Led · Equity · Aug 2021

Tignis is a Seattle-based technology company that develops physics-driven AI process control and monitoring software for semiconductor manufacturing. Its PAICe product suite includes PAICe Maker (physics-driven AI computational modeling for equipment R&D and yield optimization) and PAICe Monitor (a digital twin query language for real-time monitoring and in-product fault diagnosis). Tignis’ technologies are currently in use by multiple top-five global semiconductor equipment companies and the company reports deployments in hundreds of facilities worldwide with signed contracts for next-generation tools. The company plans to use product development to advance sustainability and expand further into the semiconductor industry. Tignis positions its AI and machine-learning capabilities on a physics and engineering foundation to accelerate next-generation manufacturing, improve productivity, increase yield, shorten cycle time, and reduce costs and downtime. Tignis develops physics-driven, machine learning-enabled AI process-control software marketed as the PAICe product suite. PAICe Monitor provides a low-code interface for process engineers to find and investigate production problems, while PAICe Maker speeds simulations to enable adaptive, real-time control of complex OEM machinery. Its technology is deployed directly on semiconductor fabrication equipment and layered on top of existing manufacturing processes. Tignis reports deployments with multiple top-five global semiconductor equipment companies and signed contracts to provide AI process control for next-generation tools. The company says its technology is deployed in hundreds of facilities worldwide. Tignis will use the latest funding to expand its sales team and execute on current contracts to scale adoption; it previously completed the H4XLabs enterprise accelerator and has raised prior angel and seed funding. Tignis develops the PAICe Product Suite, an AI and machine-learning toolset that enables non-data scientists to build, validate, and deploy machine-learning solutions for manufacturing and process control. The suite includes a low-code programming language designed for machine analytics on digital twins and surrogate ML models that Tignis says are more accurate and up to one million times faster than physics-based simulations. Initial industry focus for the product is semiconductor manufacturing, oil and gas processing, and energy. The company says its technology is deployed in hundreds of facilities worldwide and aims to accelerate commercialization of AI capabilities for industrial customers. Tignis completed BMNT’s H4XLabs enterprise accelerator to support growth of its first commercial product. Financially, Tignis has raised $7.4M in angel and seed funding since its 2017 founding and announced a $1M investment from BMNT to accelerate product growth.

Led · Equity · Dec 2020

Koan builds OKR and status-tracking software focused on helping teams set and measure objectives via regular check-ins that aggregate individual updates across teams. Its product emphasizes small, repeated positive actions to drive long-term impact and includes features for tracking how individuals feel about key results. The company is pursuing a product-led growth strategy and has added a free tier to widen its top-of-funnel and encourage viral adoption within organizations. Koan plans to use new capital to staff up on engineering and accelerate product-led growth. The startup also acquired Horrible Design Co., a design firm it had previously worked with. Koan was co-founded by Matt Tucker, who earlier co-founded Jive. Koan offers a dashboard-driven platform that helps teams track progress toward big-picture goals, provide feedback, and replace status meetings with regular reflective check-ins. The product is explicitly oriented around OKRs and encouraging small, repeatable behaviors to drive impact. Koan emerged from stealth last year and already serves about 130 customers, including Carta, Iterable and Vacasa. The company is roughly 10 people and has launched a partner program for management consultants to implement changes using its software. Koan plans to use the new funding to hire talent and grow its platform. Competitors named in the coverage include Ally, 15Five, BetterWorks, Khorus and Workboard.

Participated · Seed · Dec 2015

Savonix offers Savonix Mobile, a fully mobile cognitive assessment platform available on Android and iOS that delivers accessible, accurate and affordable assessments for healthcare providers, payers and researchers. The company leverages machine learning to gather insights linking cognition to biomarkers and diseases such as diabetes and dementia. Led by clinical neuropsychologists and digital health technology experts, Savonix supports diagnostic screening and treatment-planning workflows. The company plans to accelerate growth and market expansion in the US and Asia and to further develop and add features to its lead product to better assess, track and monitor cognitive health. Savonix also intends to build personalized treatment plans and expand cognitive datasets, including for non‑Caucasian populations. Financially, Savonix completed a $9.6M Series A extension, bringing the total round to $14.7M. Founded in 2015 and based in San Francisco, Savonix provides Savonix Mobile, a mobile cognitive assessment platform that gives healthcare providers, payers and patients a comprehensive view of critical domains of cognitive function. The platform enables clinicians to assess, track and understand a patient’s cognitive health and to build individualized treatment plans. Savonix plans to use new funding to scale its business into global markets, including Japan and China, and to develop additional partnerships with medical organizations. The company also intends to invest in its data science and product teams to enhance the offering. Financially, the business announced a $5.1M Series A that brought its total financing to $6.6M. In conjunction with the round, executives from investors will join Savonix’s board. Savonix is a San Francisco, CA-based developer of an evidence-based digital neuro-cognitive assessment and brain health platform. Led by Dr. Mylea Charvat, CEO and Founder, Savonix is building a mobile platform that enables end users to conduct a full clinically recognized cognitive assessment directly from their mobile device in half an hour. The platform also provides a suite of complementary tools intended to help individuals, employers, and healthcare and primary care physicians evaluate and leverage results to improve brain health. The company closed $1.5M in seed funding and plans to use the proceeds to hire new staff and to launch and scale its flagship assessment product. Savonix's offerings are positioned at the intersection of clinical assessment and consumer-accessible mobile health.