The Venture Codex

Participated · Series C · Feb 2012

Amplidata develops object-based, software-defined storage with its Himalaya software as the core product for enterprises, service providers and OEMs. The company offers solutions aimed at large-scale object storage deployments and Exabyte-scale needs. Amplidata received a $10M strategic investment from Western Digital Capital and will collaborate with HGST to develop ultra-dense storage solutions. That partnership targets improved storage economics for public and private cloud data centers, with products expected in the first half of 2015. Founded in 2008 and led by chairman and CEO Mike Wall, Amplidata is headquartered in Milpitas, California, with European headquarters in Lochristi, Belgium. Sales and support are provided worldwide. Founded in 2008 by Mike Wall, Amplidata provides AmpliStor®, an object-based software-defined storage system for enterprise, private cloud, and hyperscale public cloud implementations. The product is designed to help organizations manage, secure, and exploit the value of the data they generate. Customers include leaders in telecommunications, cloud services, life sciences, media and entertainment, security and surveillance, and R&D. The company closed an $11M venture funding round led by Intel Capital with participation from existing investors Endeavor Vision, Hummingbird Ventures, Quantum, and Swisscom Ventures. Amplidata intends to use the funds to expand sales and marketing initiatives and to invest in its research and development team. Related prior funding referenced in the article includes $8M (02/29/2012) and $6M (09/12/2012). Amplidata provides AmpliStor optimized object storage aimed at large, mostly inactive unstructured data sets, using patent‑pending BitSpread/Rateless Erasure Coding and N‑way protection to deliver petabyte‑scale storage with very high durability and reduced capacity needs. The company says its technology requires 50–70% less storage capacity to protect data compared with traditional solutions and claims industry‑leading durability and availability. Quantum, an OEM partner, is integrating Amplidata’s object storage into a new family of Big Data management and tiered storage solutions, supporting go‑to‑market expansion. Amplidata announced a leadership change with Mike Wall named CEO to drive growth during a shift in enterprise IT. Financially, Amplidata received $6 million in additional funding in the announced round, bringing total invested to date to $20 million. The company was founded in 2008 and is operationally headquartered in Lochristi, Belgium with US headquarters in Redwood City. Amplidata offers AmpliStor, an optimized object storage product designed for multi-petabyte "big data" and demanding media workloads. Its BitSpread technology implements erasure coding for ultra-high throughput, accelerated data healing and strong durability guarantees. AmpliStor aims to minimize disk overhead, power consumption and total cost of storage by 50%–70% compared with typical multi-copy cloud storage approaches. The system provides policy-driven durability to "ten nine's and beyond," data-integrity assurance and self-healing capabilities. Amplidata has seen traction in digital media deployments, including the Montreux Jazz live video archive. The company intends to use additional funding to develop its sales and support organization across the US, Europe and Asia and to accelerate business with worldwide big data accounts. Amplidata launched AmpliStor in 2008 and operates from headquarters in Lochristi, Belgium with a US headquarters in Redwood City, California.

Participated · Series B · Dec 2010

Racktivity provides power management, rack control and software management solutions designed to save energy, reduce costs, improve uptime and reliability, and protect infrastructure investments and data in datacenters and service provider networks. The company was founded in 2008 and is based in Lochristi, Belgium. It recently raised funding to support growth and expand its commercial footprint. Racktivity is using the proceeds to expand sales efforts throughout Europe by growing the commercial organization and adding distribution channels. At the time of the report the company was hiring. Related past financings are noted in the article's related news. Racktivity sells combined hardware (including "pizza box" and vertical power distribution units) and a SaaS platform that monitors installed equipment, generates real-time reports, and can automatically power down idle servers and routers. Its hardware is being reviewed by Underwriter Labaratories for U.S. electrical-code compliance, with UL certification expected by February 2011. The company was founded in Belgium and has recently opened offices in Redwood City, California. Marco DeMiroz, a former Trinity Ventures partner, took over as CEO from founder Kristof De Spiegeleer in June 2010. Racktivity’s customers are primarily data center owners and operators with 300 cabinets or more; it also sells to small and medium businesses through a partnership with Zenith Infotech. With the new capital the company plans to hire about 20 employees over the next year and may establish manufacturing operations in the U.S.; its products are currently made in Europe. The company has signaled plans to unveil a new "disruptive value proposition" in the spring, but has not disclosed details. Racktivity develops management and control systems for the datacenter infrastructure layer, covering power, temperature, air flow, rack access, humidity and network connectivity. The company provides technology aimed at efficient monitoring and control of large-scale datacenters. Racktivity was founded in 2008 and is led by founder and current CEO Wilbert Ingels, who has prior senior management experience at Level 3 and Terremark. The company is based in Gent, Belgium. In January 2009 it closed a €1.2m funding round to support its operations and growth. Kristof De Spiegeleer is the primary investor and praised collaboration with lead investor Big Bang Ventures.

Led · Equity · Oct 2009

Shutl operates a web platform that connects retailers to local same-day courier companies to enable deliveries within minutes of purchase or inside a one-hour window selected by the shopper. The company says its fastest delivery is just under 15 minutes and that it makes a profit on every delivery. Over the past year Shutl has expanded across the UK and is preparing for a North American launch. Shutl plans to debut in the U.S. in Q1 2013, starting with New York and San Francisco, followed by a phase two roll‑out targeting multiple U.S. cities and Canadian markets including Montreal and Toronto. The startup first came on the scene in late 2009 and is led by founder and CEO Tom Allason. Recent fundraising is being used to bankroll the planned U.S. expansion. Shutl operates a platform that links retailers to local same-day courier companies, enabling customers to receive orders within as little as 90 minutes or within a one-hour window. The service is used by UK retailers including Argos, Aurora Fashions, B&Q Tradepoint, Karen Millen and Maplin and runs in over 60 towns across the UK. Shutl claims a world-record e-commerce delivery of 15 minutes, though that claim is not independently verified. The company plans to use new funding to expand its team, acquire retail partners and prepare a U.S. launch in early 2013; its CEO estimates the U.S. same-day market could be worth about $26bn by 2016. Founder and CEO Tom Allason previously founded and exited eCourier.co.uk. Shutl is positioned against large players like Amazon and eBay and startups such as Postmates. Shutl aggregates transportation carriers to offer rapid, short-window deliveries and has been piloting its service with UK retailer Argos. The company plans to use new funding to build a sales team, expand its platform and explore international markets. Founded in late 2008 and initially bootstrapped with £50,000 (matched by the team), Shutl completed subsequent financings in October 2009 and August 2010. It received £500,000 from a group led by Simon Murdoch and Big Bang Ventures in October 2009 and a £400,000 follow-on in August 2010. Operational traction includes average month-on-month sales growth of 89% in the first 12 months since first delivery (March 2010). The business is active in the UK market and positioning to scale commercially. Shutl is a stealth-mode UK startup led by founder and CEO Tom Allason that says it “promises to re-define e-commerce,” and the product appears tied to the courier/distribution space. The company is preparing an official launch later in the year; its website showed a countdown to December 31. Shutl has secured early-stage angel funding and is keeping operational details close to the vest while in stealth. Leadership additions include angel investor Simon Murdoch joining the board as non-executive chairman and Chris Öhlund as a non-executive director. Allason is a serial entrepreneur who previously founded eCourier.co.uk, which raised £8m from angels and a VC and which he left in 2008 with £7.5m in turnover and 250 staff. No operating metrics for Shutl itself were disclosed in the article.