Participated · Series A · Jul 2022

Stadium Live Studios’ flagship product, Stadium Live, is a sports community app for users ages 12 and up that lets fans customize avatars, buy digital collectibles, draft teams during live matches to earn XP, form squads, and participate in livestreams, polls, trivia and chat. The app has amassed over 500,000 users and saw average growth of 30% month-over-month during the last NBA season (Oct 2021–Apr 2022); active users spend about 35 minutes per day in the app. The company operates moderation both in‑app and on Discord with roughly 30 moderators. With the new funding, Stadium Live plans to hire engineering and product staff to build features that improve retention and monetization, ship an Android release (slated for Oct/Nov 2022), and roll out social features such as Clubs and Rooms. Stadium Live is expanding partnerships and content verticals, exemplified by a partnership to stream Fan Controlled Football matches and host league-specific rooms. The team aims to connect Gen Z fans to brands, leagues and properties and build micro‑communities within its digital playground.

Participated · Series A · Jul 2022

Koffie Insurance is a Brooklyn, NY–based insurtech that provides fast, affordable insurance and financial services to the trucking and transportation sector, led by co-founder and CEO Ian White. The company uses technology to save money and time across underwriting, loss control, claims handling and fleet operations, and its product rewards and incentivizes safety. Koffie has already insured over 1,000 trucks. Currently available in Tennessee, New Jersey and Illinois, the company plans to scale to ten states by the end of the year. It closed an $11M Series A and will use the funds for expansion into new states, enhanced product offerings and strategic hires. The financing brings total funding raised to date to $15.5M. Koffie Labs builds a fully digital insurance platform for trucking and transportation that uses telematics, real‑time data and machine learning to underwrite fleets and reward safety investments with lower premiums. The company’s platform delivers quotes in minutes and embeds dozens of safety features into AI‑driven predictive underwriting models. Koffie integrates safety technology into pricing, loss control and underwriting to address an insurance class plagued by sustained losses and inadequate underwriting. It aims to align incentives across fleets, brokers and the trucking ecosystem and to prepare for emerging risks such as self‑driving vehicles. The company emphasizes improving margins for the safest fleets while reducing preventable truck crashes and driving digital transformation in transportation. Koffie is backed by venture investors and recently completed a seed financing to support its growth. Founded in 2018 and based in Brooklyn, New York, the team combines expertise in trucking, insurance, data science and software.

Participated · Series A · Oct 2018

Summersalt is a direct-to-consumer brand launched in May 2017 and based in St. Louis. It offers swimwear, travelwear, sleepwear and activewear and sells travel essentials such as suitcases, cashmere sets, packable jackets and wrinkle-free pants. The company began with swimsuits and recently launched travelwear, and plans to expand into additional apparel categories. Summersalt also operates a travel content platform called The Forecast aimed at building and inspiring female travelers. Financially, Summersalt raised a $17.3M Series B that brought total funding to date to $26M. The company is led by CEO and President Lori Coulter and Chief Brand and Digital Officer Reshma Chattaram Chamberlin. Summersalt designs and sells in-house swimsuits using eco-friendly fabrics directly to consumers, generally priced at $95 or less. The company uses a data-focused fit system—backed by a patent—built from more than 10,000 body scans and about 1.5 million measurements to recommend garments by body type and preference. Co-founders Lori Coulter (CEO) and Reshma Chattaram Chamberlin (co-founder and chief brand officer) design the product and source fabrics from factories in the U.S. and Asia. The brand emphasizes inclusivity and plans to expand its size range up to size 22 to reach a broader set of consumers. Summersalt plans to launch a travel-wear line and expand its inventory to offer more sizes, aligning with its travel- and wanderlust-themed positioning. Summersalt produces eco-friendly swimwear that is UV-protected and made from Italian fabrics and recycled materials. Its designs are informed by over 10,000 real women’s body scans and 1.5M measurements. Launched in May 2017 by CEO Lori Coulter and Chief Digital and Brand Officer Reshma Chattaram Chamberlin, the brand emphasizes fit and sustainability. The company plans to use new funding to expand its product offering and grow its community through partnerships and innovative content creation. Financially, Summersalt secured a $2M seed round that brings total funding to $2.6M. The company is positioned to scale its product line and marketing initiatives with the new capital.

Participated · Series B · Mar 2018

Interior Define is a digitally native, vertically integrated direct-to-consumer furniture brand offering thousands of upholstery items as well as dining, lighting, and decor. Its made-to-order production approach enables over 150,000 specific furniture variations and customization across configuration, size, cushion fill, leg style, and fabric or leather choices, including Oeko-Tex certified, performance, and kid- and pet-friendly options. The company operates an omnichannel model with e-commerce plus a rapidly expanding brick-and-mortar Define Studio network and offers personalized support from Design Experts. Interior Define planned to open 30 new Define Studio retail stores through 2022, signaling a push into physical retail. The company is backed by a syndicate including Pritzker Group Venture Capital and Chicago Ventures. In January 2022 Interior Define secured a $30 million venture loan facility led by Horizon Technology Finance to support general growth and working capital needs. Interior Define is a digitally-native, vertically-integrated furniture brand that offers made-to-order customization across configuration, size, cushion fill, leg style, and 75+ fabrics and leathers. The company pairs its online business with experiential Guideshop locations where Design Specialists assist customers with drawings, mood boards, fabric swatches, and white-glove delivery. I/D emphasizes product education through tools such as a Comfort Guide (video, 3D modeling, and descriptive content) and an AR mobile app that lets customers visualize sofas to scale in their homes. The brand reports strong growth, saying it tripled revenue in 2017 for the third year in a row. Future plans in the article include expanding physical Guideshop locations (at least two more in 2018, including San Francisco) and continued investment in technology and team to develop an omnichannel retail model. Interior Define offers customizable upholstered furniture with options for cushions, legs, and upholstery, positioning itself as a lower-cost alternative to high‑end design‑district brands. The company builds each piece after an order is placed and manufactures in factories in the Foshan region of China, with a typical 12‑week delivery lead time. Price points range from an entry‑level sofa at $300 to sectionals at $3,500, with an average sofa around $1,600; prices include delivery and the company says it is about 30% less than big‑box retailers. Founded by Rob Royer (a former Bonobos employee) and Steve McClearn (formerly VP of commerce at Sears Brands LLC), Interior Define launched six months ago and has opened a retail store in Chicago while shipping couches nationwide. The company has announced design collaborations with The Everygirl and HGTV host Alison Victoria. Management plans to open additional retail locations in other U.S. cities in the coming months.

Led · Seed · Jun 2017

Oars + Alps is a Chicago-based men's grooming and skincare lifestyle brand focused on products for millennial men. The company launched its first three products in October 2016: a deodorant stick, an eye cream and a facial soap. Its formulations include an ingredient called "Alpine Caribou Moss" sourced from Northern Finland in the Arctic Circle, which the founders say has antioxidant properties and improves skin elasticity. Co-founders Mia Saini Duchnowski and Laura Lisowski Cox started the brand after personal experiences with partners using their skincare. The company aims to own men's skincare online without typical retailer markups or toxins and to design products for millennials on-the-go. Oars + Alps raised $1.3 million in seed financing as it expands its men’s skincare line.