Led · Equity · Jul 2019

Vendasta operates an end-to-end ecommerce platform that supplies channel partners—marketing agencies, media companies, MSPs, ISVs, and VARs—with tools to market, sell, bill, fulfill, and deliver digital solutions to SMBs. Its platform includes marketing automation, CRM, order and billing management, payments and collections, fulfillment management, and a wholesale solutions marketplace covering advertising, content & experience, insurance, listings, reputation, SEO, social, and websites. The company serves 50,000+ registered channel partners who work with more than five million SMBs worldwide and reported annual recurring revenue of more than $50 million. Vendasta is based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, was founded in 2008, employs more than 500 people, and plans to hire up to 150 additional employees. COVID-19 accelerated SMB adoption of digital technology, driving strong growth through 2020 and 2021, and Vendasta intends to use new financing to further accelerate its sales growth and overall pace of growth. The company positions its platform as a de facto operating system for small businesses and the technology providers serving them. Vendasta is a Saskatoon-based B2B cloud commerce platform founded in 2008 that helps local businesses with their digital needs via a white‑label offering sold through channel partners such as agencies, broadcasters, publishers, banks, and telecoms. The platform lets partners brand Vendasta’s software as their own and provide local businesses with re‑sellable products and services, including a product suite and a Marketplace. Vendasta currently has a team of 285 and plans to grow to more than 650 employees in Saskatoon over the next three years. The company raised CAD 40 million in private equity growth funding to enhance the Vendasta Platform, its product suite and Marketplace solutions and to support channel expansion. Vendasta has raised more than CAD 57 million to date and previously received CAD 3.3 million from the federal WINN Initiative to support international market expansion. The company plans to expand into new channels including banks, telcos, and insurance as it scales. Vendasta Technologies offers a white‑label platform (Partner Center) that enables marketing agencies and media companies to sell digital‑marketing and reputation‑management solutions to local SMBs. The company is building an integrated cloud marketplace to aggregate third‑party applications and expand partner offerings. Planned additions include custom websites, Facebook advertising, e‑commerce and billing infrastructure so partners can assemble full operational‑solution bundles for their SMB clients. Vendasta has delivered software to more than 550 partners and employs more than 200 people. Founded in Saskatoon in 2008, the company expects the project to create 25 high‑quality jobs and 26 additional specialized positions, mostly in Saskatoon. Vendasta was ranked 49th on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50 in 2016 and 42nd on the PROFIT 500, and the recent funding is intended to accelerate commercialization and market penetration. VendAsta Technologies is a Saskatoon, Canada-based provider of white-label digital brand management solutions. Led by CEO Brendan King, the company sells white-label platforms to media companies that work with local businesses, including online directional media companies, newspapers, broadcasters, SEO services, certified marketing representatives, web hosting providers, and interactive agencies. Its reputation and presence management platform includes Reputation Monitoring, Brand Analytics, Presence Builder, Social Marketing lead-generation tools and Concierge CRM platforms to help manage and sell digital products. VendAsta raised $8.25M in funding, with backers that included Vanedge Capital and BDC Venture Capital. The company said it will use the funding to accelerate platform development and provide additional support.

Participated · Series B · Apr 2017

Pepper IoT is an Internet of Things platform and service provider offering an operating system and service delivery platform for connected-home and enterprise IoT solutions. The company has launched the Pepper IoT operating system to power a new generation of IoT and connected‑home services. It sells via two paths: Pepper Enterprise for large partners (insurance carriers, utilities, telecom providers) to deploy branded IoT services, and Powered by Pepper for manufacturers and partners that want to avoid software development overhead. The platform emphasizes a customizable, tile‑based user interface and rapid device onboarding to support interoperability across devices and services. The recently announced $8.5M Series B will fund the launch of several consumer IoT products and support Pepper OS distribution through global mass‑market channels in the coming months. Pepper works closely with design consultancy argodesign to shape product strategy and user experience and partners with large enterprises on home automation and security use cases. The company is headquartered in Kansas City.

Participated · Series B · Mar 2017

Pepper is a Kansas City, Mo.-based IoT platform and service provider that partners with insurance carriers, utilities and telecom providers to develop strategic IoT and connected-home services. Led by CEO Scott Ford and chief creative officer Mark Rolston, the company has launched the Pepper IoT operating system to power a new generation of IoT and connected-home offerings. Pepper works with corporate partners that want to incorporate connected-home solutions into their services. In March 2017 the company raised $8.5M in a Series B financing. Investors included Leawood Ventures, the KCRise Fund, Royal Street Ventures, OpenAir Equity Partners and Comporium Communications. Pepper intends to use the funds to launch several consumer IoT products.

Participated · Equity · May 2016

Zubie provides end-to-end connected-car technology that delivers real-time information about vehicles and drivers to help businesses manage and optimize fleets. The company closed an additional round of funding in 2019; the amount and instrument were undisclosed. Backers mentioned in the article included BP and Melody Capital. Zubie intends to use the capital to fund growth in the Fleet sector and to launch new products addressing additional verticals with its connected-car solutions. Led by CEO Gary Tucker, the company emphasizes telematics data insights and fleet optimization. In conjunction with the funding, Paget L. Alves and Dennis Huber joined Zubie’s board, bringing a combined 50+ years of telecommunications experience and added financial, operational, marketing, product development and IT expertise. Zubie is a connected-car platform and telematics provider serving enterprises, small businesses and consumers. The company connects cars to the internet to deliver real-time location, trip history, maintenance alerts, engine diagnostics and driving insights to smartphones. Zubie also offers the ZinC Open API platform, which allows developers and partners to create apps leveraging its platform and vehicle data. Formed in 2012 and led by CEO Tim Kelly, Zubie is based in Charleston, South Carolina. The company secured $6M in venture funding and intends to use the proceeds to expand into the enterprise market, enhance its API platforms, and grow operations and staff. Zubie offers a car and driver management platform that delivers trip and vehicle analytics via its AlwaysSmart™ proprietary technology. The company provides remote services that monitor driving behavior and engine health to generate safety and cost recommendations. Zubie products are sold online through Zubie.com, Amazon, Best Buy and Newegg. Led by CEO Tim Kelly, the company intends to use new funding to further develop its car and driver management system. Zubie is described as Charleston, SC–based and maintains operational offices in the Minneapolis area. The company recently completed a new funding round that supports its product development plans. Zubie offers a connected-car service built around a cellular OBD device called the Zubie Key and cloud-based AlwaysSmart™ technology that is always on and always connected. The service captures vehicle and driving data—car diagnostics, driving behavior reports, family safety location alerts—and provides travel coordination tools, and is iPhone- and Android-compatible. Zubie sells through Amazon, BestBuy, its own storefront, telesales and enterprise channels. The company plans to integrate enterprise partners in insurance, automotive services and advertising into the user experience via its SmartOffer™ technology, allowing customers to share data in exchange for services and discounts. Aggregated trip, driver and car data is a stated asset for partners and underpins Zubie’s commercial strategy. The company announced a $10 million Series A to support continued product and go-to-market expansion. Zubie makes the Zubie Key, a $100 gadget that plugs into a car’s OBD port and uses a T-Mobile-powered cellular connection to relay diagnostics and trip data to smartphones. The device reports location, trip history, potentially troublesome events (hard braking, rapid acceleration, first night drive) and produces a driving score based on 30 metrics. Zubie also sends alerts when a car needs repairs and says its service will get smarter with use. Buyers receive one year of wireless service included with the device and can pay $100 per year thereafter. The company was incubated by Best Buy and is led by CEO Tim Kelly; an Android app is planned and Zubie is developing repair intelligence, data-offer monetization, and theft/tow monitoring. Zubie launched nationwide after completing its funding round and has raised $8 million in its first round.

Participated · Seed · Oct 2014

Keen Home produces Wi‑Fi‑connected air-conditioning vents that can be retrofitted into existing homes to control heating and cooling by room. The company came out of the NYU ACRE cleantech incubator and appeared on Shark Tank last year. Its smart vents have generated more than $2 million in sales. Keen Home has offered equity through crowdfunding, allowing retail investors to buy stakes in the company. To date, it has raised more than $7 million via equity crowdfunding campaigns. The article does not report other financial details such as institutional rounds, debt, or valuation. Keen Home builds Smart Vents that allow homeowners to control and close vents in individual rooms from a smartphone app. The vents can automatically adjust airflow when they sense a room is too hot or cold to keep the house more comfortable. The company first unveiled the product at Disrupt NY 2013 and is now moving to commercialize it. Keen Home announced partnerships with Lowe's, SmartThings and Wink to sell the Smart Vent beginning in Spring 2015. The company raised $1.52M in seed funding to bring the product to market. Smart Vent pricing has yet to be announced.