• Digital Lumens

  Participated · Equity · Oct 2014

  Digital Lumens builds smart LED lighting systems that combine mobile connectivity and software-based controls to bring IoT-style intelligence to industrial spaces such as warehouses. The company positions its platform to deliver efficiency, insight, safety, and operational intelligence through enterprise-scale lighting networks. Digital Lumens claims to be the first to introduce smart lighting systems that can scale and reports coverage of more than 100 million square feet across 35 countries. Its leadership includes CEO Tom Pincince and founder/CTO Brian Chemel, who previously worked at Color Kinetics. The article notes LED lighting is typically more energy efficient and cheaper to run, a trend Digital Lumens is leveraging. The company plans to use investment to expand its technology and market reach globally. Financially, the round discussed brings total capital raised to just under $50 million. Digital Lumens offers intelligent LED lighting systems and service offerings for commercial and industrial customers. The Boston, MA-based company is led by Tom Pincince, President and CEO. It currently has more than 500 large-scale installations of its system across a range of commercial and industrial facilities worldwide. Digital Lumens is extending its product family to address a broad range of new environments. The company intends to use new capital to accelerate expansion into new segments and international markets and to further develop its product and service offerings. Digital Lumens is currently hiring as it scales. Digital Lumens produces LED-based, networked lighting fixtures and accompanying LightRules software that lets facility operators set automated behaviors based on occupancy and other factors. The company targets warehouses, cold-storage and broader industrial facilities, emphasizing energy efficiency and durability in demanding environments. Digital Lumens plans near-term expansion into Canada and Mexico and is exploring longer-term opportunities in European and Asian markets. The Series B proceeds will fund international growth and development of more granular LightRules features, including automated response to energy pricing. Customers such as Americold have reported substantial energy savings after replacing older systems with Digital Lumens LEDs. The company’s leadership, including CEO Tom Pincince and CFO Mike Rubino, has expressed hopes for an eventual U.S. public offering.

• Next Step Living

  Participated · Series D · Jun 2014

  Next Step Living is a Boston-based provider of home energy solutions that delivers energy-efficient and environmentally friendly measures. Led by founder and CEO Geoff Chapin, the company provides informed advice, funding guidance and expert work to more than 400 municipalities, civic organizations and corporations. It operates in Massachusetts and Connecticut and employs more than 800 people. The company's core offerings include consultation, funding guidance and implementation of energy-efficiency projects for homes and organizations. The business recently received new capital to support its growth and market expansion plans. Next Step Living provides residential energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions to homeowners. The company conducts home energy audits and implements efficiency and renewables measures. Since 2008 it has worked on over 25,000 homes and conducts about 1,600 audits a month. The business intends to use new capital to expand in Connecticut, Maryland and other mid-Atlantic states. Leadership named in the article includes Geoff Chapin and founder/CEO Brian Greenfield, along with other senior executives. The company recently strengthened its financial position by raising a Series C to fund growth. Next Step Living provides home energy diagnostics and residential energy-efficiency improvements to customers across the greater New England area. The firm is Boston-based and emphasizes socially conscious, environmentally focused, and results-driven work. Its services aim to help customers lower energy bills, increase home comfort, and reduce their carbon footprint. The company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to report the financing. The filing states the company raised equity capital to support its operations and growth in the region. Next Step Living is a residential energy efficiency and renewable energy company based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 2008, it provides home energy diagnostics and improvements across the greater New England area. Its services aim to help customers lower energy bills, increase home comfort, and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. In August 2010 the company completed a $2.6M Series B financing. The company has used proceeds to expand its workforce, including recruiting eight advisors, and the lead investor joined Next Step Living's board.

• Powerit Solutions

  Led · Series C · Dec 2012

  Powerit Solutions develops the Spara EMS® platform to link industrial facilities with the smart grid and enable automated energy demand management for savings and sustainability. Spara uses sophisticated algorithms, built-in load-shedding intelligence, and data from equipment, electricity meters, and utility transmissions to optimize facility energy use without compromising production or quality. The company reports hundreds of existing installations and manages an estimated 571 megawatts of electrical load in North America, and it maintains active collaborations with utilities, OEMs, and system integrators. Powerit has sales partnerships with four U.S. automation distributors that together operate in 20 states. The company plans to launch a hosted cloud product, SparaHub, in early 2013 to provide real-time pricing and demand response event data and to simplify partner integrations. It intends to use recent funding to expand strategic relationships and pursue expansion in the European market. Powerit Solutions is a Seattle-based cleantech company that plugs energy-intensive businesses into the smart grid using its Spara energy management technology. Spara is designed to help users increase energy efficiency, cut peak-rate usage, participate in demand response programs and respond advantageously to dynamic pricing. The company completed a $5M funding round led by new investor Black Coral Capital, with participation from existing investors. Powerit intends to use the funds to extend its reach in key manufacturing verticals, develop partnerships with OEMs and energy services firms that want to use Spara to connect their customers to the smart grid, and add channel partners in North America and internationally. Effective March 7, 2011, Matthew J. Schiltz, former president and CEO of DocuSign, will serve as CEO, lead international operations and take a seat on the board.

• Noesis

  Led · Series B · Sep 2012

  Noesis Energy provides an online energy management service combining big data services and energy analytics to help commercial building and energy professionals understand and control energy costs. The company emerged from a five-month private beta that registered more than 4,400 buildings and 380 million square feet across commercial real estate, retail, hospitality, state and local government, and other verticals. Noesis offers a free tier (Noesis Free) for tracking energy performance, benchmarking and incentive tracking, and a premium tier (Noesis Pro), launching in the fourth quarter, with advanced analytics, project ROI modeling, planning/budgeting and measurement & verification. The service is designed as an open platform to enable collaboration among energy managers, consultants, vendors and financing partners and to support online energy commerce. Noesis announced an $8M Series B led by Black Coral Capital with additional investment from Austin Ventures, and Black Coral partner Rob Day will join the board. The company maintains offices in Austin, Texas and Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.

• Solantro Semiconductor

  Led · Series A · May 2012

  Solantro Semiconductor Corp. is an Ottawa-based developer of semiconductor chipsets and Reference Designs for module-integrated electronics within distributed solar PV solutions. Founded in 2009 and led by Founder and CEO Antoine Paquin, the company designs, manufactures and markets chipsets and reference designs for use within distributed solar PV power conversion equipment. It has established product development partnerships with select global PV module and Balance of System (BOS) manufacturers to drive availability of intelligent power conversion solutions. Targeted products include dc-optimizers, nano-inverters and micro-inverters in highly integrated, scalable form-factors. These solutions address traditional c-Si, BIPV and Thin-Film module integrated electronics in power ratings from 50W to +300W. The company completed a $10M Series A financing.

No current team members are available.