal partners among thousands of sellers. The company closed a $1.5 million funding round to expand its reach in retail and to build traction in new categories including travel, insurance, banking, automotive and consumer packaged goods. Cindy Lincks is CEO and Founder.

Participated · Series A · Oct 2016

Brickwork is a NYC-based SaaS omnichannel retail marketing platform that provides tools for physical retail stores to influence decision-making and improve customer experience. Founded in 2013 by CEO David Munczinski, the platform includes advanced store locators and location pages, apps for appointment, event and promotion management, and a customizable content management system. It also supplies key data and analytics to support retailers' operations and marketing. The company serves global brands such as Urban Outfitters, J. Crew and Bonobos. Brickwork intends to use the new funding to expand sales and marketing efforts and continue strengthening the platform.

Participated · Series A · Jun 2016

PredictSpring provides an omni-channel commerce platform and modern POS technology supporting full POS, mPOS, cash management, clienteling, endless aisle, inventory management and curbside pickup. The platform serves multiple verticals including apparel and footwear, luxury, health and beauty, jewelry and watches, winery and liquor stores, home furnishing and decor, and telco. PredictSpring’s Modern POS is deployed on thousands of terminals across 25 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and South Korea. The company has achieved fiscal compliance for POS software in several European countries (France, Austria, Italy, Portugal, Germany) and in Mexico. Led by CEO Nitin Mangtani, PredictSpring plans to use new capital to accelerate growth of its omni-channel business and expand R&D and go-to-market teams. PredictSpring provides a mobile-first Modern POS platform that enables omnichannel inventory management, clienteling, endless aisle, multi-tender transactions, cash management and curbside pickup. The platform runs on handheld devices including iPhone and iPad so store associates can complete secure transactions anywhere in the store. Key features include full POS/mPOS, clienteling with purchase and loyalty data, endless aisle integration of in-store and online inventory, curbside pickup, cash management, multi-tender support, and inventory management (including RFID and cycle counting). PredictSpring powers omnichannel commerce for brands and retailers such as Claudie Pierlot, Deciem, Maje, vineyard vines, PacSun, Sandro, Torrid, and Suitsupply. Led by CEO and founder Nitin Mangtani, the company plans to use recent funding to expand into new verticals including home furnishing, wineries and beverages, outdoor, and sporting equipment. The company received a strategic investment from Salesforce Ventures; the amount was not disclosed. PredictSpring helps brands and retailers create truly native mobile shopping experiences and also builds in-store mobile tools for sales staff. Its platform offers consumer features such as geofenced notifications and barcode scanning, plus salesperson-facing apps to look up customer and product information. Customers include Calvin Klein, Cole Haan and Nine West, and the company reports an average 200–300% improvement in conversions. PredictSpring is focused on improving both the mobile consumer experience and in-store technology. Financially, the company announced an $11.4 million Series A and had previously raised $2 million in seed funding. PredictSpring was founded by longtime Googler Nitin Mangtani to help brands and retailers accelerate mobile commerce. Its core product is a no-code mobile app development platform that produces "100 percent native" shopping-enabled apps. The company says the first apps built on the platform went live at the end of last year. Customers using the platform include Cole Haan, Eddie Bauer, Bluefly and Woodcraft. PredictSpring is also launching a Commerce Gateway to enable Buy buttons and shopping from ads and social channels (for example, Instagram). The Commerce Gateway provides a single API to integrate e-commerce platforms, inventory systems, payment providers, product catalogs and loyalty programs. PredictSpring has raised $2 million in funding from external investors.

Participated · Equity · Apr 2015

Inturn provides software that enables a two-sided marketplace to streamline the sale of unsold clothing and retail products through controlled offerings. An estimated $500 million worth of products are currently available on Inturn’s platform, and the company says it has attracted several marquee clients it declines to name. Inturn generates revenue from subscriptions and by taking a cut of processed transactions. CEO Ronen Lazar estimates a $250 billion addressable market and says the company aims to digitize slow, error-prone industry processes. Investors are backing rapid growth, with B Capital Group saying it will support Inturn at its next stage of growth. The startup was launched in 2013 and is based in New York. INTURN is a global B2B SaaS platform that reinvented the way brands and retailers sell and purchase off-price inventory, operating private online showrooms with a mutual opt-in process to protect brand integrity. The company’s first vertical focus is the $250 billion fashion and apparel sector. Its online marketplace brings buyers and sellers from around the world together and provides automated tools to replace manual, error-prone processes, helping retailers find inventory and brands recover inventory more profitably. INTURN plans to use the $9.7 million Series A to expand its sales and client services teams to support a growing network of global brands and retailers. The financing brings total funding to $13.6 million. INTURN has assembled an advisory board of off-price and retail leaders including Michael Newman, Stephen Milstein, Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, David Margolis and others. INTURN launched a B2B software platform that reinvents how fashion brands and retailers sell and purchase off-price inventory of apparel, footwear and accessories. The platform offers a private, secure marketplace with detailed product information, tailored transaction rules and analytics, and private online showrooms. INTURN’s first vertical focus is fashion and apparel and the product is designed to replace manual, spreadsheet-driven liquidation processes to increase profitability and reduce unnecessary discounts. The company cites a roughly $250 billion annual global off-price apparel inventory market as the opportunity it targets. INTURN is led by CEO and co-founder Ronen Lazar with co-founders Charlie Ifrah and Israel Schachter, and has enlisted industry veterans Michael Newman and David Margolis as advisors. The company announced it completed a $3.6 million capital raise to support its platform launch and growth.