• Enplug

  Participated · Seed · Apr 2014

  Enplug provides a software licensing platform for digital displays that runs on off-the-shelf Internet-connected TVs rather than selling proprietary hardware. Its system supports apps developed by Enplug and third-party developers via an SDK, enabling businesses to aggregate social media (Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, Foursquare, Instagram) and surface customer interactions on screens. Viewers interact with displays using business-chosen hashtags. Two years after launch, Enplug raised a $2.5 million seed round to expand distribution to more restaurants, cafes, retail stores and other businesses. The company charges customers a monthly subscription per screen (starting at $99/month with advertising or $299/month without). Enplug was founded in 2012, is based in Los Angeles, employs about 30 people, and has customers in 40 cities and hundreds of businesses, including Amoeba Music, Arco AM/PM, Ten Ren, Toyota, and Rita’s Ice.

• Mingyian

  Participated · Seed · Jul 2013

  Mingyian helps Western celebrities and influencers connect with Chinese audiences by bridging technology and cultural gaps and advising on platform strategy and culturally appropriate content. Co-founders Jenny Bai and Rebecca Eydeland partnered with Larry Namer to start the company and are already working with talent including Brett Ratner and Gilbert Arenas. The company assists celebrities in finding the right Chinese social platforms and in executing localized campaigns — for example, opening a Weibo account for Arenas and posting a dunk clip that generated a huge response from Chinese fans. Mingyian plans to monetize primarily through advertising and by selling digital packages such as online celebrity events, alongside a premium paid service for celebrities focused on growing influence in China. The founders say many celebrities currently copy U.S. posts or make haphazard visits, and Mingyian aims to professionalize and strategize China engagement. The company has raised seed funding to support these efforts.

• Virool

  Participated · Seed · Feb 2013

  Virool offers an Inline video ad unit that launches video ads within articles and other editorial content and has been served across more than 2,000 online properties. Its units are designed to be non-intrusive (muted by default, sound on hover or when explicitly engaged on mobile). Virool also develops eIQ technology that uses webcams to help advertisers gauge viewers’ emotional responses to videos. The company works with publishers including Mashable, Adweek and The Onion and positions its mission as making advertising more human by encouraging more engaging, shareable videos. Virool was incubated at Y Combinator and is led by CEO Alex Debelov. Future plans include more mobile ad units and geographic expansion, including efforts in Japan. Virool provides a self-serve platform that allows video producers, artists, studios, agencies and individual promoters to target audiences (country, age, gender, interests, platform) and buy pay-per-view distribution for YouTube-hosted videos. Its network reaches close to 22 million people across websites, blogs, Facebook games and mobile applications. Since launching the self-serve product, Virool grew from 200 to 30,000 registered advertisers and has promoted 20,442 videos to date; the site was signing up about 450 new advertisers per day and running roughly 80–90 campaigns daily. Campaign spend ranges from a $10 minimum to large brand campaigns (Intel ran a reported $300,000 campaign). The company was founded in late 2011 and participated in Y Combinator’s Summer 2012 batch. With the new funding Virool plans to staff up—particularly on sales—and scale the service worldwide. Virool is a San Francisco-based social video advertising startup launched in May 2012 by CEO Alex Debelov. The company’s platform allows videomakers to reach desired target audiences on Facebook, mobile phones and niche sites. Its services have been used by brands including Clorox, Colgate, Intel, Levis, Orbitz, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen. The company raised $509,800 via the online venture capital platform FundersClub. Investors in the round include TMT Investments, Y Combinator, 500 Startups, Yuri Milner and others. Virool is a San Francisco-based online video advertising service offering a self-service platform for distributing long-form videos. Launched a few months earlier by CEO Alexander Debelov, the platform allows creators to distribute videos over 30 seconds to targeted audiences across a network of online publishers, blogs, social games and mobile apps. It also provides an application that enables publishers on Facebook, iOS, Android, blogs and other media channels to plug into the network and provide advertising space. The company reported it already has over 7,000 advertisers using the platform. Virool received US$400k from AIM-listed TMT Investments PLC. The company previously raised capital from Y Combinator (including Andreessen Horowitz, SV Angel, Yuri Milner and General Catalyst), Thomvest Ventures, 500Startups, NetPrice, Global Venture Alliance, Plug and Play Ventures, Ryan Tu, Paul Buccheit, Garry Tan, Harj Taggar and Alexis Ohanian. Virool operates a self-serve platform that lets YouTube video producers boost views by placing videos in Facebook and mobile apps. Publishers can integrate via an API and advertisers link YouTube videos, set keywords and geographic targets, and pay as little as $10 to promote content. The startup positions itself as an "AdWords" for longer-form video, targeting videos longer than a minute and charging only when viewers watch at least 45 seconds of a minute-long video. Virool reports more than 5,000 advertisers, is adding about 200 new advertisers daily, and serves over half a million video views per day. Revenues are doubling every month and the company is already profitable, with repeat advertisers and early brand customers including Sephora, Skittles, GM, and Clorox. To keep growing, Virool has raised $500,000 in seed funding.

• 15Five

  Participated · Seed · Jan 2013

  15Five combines software with coaching, manager training, and a professional community into a single-platform holistic performance management solution for HR teams. The platform aims to improve manager effectiveness, drive high performance and engagement, and increase employee retention. Product offerings include 360 performance reviews, in-depth engagement surveys, goal & OKR tracking, and weekly manager-employee feedback tools such as 1-on-1s and pulse ratings. The company serves HR leaders at over 3,500 companies, including Credit Karma, Spotify, and Pendo. 15Five recently received a strategic investment from ServiceNow that supplements a $52M Series C it announced in July; the funding is intended to accelerate product development and integrated manager training and coaching. The company is led by CEO David Hassell and is based in San Francisco, CA. 15Five offers a single-platform performance management suite that combines subscription software with training and coaching to measure engagement, run performance reviews, track OKRs, and deliver weekly feedback. Its product set includes 360 reviews, engagement surveys, goal & OKR tracking, and tools for manager-employee 1-on-1s and pulse ratings, plus a subscription training/coaching product called Transform launched in August 2021. The company focuses on small and mid-sized businesses (100–2,500 employees) and integrates with HRIS, payroll, and other systems to surface people analytics. 15Five serves over 3,400 companies, including customers such as Spotify, Credit Karma, HubSpot, and Pendo. The firm says its solution helps HR leaders develop managers and drive performance from the bottom up. 15Five is based in San Francisco and will use new funding to invest in R&D, deepen integration of software with coaching, scale go-to-market efforts, expand into new markets, and pursue potential acquisitions. 15Five offers a SaaS performance-management product centered on frequent self-evaluations (described as "15 minutes to write, 5 minutes to read") and peer recognition features called "High fives." The company emphasizes regular, real-time feedback and goal-setting to replace infrequent annual or biannual reviews. Management plans to continue building out core product functionality and to expand into adjacent services and coaching alongside its software. The CEO has also launched a podcast with the company’s chief culture officer around "best-self" management, reflecting an interest in productizing organizational-development and positive-psychology principles. 15Five is based in San Francisco and currently focuses on small- and medium-sized business customers. The company has raised a total of $42.6 million to date and says its valuation is higher, though the exact number is undisclosed. 15Five is a San Francisco-based continuous performance management platform led by co-founders David Hassell (CEO) and Shane Metcalf (Chief Culture Officer). The product enables employees to grow and develop in 15 minutes each week through weekly check-ins, employee recognition, Objectives and Key Results tracking, and 360° reviews. The platform integrates with business applications including Slack, BambooHR, Namely, Okta and OneLogin. The company intends to use new funding to accelerate product innovation, scale sales, marketing and product teams, and grow headcount as part of global growth initiatives. Financially, 15Five has raised $11.9m in total capital to date, including the current round. The offering targets ongoing employee performance management and development for businesses. 15Five offers a feedback platform designed to help managers and employees communicate regularly and drive team performance. The product encourages daily engagement but remains flexible enough to be useful in brief sessions. Typical customers are managers, executives and CEOs rather than HR departments. The company has picked up roughly 1,000 business customers, with a strong leaning toward the tech sector. 15Five is headquartered in San Francisco. With the new funding it plans to hire sales and marketing talent to grow the business and is considering integrations before expanding core functionality.

No current team members are available.