Participated · Series A · Mar 2023

Rain operates an employer-integrated earned-wage-access app paired with financial-wellness tools such as overdraft alerts, spending trends, a financial education portal, one-on-one coaching and free tax filing via april. The startup targets mid-market and enterprise customers (over 300 employees) and charges an average instant-transaction fee of about $3 while offering a free ACH option. Rain says it has onboarded over 2.5 million employees, distributed more than $2 billion in earned wages, and employs about 175 people. Management says non-EWA services (education, coaching, tax filing) account for roughly 70% of monthly adoption versus 30% for EWA. Product roadmap includes an EWA‑secured credit card with a dynamic credit limit, HSA reimbursement tooling, and savings accounts with auto-save and rewards planned later this year. Rain offers earned wage access (EWA) and a suite of financial wellness tools that integrate with timekeeping and payroll systems while requiring minimal employee data. Its pay-on-demand feature lets employees access wages in real time for a small per-transaction fee and employers can limit withdrawals to no more than 50% of an employee’s gross earnings per pay period. Rain is free for employers that provide it as a voluntary benefit and adheres to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau guidelines. The company reports employer customers saw an average 50% improvement in retention among employees who use the app and those employees worked an average of more than 20 hours per month. Rain estimates it has helped customers’ employees avoid over $51 million in overdraft fees and payday-loan interest. With the new financing, Rain plans to scale its EWA offering to more employers and continue expanding its financial wellness reach. Rain offers earned wage access (income streaming) and financial wellbeing services that allow employees to withdraw pay shortly after completing a shift instead of waiting for payday. The service is offered free to employers; employees pay a small ATM-like fee per withdrawal and cannot withdraw more than 50% of gross earned wages per pay period. Rain integrates with payroll and timekeeping systems including ADP, UKG, and SAP, and is SAP’s first and main earned wage access partner globally; the company emphasizes compliance and relies on less employee data than many competitors. Rain launched its Instant Pay app in early 2020 and has grown its user and client base over 20% per month for the past 30 months; to date it has disbursed over $150 million in earned wages. The platform is used by employers covering over half a million employees across large healthcare systems, senior living groups, hotel franchises (including Hilton and Marriott) and fast-food franchises (including McDonald’s, Burger King, and Taco Bell); employers report up to an 80% reduction in turnover and 86% improved job satisfaction among users. Rain plans to use new funding to support continued U.S. expansion through investments in technology and infrastructure, employee and employer experience, and marketing.

Participated · Seed · Aug 2022

Nitra embeds AI agents into core business functions—payments, procurement, inventory management, scheduling, and insurance verification—giving medical practices a single system to run their back office. Its financial suite includes a Visa-powered expense card, bill pay, patient payment processing, and AI-driven accounting, while its commerce marketplace connects users to thousands of biopharma and medical-supply products through partners like McKesson and Medline. Recently the company added a voice-AI patient management module that handles appointment scheduling and insurance eligibility checks. In 2025 the platform’s annualized revenue jumped from $4 million to more than $33 million on 740 percent growth, and it surpassed $1 billion in annualized processing volume across thousands of doctors in over 700 clinics. December 2025 saw a single-day record of roughly $9 million in purchases. Management expects to serve 3,000+ clinics, top $150 million in annualized revenue, and exceed $4 billion in processing volume during 2026. Founded in 2024 by CEO Tim Hwang and President Jonathan Chen, Nitra plans to expand headcount from about 50 to over 200 and roll out new AI modules for revenue-cycle management, patient marketing, payroll, and staffing.

Participated · Series A · Aug 2022

Invisible Universe is a Los Angeles–based, internet-first animation studio led by CEO Tricia Biggio that creates original animated character IP and franchises for social media. The company operates a distributed animation studio model and partners with high-profile celebrities and influencers to develop and amplify characters. Its franchises include Qai Qai, Squeaky & Roy, Clydeo, Ember and others, with current partners such as Serena Williams, Jennifer Aniston, and the D’Amelio family. The studio plans to launch new animated IP across social media and web3, expand its footprint to new platforms, and further monetize its existing suite of franchises. Invisible Universe will debut its first web3 franchise, The R3al Metaverse, a community-driven NFT project that lets holders influence storytelling and potentially have their NFT characters animated in the series. Invisible Universe develops and debuts original animated character IP on social media in partnership with high-profile celebrities, influencers, and brands. Its core product is celebrity-backed animated characters—including Qai Qai, Squeaky & Roy, Kayda & Kai, and Crazynho—launched natively on platforms like TikTok and Instagram and produced using proprietary workflow optimization software and a global network of illustrators, 3D artists, and animators. The company says it produces content in-house at a fraction of traditional studio cost and iterates storylines in near real time based on fan feedback. Its first breakout character, Qai Qai, has over 3.2 million fans across social channels, has generated tens of thousands of doll sales, and is a best-selling 5-star toy on Amazon. Invisible Universe aims to create the "next 100-year animated franchise" and intends to extend franchises into books, toys, TV, and Web3, with new celebrity-backed characters planned (including a Jennifer Aniston collaboration launching this fall). Leadership includes founder John Brennan and CEO Tricia Biggio, and Katelin Holloway of Seven Seven Six recently joined the board. The company has raised $8 million to date and is positioning itself for partnerships with publishers, streamers, and ecommerce companies.

Participated · Seed · Apr 2022

Ellis offers Ellis Money, an FDIC‑insured neobank that lets international students open checking accounts up to four months before arriving in the U.S., fund them via SWIFT or ACH, and use virtual or physical debit cards. The company is partnered with Blue Ridge Bank for checking account services and is launching Ellis Mobile, an MVNO built on T‑Mobile’s network, in May. Ellis also automates immigration paperwork (Social Security card applications, non‑resident tax filing, credit profile building, visa renewals, and work authorization petitions) from collected documents like passports and Form I‑20/DS‑2019. The team plans to build Ellis Rent, a co‑signer product underwritten with insurance partners to avoid upfront multi‑month rent payments, later this year. Founder Sampei Omichi started the company after his own experience moving to the U.S. and navigating banking, phone service, and visa processes. The company raised a seed round and is using the funding to hire product and engineering and to expand distribution via partnerships with international education agencies.

Participated · Series A · Apr 2022

Boba Network has announced a substantial new funding arrangement to support its upcoming initiatives. While the company has not publicly detailed its core product or service in the disclosed material, it emphasizes that the fresh capital will power a slate of future "advancements." The firm secured a $70 million capital commitment, positioning it with what it describes as an "ultimate war chest" for growth initiatives slated through 2026 and beyond. This sizable commitment indicates management’s intention to aggressively invest in development over the next several years. The funding also bolsters the company’s financial flexibility, enabling it to pursue longer-term strategic objectives without immediate capital constraints. No revenue, user, or operating metrics were provided in the announcement. Specific plans for deploying the proceeds, including timelines or product milestones, were likewise not disclosed.