Participated · Seed · Feb 2020

Gridwise offers a mobile app for rideshare and gig drivers that aggregates real-time airport activity, local events, weather, and traffic to help drivers boost earnings. The app has evolved to let users track earnings across platforms (Uber, Lyft) and to track mileage and expenses. According to Gridwise, over 300k rideshare and delivery drivers use its free app. The company has expanded into financial products via a partnership with Kover (now Seel) to launch Gridwise Protection, an income protection and sick leave product for drivers, though that product is not accepting new customers at this time. Earlier this year Gridwise announced it will offer users benefits from Avibra’s Dollar Benefits Store. Founded in 2016, the company continues to focus on tools and benefits tailored to gig‑economy drivers. Gridwise collects and aggregates data from traffic services, social media, weather, events, local news and crowdsourced driver inputs via its mobile app to provide real-time alerts and aggregate analytics. The company says drivers using its app have produced 300 million tracked ride-hailing miles and that drivers can earn as much as 39% more per hour. Gridwise works across platforms including Uber, Lyft and Via, and already tracks food delivery starting with Uber Eats. The Pittsburgh-based startup, founded in 2016, plans to unlock ride-share and delivery insights for municipalities, mobile service platforms, insurance providers and other stakeholders. Product plans include expanding tracking to grocery and parcel deliveries to broaden its view of how people and goods move in cities. The company positions its cross-platform data as a differentiator versus single-provider programs and aims to monetize aggregate analytics for corporate and municipal customers. Gridwise aggregates third-party APIs (traffic, social media, weather, events, local news) and crowdsourced driver data to deliver real-time alerts on where and when to drive. The app notifies drivers about airport congestion, event-driven demand, and weather, and tracks mileage, time, earnings, and trips. It offers a free basic tier and a paid Gridwise Plus plan ($10/month or $96/year) with additional features like 24-hour airport graphs and real-time flight status. Gridwise says it can help drivers earn as much as 39% more per hour and reports some 40,000 drivers using the app across 18 U.S. cities, including recent launches in San Francisco and San Jose. Founded in 2016 and a Techstars alum, the company is headquartered in Pittsburgh and had seven employees at the time of the article. Management plans to invest in R&D for autonomous ride-hailing use cases and pursue international expansion after growing its U.S. driver network.

Participated · Equity · Jun 2019

Edge Case Research develops software and services aimed at making autonomy safe, centered on Hologram, its intelligent safety assessment platform for autonomous vehicle software. Hologram automatically finds scenarios in which autonomous vehicles fail to detect pedestrians, vehicles, and other road users and supplies developers with information to retrain their algorithms. The company intends to use the newly secured funds to expand development of Hologram. It is partnering with Underwriters Laboratories to provide leadership in creating the UL 4600 standard for the safety of autonomous products and acted as the primary subject matter experts for the initial draft. As part of the investment, industry leaders will join the company's board. Edge Case serves clients across automotive, aerospace, defense, consumer electronics, and industrial power systems.

Led · Seed · Aug 2016

ANGLR builds an app-centered platform for recording and planning fishing trips, emphasizing trip-level summaries rather than single-catch entries. The company pairs software with hardware — including patent-pending connected tracking accessories and forthcoming wearables — to automate data capture without needing to pull out a phone. ANGLR works with weather and water data providers and has spent years refining GPS and pathing to support diverse fishing scenarios. The system has existed for about five years and the company has logged thousands of catches. Founders Nic Wilson and Landon Bloomer started the Pittsburgh-based business and plan to add AR and expand their wearables and device lineup. Financially, the company recently closed a $3.3 million Series A to support product and hardware expansion. Anglr builds the Anglr Tracker, a compact activity tracker that attaches to fishing rods and senses casts, catches, and position to automatically log trips. The device can mark productive spots and remind users when to return. The founders are Nic Wilson, Landon Bloomer, and TJ Corbett. The team launched an app and acquired 6,000 users in a month, and has retailer interest from Cabela’s and Field & Stream. Anglr received $1 million in seed funding from Bluetree Allied Angels to build out the hardware and is working with a Pennsylvania manufacturer for prototyping, tooling, and production. The device is slated to ship in November.

Participated · Series C · Dec 2014

Rinovum Women’s Health develops and markets The Stork products, including The Stork OTC, a home-use cervical cap insemination aid designed to help couples conceive privately. The company received FDA clearance for over-the-counter use of its product in July 2014. Since that clearance it has launched in three markets: the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with product available at select retailers and online. The Stork OTC incorporates a condom-like collection sheath and a tampon-like delivery/removal cap to enable at-home use before or after more costly in-clinic treatments. Rinovum emphasizes affordability and ease-of-use as core product attributes and says customer feedback, including reports of pregnancies, is driving its intent to continue worldwide expansion. The company is privately held and has been supported by regional investors and incubators. Intimate Bridge 2 Conception (Ib2C) is a Pittsburgh-based direct-to-consumer medical device company focused on reproductive health. Led by founder and CEO Steve Bollinger, the company develops healthcare products to help women and couples achieve reproductive goals. Its lead product, the Stork, is a proprietary, non-pharmaceutical device intended to assist couples with conception at home and is being evaluated by the FDA for safety and effectiveness. Ib2C positions the Stork as an alternative to assisted reproductive technology (ART). The company closed a $4.3M Series A financing and said it will use the capital for manufacturing and marketing to prepare for the product's planned 2012 launch. The financing was reported on December 22, 2011. Intimate Bridge to Conception, Inc. is a newly formed Pittsburgh, PA-based medical device company focused on reproductive health to aid natural fertility and conception at home. Launched in September by founder and CEO Stephen Bollinger, the company provides healthcare products designed to help women and couples reach their reproductive goals. Its lead technology, Focus Touch™, is a take-home, conception aid system designed to have similar results to Interauterine insemination (IUI). The company received $475k in equity funding to support its development efforts. The proceeds from the investment will be used to help bring its product to market. Intimate Bridge to Conception aims to offer a private, at-home alternative to clinical fertility procedures.

Participated · Series B · May 2014

Gemmus Pharma is a San Francisco biotechnology company developing host-targeted treatments for influenza, led by CEO Daryl Faulds, PhD. The company is advancing GP1681, an orally available eicosanoid for moderate to severe influenza symptoms. Founded in 2007, Gemmus focuses on modulating the host response to infectious disease rather than direct antiviral mechanisms. It is a member of the QB3 network at UCSF Mission Bay. The company intends to use the new funds to complete production and toxicology studies in support of an IND filing by the end of the year.