Participated · Seed · Jun 2020

Outer is a D2C outdoor furniture company that sells premium outdoor furnishings and related products directly to consumers. The company emphasizes sustainability and has developed new fabrics and eco-friendly designs intended to improve durability without harming the environment. Outer recently launched product lines including the Teak Collection, Aluminum Collection and Bug Shield Blankets and operates a Neighborhood Showroom program with more than 1,000 locations in 49 states (up from 50 locations in 2019). The team is developing sustainable fabrics, plastics and concrete and has stated a long-term goal of becoming carbon negative. Outer is hiring for roles to support a global market entry and plans a strategic international launch in October. The company has raised a total of $65 million to date, including a $50 million Series B announced in this article. Outer launched in 2019 and designs vertically integrated, carefully crafted outdoor furniture and accessories, including the debut Outer Sofa and the eco-friendly 1188 Rug Collection made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. The company emphasizes sustainability, durable materials, and quality manufacturing via a family-owned factory. Outer operates a Neighborhood Showroom model that lets customers experience products in real backyards and plans to expand that footprint to more than a thousand locations. Product expansion plans include coffee tables, chaise loungers, dining sets and additional outdoor lifestyle pieces. Outer reported a 1,000% increase in sales year-over-year and expects sales to exceed $12M this year. The brand also has been named the fastest-growing direct-to-consumer brand by Business Insider and is a partner of 1% for the Planet. Outer is a direct-to-consumer outdoor furniture brand based in Santa Monica known for durable, sophisticated pieces and the integrated OuterShell® cushion cover. The company makes weather-tolerant products using premium, eco-friendly materials and emphasizes eco-consciousness, versatility, and longevity. Outer operates a Neighborhood Showroom retail model that lets customers test products in real customers’ backyards and offers virtual appointments and design consultations. The brand plans to expand its product portfolio into rugs and accent tables while continuing Neighborhood Showroom expansion. After a 428% spring sales increase cited by Criteo, the company has consistently outperformed industry growth and turned profitable in its second year. Outer highlights responsible manufacturing with a family-owned factory, fair wages, and support for 1% for the Planet.

Participated · Series A · Mar 2017

Caicloud offers a Kubernetes-based Cluster-as-a-Service (ClaaS) and enterprise deep learning solutions, combining cluster management with AI tooling. The company launched ClaaS 2.0, adding security management, DevOps capabilities, application orchestration, and troubleshooting intelligence to its ClaaS 1.0 (Dec 2015). It also runs TensorFlow-as-a-Service (TaaS 1.1) on top of ClaaS to deliver an integrated ClaaS+TaaS “Cloud + AI” solution. The offering is integrated with public clouds in China and on-premise infrastructures such as VMware, OpenStack, and bare-metal. Caicloud reports deployments for multiple Fortune 500 companies. The team has contributed multiple Kubernetes plugins and tools to open source, and in Nov. 2016 open-sourced a Kubernetes-native CI/CD project called Cyclone.

Participated · Equity · Nov 2016

Oben builds technology that converts a 2D photo plus a simple voice recording into a realistic 3D virtual head or avatar for VR and AR environments. The company emphasizes translating a user's character, personality, and individuality into realistic avatars rather than cartoon-like representations. Oben plans to launch its virtual self product in Q1 2017 and says the funds will be used for rapid product development, hiring more scientists, and identifying new partnerships. It positions its avatars to enable more social and shared experiences in VR, including personalized music and entertainment. Oben is a portfolio company of the HTC Vive X accelerator and was selected for the program in July 2016. The company was founded in 2014, is based in Pasadena, CA, and has about 20 employees. Prior to this raise, Oben had previously raised $150,000.

Participated · Series E · May 2016

Kateeva develops precision deposition equipment for OLED manufacturers. Its core product is the YIELDjet platform, which uses inkjet printing to deposit coatings for mass production of flexible and large-size OLED displays and other products. The company plans to accelerate product development, strengthen customer-satisfaction infrastructure in Asia, and support continued R&D with the new funding. Kateeva maintains operations in Korea, China, Japan and Taiwan and is headquartered in Newark, CA. It has raised $200M to date and recently closed an $88M Series E. Founded in 2008 and led by Chairman and CEO Alain Harrus, Ph.D., the company focuses on scaling manufacturing tools for advanced electronics. Kateeva develops the YIELDjet™ precision deposition platform that uses inkjet printing to mass-produce flexible and large-size OLED panels. The company is building production systems at its Menlo Park facility to fulfill early orders. It intends to use the new funds to support its manufacturing strategy and to expand its global sales and support infrastructure. Kateeva has raised more than $110m in total funding to date. The company was founded in 2008 and is led by CEO Alain Harrus.