• GreenLancer

  Participated · Series A · Jul 2013

  GreenLancer is a Detroit, MI-based solar design and permitting company that offers an e-commerce platform delivering high-quality solar system designs needed to build and install solar electric systems. The platform allows contractors to manage projects, get quotes, and order and receive design services from one centralized place. GreenLancer completed a $5M Series B financing and intends to use the funds to accelerate growth. The investment came from a syndicate of new and existing investors. Led by CEO Zac MacVoy, the company is actively recruiting experienced software developers to expand its team and support product development. GreenLancer.com is a web-based solar energy engineering company that combines cloud computing with a national network of freelance 'greenlancers' to develop engineering plans for renewable energy projects. Its services include online technical documents, engineering services, and financial modeling to help contractors propose, develop, and design alternative energy systems. The company recently launched a 'Virtual Engineering Center' and added staff to meet sharply growing demand. GreenLancer reports operating in 32 states and six countries across four continents and serves notable clients as a subcontractor, including General Motors, DTE Energy, Occidental Oil and the U.S. Department of Defense (including work for U.S. Armed Forces in Afghanistan). Founded in 2011 and based in Detroit, the business targets reducing the soft costs of solar development by offering faster, more affordable engineering than traditional brick-and-mortar competitors. Financially, GreenLancer completed a $500,000 'A' round of private funding, which it says will support its ambitious growth plan and further business development. Greenlancer provides an online platform that breaks engineering projects into modular tasks and assigns them to a virtual network of engineers who bid on work, enabling remote collaboration for green-energy construction projects. The company calls its workflow an "assembly swarm," with software that identifies components, lays out plans, and coordinates CAD modeling, calculations, technical writing, site assessments, and certification. Typical engagements include new solar plants of about 200 kilowatts with project budgets of roughly $750,000–$1,000,000; Greenlancer says it completes work at about one-third the cost and in one-fifth the time of traditional engineering firms. The service still uses onsite visits when needed to collect site data, but much of the design and reporting is produced remotely. Greenlancer has completed 290 projects across 25 states. The founders say they are starting in green tech and plan to expand into larger markets if successful. The company graduated from Detroit’s Bizdom accelerator and is pursuing institutional funding in the near term.

• Chalkfly

  Participated · Seed · Apr 2013

  Chalkfly is a web-only e-commerce platform focused exclusively on office and school supplies, offering over 50,000 products. The company differentiates itself with a charitable model that donates 5% of every sale to a teacher or school selected by the customer (or to a nearby school if no recipient is chosen). It emphasizes customer experience with a simple storefront, free overnight shipping, 365-day returns and 24-hour customer service. Within six months the site has attracted thousands of users and clients, more than 1,000 teachers signed up to receive donations, and is on pace for $2 million in revenue this year. The founders left Google and IBM last year to launch the business, and the Detroit-based company plans to use new capital to double its five-person team and invest in technology and resources to improve ordering and customer service. Chalkfly aims to compete with big-box office-supply retailers by being web-only, easy to use and mission-driven through its donation program.

No current team members are available.