Participated · Series A · Mar 2021

Pison builds a patented, non-invasive neural sensing platform that uses electroneurography (ENG) algorithms and a novel wrist sensor array to detect brain activity from three nerve bundles. Its AI (active and passive) extracts neurocognitive metrics to assess mental acuity and impairment from sleep loss, fatigue, anxiety, neurodegeneration, substances, and subconcussive injuries. The company targets applications across cognitive performance, fitness, safety, disease diagnostics and management, and gesture control. Pison has mobile apps and subscription services that it says will redefine cognitive performance and productivity across home, athletic, workplace, and mission-critical settings. Founded in 2016, Pison has received funding from MIT, the National Science Foundation, the ALS Association, and multiple SBIR awards from the U.S. Department of Defense. The company positions its technology as aligned with recent NDAA emphasis on neural biosensors for warfighter health and readiness. Founded in 2016 and led by CEO Dexter Ang, Pison Technology develops an insights platform that captures neuromuscular signals on the surface of the skin and combines them with machine learning and AI. Its core technology interprets intended hand and finger movements and transmits those signals to control digital devices, often before the physical motion is completed. The company positions its platform for innovations in medicine, sports performance, and general wellness. Pison has partnered in development with Google, Microsoft (Hololens), Mitsubishi Electric, Samsung, Boston Dynamics and others. It closed a $7M Series A and intends to use the funds to launch market-ready products with a series of ecosystem releases beginning in late 2021.

Led · Equity · Feb 2021

Founded in 2016 and based in Pretoria, hearX builds smartphone-based, patented technology for hearing prevention, detection, diagnosis and management. The company’s product suite includes the Lexie Lumen hearing aid and a new direct-to-consumer offering called Lexie Hearing. Lexie Hearing launched in the US and offers remote access to hearing experts, at-home personalization and programming, and a Lexie Rewards program. hearX positions its products as affordable and accessible and says it has touched over 1.5 million lives globally. In 2020 the company secured an $8.3-million investment led by Bose Ventures to bolster the US launch of Lexie Hearing. The funding complements hearX’s existing smartphone-delivered hearing-care tools and aims to accelerate growth in the consumer hearing-aid market.

Participated · Series B · Sep 2019

Embr Labs makes the Embr Wave® wristband, a patented wearable that delivers precisely calibrated cooling or warming sensations to provide instant, discreet control over hot flashes and related menopause symptoms. Led by CEO Elizabeth Gazda and based in Boston, MA, the company markets the device through major retail and distribution partners. Embr Wave is available at Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart, FSA Store and HSA Store, BestBuy, and Target, and the company plans to launch in additional retailers in the US and UK by year-end. The company raised $35m in an intellectual property‑based debt financing to support its consumer growth strategy. Embr intends to use the funds to accelerate retail and geographic expansion. The round was led by GT Investment Partners in collaboration with Aon plc. Embr Labs makes the Wave bracelet, a wearable that delivers algorithmically-designed, patented thermal waveforms to cool or warm temperature-sensitive nerves. Founded by three engineers in a cold lab at MIT and led by CEO Elizabeth Gazda, the company launched the Wave in September 2017 and has sold tens of thousands of devices since. Embr plans to grow its presence in wellness and digital therapeutics, accelerate development of the next generation of its core technology platform, and validate new use cases in thermal wellness. The company is based in Cambridge, MA. Financially, Embr raised $6M in a Series B to support those efforts.

Participated · Series B · Jul 2019

RealWear develops assisted-reality wearable devices and software that give frontline industrial workers hands-free, head-mounted access to real-time information and remote expertise. Its product lineup includes the RealWear Navigator 500, launched late last year as the first commercially available modular head-worn device. The company has shipped devices to thousands of enterprise customers across Energy, Manufacturing, Food & Beverage, Automotive, and Telecommunications, including Shell, Goodyear, Mars, Colgate-Palmolive, and BMW. Led by Chairman and CEO Andrew Chrostowski, RealWear intends to use new funding to grow a unified software and services platform across its human-centric wearable products. The company is based in Vancouver, Washington and maintains local offices in the United Kingdom, Singapore, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, and Japan, and recently opened a customer experience center in Dubai. RealWear provides a knowledge-transfer platform combining rugged head-mounted hardware and hands-free workforce software to deliver in-situ information and in-field training for frontline workers. Its flagship HMT-1 is an Android-class, head-mounted wearable designed to free workers' hands while maintaining situational awareness in harsh environments. The company bundles hardware with software capabilities such as remote mentor, document navigation, industrial IoT visualization and digital workflows. RealWear reports more than 15,000 HMT systems shipped, 1,300+ enterprise customers globally, and 120+ workforce software applications. The company says it will use the new funding to continue market expansion and accelerate platform development. RealWear is based in Vancouver, Washington. RealWear sells a voice-controlled augmented reality device worn by industrial workers that supports remote video calling, document navigation, guided workflow, mobile forms and data visualization. The company offers two device versions priced at $2,000 and $5,000. It has shipped more than 10,000 units to 800 customers globally in the past 18 months, including deals with China’s State Grid, Colgate-Palmolive, Volkswagen, and Toyota. RealWear employs about 91 people and is using new funding to expand its global sales arm and invest in product development. Founded in 2016 and based in Vancouver, Wash., the company positions itself as enabling connected-worker programs by freeing workers’ hands with a fully voice-controlled Android wearable. RealWear makes the HMT-1, a rugged, hands‑free AR headset that uses a non‑transparent HUD reflected into the user’s field via a movable arm. The device is designed to act more like a hands‑free tablet than spatially aware AR headsets and prioritizes simplicity and worker safety by avoiding opaque optical overlays. RealWear targets industrial maintenance, repair and operations teams with voice-driven menus that work in noisy environments. The HMT-1 is sold online for $2,000 and the company says it has sold thousands of units. RealWear reported $2 million in revenue in 2017 and management projected $20 million in 2018. With the new funding the company intends to expand its sales and marketing teams to accelerate adoption among enterprise customers.

Participated · Seed · Mar 2019

Whispr builds an AI-based voice guidance assistant that lets frontline workers converse—similar to Siri or Google Assistant—to receive step-by-step guidance on work processes. The startup targets industries including aviation, hospitality, facilities, manufacturing, logistics, and distribution. Whispr converts existing SOPs, checklists, and manuals into an interactive voice assistant rather than creating processes from scratch, according to CEO Hugh O'Flanagan. The company raised $750,000 in a funding round led by Seedcamp with participation from PreSeed Ventures, Futuristic VC, and Bose Ventures. It plans to use the funding to double headcount across its Copenhagen and Dublin offices. Whispr is also developing an API to allow customers to integrate the assistant into their own applications.