Led · Series A · Jan 2023

Canvas GFX offers software that enables customers to build end-to-end interactive and multimedia digital instructional experiences, blending 2D illustration, 3D model animations, audio and video content, and interactive 3D models. The platform supports hosted and self-hosted deployments (private cloud or on-premises) and integrates with PLM, learning management, document management, and MES platforms. Customers cited in the article include Anduril, Zipline, and Amsted Rail. Led by CEO Patricia Hume, the company plans to use the new funding to accelerate growth and expand operations. The product is positioned for manufacturing ecosystems seeking integrated, multimedia work instructions. No operating metrics were provided in the article. Canvas GFX provides all-in-one graphical design and technical illustration software that simplifies documentation and sharing of complex objects and systems. Its software is used by many of the world’s largest companies in the aerospace, defense, and manufacturing industries as an integral part of their documentation workflow. The company says it has a customer-hardened product, stable revenue, and an enviable list of satisfied enterprise customers. Canvas plans to use new funding to expand product offerings and accelerate revenue, and it has a Series A financing planned for later this year. Leadership includes CEO Patricia Hume; Wisdom LLP co-founder Gary Griffiths is joining the board as part of the investment, and Mark diTargiani was named VP of Sales. The recent financing was structured as a convertible note intended to convert into the planned Series A.

Led · Series A · May 2022

Flexxbotics provides workcell digitalization and autonomous process control software for robot-driven manufacturing, offered as SaaS/hybrid solutions. Its FlexxCORE technology connects and coordinates robots with existing automation equipment, IT systems and people to enable robot-driven manufacturing at scale. The company positions its platform as more powerful, flexible and open to support complex production settings and smart factory deployments. On Jan. 22, 2024 Flexxbotics announced an investment and mentorship from Scott Harris, co-founder of SOLIDWORKS and Onshape. The company says the partnership will accelerate research and development, expand product offerings, and help reach a broader customer base. No financial terms, operating metrics, or additional investors were disclosed in the article. Flexxbotics offers a cloud-based, no-code SaaS platform that links ERP, MES and other business systems with shop-floor devices to enable process control, operations data capture, and automated work-cell setup. The platform creates a shop-floor communications mesh to increase transparency and streamline reconfiguration in contract and discrete manufacturing. The company launched its first robotic productivity tools in 2020 and reports those tools are used in close to 100 companies worldwide. Flexxbotics was founded in 2018 as a Northeastern University IDEA program spin-out and is led by CEO Tyler Bouchard and CTO Tyler Modelski. The firm recently closed a $2.9 million Series A to accelerate its production-line and work-cell automation rollout and commercialization of new technology. Its stated mission and roadmap emphasize making digital transformation turnkey for discrete manufacturers by seamlessly connecting legacy production equipment with modern business systems.

Led · Seed · Nov 2020

Unruly Studios develops movement-based educational products that combine physical activity with math and coding practice for elementary and middle school students. Its flagship offerings, Unruly Math and Unruly Code, are designed to reduce screen time while boosting engagement and collaboration in classrooms. The company reports over 40 million stomps across North America, reflecting significant user interaction with its products. Unruly is expanding into general education and after-school programs, including a partnership with the Brains and Motion after-school program and state-level collaborations across the U.S. and Canada. The team has added senior hires to accelerate go-to-market and product development, including a new President/COO and product and marketing leaders with K-12 experience. The company is actively developing new movement-based learning concepts and plans additional product lines and market expansions to support growth. Unruly is based in Boston and emphasizes inclusive, active learning experiences for K-12 settings. Unruly Studios builds Unruly Splats — physical programmable floor buttons plus a virtual app — that light up, make sounds, and collect points when stomped, allowing students to code game rules. The product blends coding with physical movement to create playful, collaborative, and inclusive STEM lessons. The company primarily targets schools and districts and distributes Splats via a subscription business model shared among teachers. Unruly Studios also provides ongoing coaching, lesson-planning support, and community resources to help teachers integrate the tool over time. Operating traction cited in the articles includes roughly 1 million “stomps” from tens of thousands of kids and rising demand during the 2020 pandemic. The company began with a successful Kickstarter in 2017 and shipped its first units in 2018. Unruly Studios develops Unruly Splats — durable floor buttons that light up, play sounds, and can be programmed by kids with a paired tablet — plus a companion app preloaded with recess-style games. The products are aimed at children ages 6+ to help them build coding and STEM skills through active, recess-style play. Splats are compatible with Apple iPad, Android tablets, and Chromebooks, with additional integrations coming soon. Led by CEO and founder Bryanne Leeming, the company intends to use recent funding to grow the team and build a user community. Unruly plans to continue expanding its footprint globally. The company raised a $1.8M seed round to support these efforts. Unruly Studios is a Boston-based edtech company that builds a gamified coding device aimed at introducing children to STEM. The company released its Splat product during its 12-week participation in NextFab's fall 2017 RAPID accelerator; Splat seeks to introduce kids to STEM through active play. NextFab selected Unruly as the first recipient of additional growth capital from a $100,000 follow-on fund, with a $50,000 investment expected to close at the end of the week. NextFab's RAPID accelerator began providing up to $25,000 in seed capital to participating startups in 2017. Unruly was also selected by two other accelerators, AT&T Aspire in San Francisco and MassChallenge in Boston. The follow-on investment is intended to help the company maintain momentum and accelerate growth.

Participated · Series A · Sep 2019

PlateletBio is a Massachusetts-based preclinical-stage biotech pioneering allogeneic cell therapies grounded in platelet biology. Its core product is platelet-like cells (PLCs) produced using a proprietary biomimetic bioreactor-on-a-chip and engineered into therapeutic ePLC candidates. The company has established in-house cGMP manufacturing capabilities to support development and future commercialization. PlateletBio is advancing a diverse pipeline targeting hematology, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases, with a lead PLC program for Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP). The company plans to further develop its ePLC platform and proprietary manufacturing to expand therapeutic applications. Financially, PlateletBio recently closed a $20 million senior secured term loan to support working capital and advance its lead PLC program. Platelet BioGenesis (PBG) has created a platform to generate human platelets at scale, producing stem cell–derived, donor-independent PLTs+ and pursuing genetically engineered platelet-based therapeutics for cancer and other diseases. The company’s platform is patented and cGMP-compliant and was spun out of Harvard University. PBG announced plans to enter IND-enabling studies of its donor-independent platelets in 2020. The company has received venture funding from Qiming Venture Partners USA, Ziff Capital Partners and other investors, and grant funding from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, the NIH and the U.S. Department of Defense. PBG recently added Uma Lakshmipathy, Ph.D. and Teresa Foy, Ph.D. to its Scientific Advisory Board to support R&D and translational efforts. The firm is based in Cambridge, Mass. Platelet BioGenesis (PBG) has built a platform to generate human platelets at scale from stem cells, positioning itself as a donor-independent source to address global platelet shortages. The company is advancing platelet-based therapeutics as a new treatment modality for cancer and other serious diseases and plans to design and launch its first clinical trial using stem cell-derived platelets. PBG’s platform is patented and cGMP-compliant; the company was spun out of Harvard and has received grants from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, the NIH, and the U.S. Department of Defense. PBG will use new funding to accelerate development of donor-independent platelet manufacturing capabilities and to advance proof-of-concept work around platelet-based therapeutics. The company plans to double headcount to approximately 50 employees in 2020 and is expanding operations into a new 18,000-square-foot headquarters in Watertown, Mass. Platelet BioGenesis is a Boston, MA-based biotech developing a process to produce human platelets from stem cells for therapeutic applications. The company has developed and patented a microfluidic bioreactor and has shown that functional platelets can be generated from human stem cell cultures at scale. It is a pre-clinical stage company spun out of academic labs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard. Leadership includes Co-Founder and incoming CEO Dr. Jonathan Thon and Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer Sven Karlsson. Platelets are critical first-line treatments for cancer patients and surgical care, underpinning the company’s therapeutic focus. The company has received support and recognition from programs including MassCONNECT, was a 2014 MassChallenge Finalist, and has funding support from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and the NIH.

Participated · Series A · Oct 2013

ByteLight provides a software solution that leverages existing lighting infrastructure in retail outlets and large venues to pinpoint users and deliver targeted information, redemptions, maps and services. The company is led by co-founder and CEO Dan Ryan. ByteLight is currently piloting its indoor location solutions with global retailers, including three of the top ten. It raised $3M in Series A financing to support growth. The company will use the capital to accelerate expansion in the retail sector and to further develop its platform. Backers include strategic investors and angel networks, which the company expects to help with market rollout. ByteLight develops LED-based indoor positioning technology that enables precise location targeting inside buildings. Its solution allows commercial and enterprise building owners, public safety officials, retailers and public-space operators to deliver customized information, offers and other data to users based on their indoor location. The company partners with LED lighting manufacturers to embed its technology directly into lighting products to bring the solution to market. ByteLight was co-founded by CEO Aaron Ganick and CTO Dan Ryan and is based in Cambridge, MA. The company raised $1.25m in funding to build its team, deploy at pilot locations and expand its ecosystem of partners.