• Auctionata

  Participated · Series C · Mar 2015

  Auctionata operates an online auction platform that livestreams auctions of art and luxury collectibles, enabling global bidders to tune into the hall and bid via its website or mobile app. The company auctions items across categories including contemporary and fine art, antiques, Asian art, watches, wine, vintage luxury goods and classic cars, and leverages patented real-time streaming technology. In 2015 Auctionata reported a Gross Merchandise Volume of €81m, a 165% increase versus the prior year, with around 76% of GMV generated from livestream auctions and 24% from fixed‑price sales. Nearly 80% of GMV was realized through the Berlin office, with the remainder from New York City and London; the strongest turnover categories were Watches (25%), Classic Cars (23%) and Fine Art (22%). The company sold about 16,000 items in 2015, held 249 auctions (44 broadcast live from New York), recorded more than 100,000 bids totaling €483m, and reported net commission revenue of €21m versus €6m in 2014. Auctionata operates a live-streamed auction platform for fine art, antiques and luxury collectibles, running weekly live auctions since May 2013. The company combines online streaming with an expert-driven vetting process, calling on about 300 experts across 40 countries. It maintains full offices in Berlin and New York and smaller offices in London, Zürich, Rome and Madrid. Auctionata plans to expand into new geographies and new categories, and to invest further in the technology behind its live-stream format. New auction areas it intends to add include musical instruments, memorabilia, architectural and garden pieces, diamonds and real estate, while continuing investments in watches, classic cars, wine, jewelry, design, contemporary art, fine art, antiques and Asian art. In 2014 the company reported net sales of €31.5 million and posted €12.5 million in net sales in the first quarter of 2015. Auctionata operates an online platform for art, antiques and collectibles, broadcasting live auctions in HD to computers, tablets and mobile devices and providing valuation and auction-house services. Its categories include Old Masters, modern and contemporary art, porcelain, silver, antiques, design, photography, jewelry, watches, wine, Islamic and Asian art, textiles, books and manuscripts. The company leverages a global network of 250 experts to provide free valuations and has conducted 17 online live auctions in 2014 with total net turnover of €4.6m. Auctionata reports 75,000 customers from over 100 countries and about 500,000 website visitors per month. It employs over 100 people across offices in Berlin and New York. The company intends to use the new funding to expand globally. Auctionata is a Berlin-based online fine art auction house that brings the services of a traditional auction house to the internet. It broadcasts live auctions in TV quality to computers, tablets and mobile devices. The company operates a global network of 250 experts who provide free valuations for art, antiques, collectibles and luxury vintage items. Founded one year ago by Alexander Zacke and Georg Untersalmberger, Auctionata also maintains a New York office and employs about 100 people. The company recently raised $20.2M in funding and previously secured a $2.5M round from Bright Capital Digital in 2012. Auctionata, founded in 2011, operates an online auction platform focused on antiquarian items and collectibles. It offers a patented real-time bidding system run by international experts, state-licensed auctioneers and experienced professionals. The platform enables users to bid on and sell items such as diamond rings, works of art, furniture and rare stamps. Sellers can list via weekly auctions (every Friday at 6pm CET), special themed auctions, or a sales gallery offering expert-priced fixed listings. Experts provide valuations and professional photography for auction catalogues. Financially, the company has raised $2.5M from Bright Capital Digital and is also backed by e.ventures and Holtzbrinck Ventures; the company is currently hiring.

• Flodesign Sonics

  Led · Series A · Apr 2014

  FloDesign Sonics develops acoustic technologies for the separation, concentration and purification of materials in an active fluid. The company's key focus is cell therapy, particularly processing and purification steps for CAR T cells. Its platform aims to address manufacturing challenges related to processing, separation and purification in cell therapy production. Founded in 2010 by Stanley Kowalski, the company is based in Wilbraham, Massachusetts. Financially, the company has recently closed a Series A2 financing of undisclosed size. FloDesign Sonics intends to use the proceeds to advance the commercial production of CAR T and other immunotherapies. FloDesign Sonics develops an acoustic separation technology platform that uses 3D acoustic standing waves to capture, separate and purify without physical membranes, chemicals or centrifugation. The company intends to apply this proprietary technology across multiple markets, including life sciences, oil and gas, food and beverage and industrial processing. Its first commercial application targets bioprocess separations for the manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals. FloDesign Sonics closed a $10M Series A to advance development and commercialization of the platform in the bioprocessing market. The company plans to use the funds to further develop the core technology and fund commercialization efforts. Leadership includes founder and CTO Dr. Bart Lipkens, CEO Stanley Kowalski III, and co-founder and Executive Vice President Louis Masi.

• Aquion Energy

  Participated · Series D · Jan 2014

  Aquion Energy manufactures proprietary Aqueous Hybrid Ion (AHI) batteries and battery systems optimized for multi-hour (4–20 hour) solar applications, daily deep cycling, off-grid and microgrid use, energy management, and grid-scale deployments. The company's AHI batteries are positioned as high-performance, safe, sustainable and cost-effective solutions designed for daily deep cycling and to enable broader adoption of renewable energy. Aquion emphasizes modular, flexible systems that capture excess solar generation during daylight and provide consistent clean power overnight. The company recently unveiled its second-generation AHI battery technology at Solar Power International. Aquion closed a tactical $36.8 million Series E to support growing customer-facing resources, scale production, and deploy projects with partners worldwide. The financing reflects participation from both strategic corporate investors and prior financial backers, signaling continued investor confidence as the company scales operations. Aquion Energy manufactures proprietary Aqueous Hybrid Ion (AHI) batteries and battery systems optimized for stationary energy storage. Its AHI batteries are described as highly scalable, safe, sustainable, cost-competitive and modular, targeting off-grid and microgrid systems, energy management, and grid-scale storage. The company has been commercializing its technology and seeking growth capital to scale production and deployment. In January 2014 Aquion closed a $55 million Series D equity round from new investors including Bill Gates, Yung’s Enterprise, Tao Invest, Bright Capital, and Gentry Venture Partners. That Series D plus prior funding and grants brought Aquion’s total invested capital and grants to more than $100 million. To complement the equity and manage cash flow during commercialization Aquion obtained a $20 million venture debt facility to refinance existing debt and provide working capital. Aquion Energy designs and manufactures proprietary Aqueous Hybrid Ion (AHI) batteries and battery systems for stationary energy storage, targeting off-grid and microgrid systems, commercial and industrial storage, and grid-scale applications. Its AHI systems emphasize safety, sustainability, low cost, and reliability to enable broader adoption of renewable energy such as wind and solar. The company planned a commercial launch in 2014 and expected to begin shipping production units in the first half of 2014. Aquion operates a 350,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, with an initial manufacturing line capable of producing over 200 megawatt hours per year and space sized for five lines to scale production. Management stated the company would focus on ramping manufacturing operations and developing commercial relationships with customers and partners globally. The business presented its technology as optimized for both small and large-scale stationary storage applications. Aquion Energy develops and manufactures a sodium‑ion aqueous electrolyte battery and energy storage systems based on Carnegie Mellon research. Its products are designed for grid-scale and small-scale energy storage, emphasizing long cycle and calendar life, efficiency, safety, and environmental benignity. Aquion plans to begin shipping pre-production systems in fall 2011 to testing facilities and strategic partners and is selecting a site for a high-volume U.S. factory expected to open in 2013. The company says the factory will create more than 500 jobs as it scales globally and launches its first products. Aquion highlights that its batteries contain no hazardous materials, corrosive acids, or noxious fumes, and touts advantages on capital and maintenance costs versus incumbents. The company is Pittsburgh-based and led by CEO Scott Pearson.

• Yuilop

  Participated · Equity · Feb 2013

  Yuilop is a European free messaging startup launched in 2011 that has amassed millions of users across more than 40 countries. The app combines the open XMPP standard and mobile-number (MSISDN) interconnection to enable free calls and messages to non-Yuilop users using a virtual currency called 'energy'. Energy can be earned through actions such as referrals, using the app, talking with other Yuilop users, or engaging with promotions; receiving calls also earns energy. Yuilop offers free calls, SMS, and real-time multimedia chat and plans to add video chat, sticker-like features, a browser-based client, and possibly a free data component in the future. Its business model centers on advertising, promotions/voucher redemption, a white-label OTT SaaS product for carriers and MVNOs, and potential freemium/premium services like paid energy and additional phone numbers. Financially, the company has raised close to $10 million to date (about $7.12M per CrunchBase plus a €1.5M Spanish government loan) and counts Nauta Capital, Shortcut Ventures GmbH and Bright Capital among its investors. yuilop offers a free social communication app for all major mobile platforms that integrates Facebook Chat, instant messaging and free, unlimited SMS to any phone. Founded in 2010 by Jochen Doppelhammer and Antonio Brusola and based in Barcelona, Spain, the company has been backed by investors including Nauta Capital. It has raised €4.5m in a Series A round led by Shortcut with participation from Bright Capital, Bruno Ducharme and existing investor Nauta Capital. The company intends to use the new capital to expand internationally and to continue to develop its solutions. As part of the financing, Shortcut’s Martin Ostermayer and Bright Capital’s Vadim Tarasov will join the company’s board and Bruno Ducharme will join as an advisor. yuilop is currently hiring. Yuilop offers a real-time social communication hub that blends conversations from yuilop-to-yuilop, SMS, Facebook Chat and other channels into a single conversation thread. The service operates independently from wireless carriers. The company has launched its mobile communication service in Germany and says more markets will follow soon. Later this year Yuilop plans to add free voice communication between users. Job listings indicate support or planned support for Android, iOS, Symbian and BlackBerry. The startup is based in Barcelona and raised €1 million in seed funding from Nauta Capital; it was founded last year by Jochen Doppelhammer, Antonio Brusola and Julian Moreno Beltran.

• Upstream Commerce

  Participated · Equity · Feb 2013

  Upstream Commerce provides a cloud-based pricing and assortment intelligence solution that uses advanced artificial intelligence, semantic analysis and data-mining to help retailers track and analyze competitor pricing and assortments. The company was founded in 2010 by Amos Peleg and Shai Geva and is based in Tel-Aviv, Israel. It services customers worldwide, including Toys "R" Us and Staples, and currently tracks millions of products with billions of quality intelligence data points. The product combines AI, semantic analysis and data-mining technology to surface competitive insights for retailers. The company intends to use the proceeds from the latest financing for product and technology development. Upstream Commerce offers a cloud-based, automated competitive pricing and product analytics platform that helps e-retailers set prices based on market conditions. The service continuously crawls competitors’ sites 24/7 and analyzes data such as promotions, product assortment and recent pricing changes. It synthesizes that information into actionable insights to help customers proactively adjust pricing. The company was founded by Amos Peleg and Shai Geva, who previously held executive roles at Mercado Software (acquired by Omniture, now Adobe). TechCrunch reports the startup has secured external funding but does not disclose revenue, user counts, or other operating metrics. The article does not describe specific future product plans or additional financial details.

No current team members are available.