Participated · Equity · Jul 2026

Final Boss Sour produces gaming-inspired sour snacks made from real dried fruits candied with a proprietary sour coating and without artificial colors or artificial fruit flavors. The Los Angeles-based brand launched in October 2023 and has pursued a social-first growth strategy driven by frequent product launches and creator collaborations. It has generated more than 2 billion organic video views across TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, built the largest YouTube subscriber base of any sour candy brand, and become the largest sour candy brand on TikTok Shop. The company has executed collaborations with cultural and sports figures including Trevor Zegras and Jazz Chisholm Jr., and brands such as PAC-MAN and G FUEL. Final Boss Sour is expanding into major retailers including Walmart, Kroger, H-E-B, Wegmans, Hy-Vee, with planned launches at Target and 7-Eleven, and has raised a total of $12 million to date to support product innovation, creator partnerships and national retail expansion.

Led · Series A · May 2025

Blank Beauty, founded in 2016, combines AI color science with patented micro-dosing robotics to produce personalized cosmetics on demand. Its in-store Huey robotic platform creates custom nail polish shades in under two minutes, while Dolly automates online order fulfillment with real-time quality control and next‑day shipping. The company operates a micro-factory model that reduces centralized mass production and inventory waste and is consolidating operations into a new 4,000 sq ft manufacturing center in Knoxville, TN. Blank sells direct-to-consumer online and deploys retail devices, and is fielding inbound interest from national retailers and prestige brands. Product plans include expanding beyond nail polish into skin-tone products, liquid foundation, and hair care while maintaining clean, cruelty-free, U.S.-made formulations. The platform is positioned for both B2C and B2B deployment and emphasizes scalable, modular supply chains with strategic manufacturing partners.

Led · Series B · Dec 2024

Qnovia develops and commercializes proprietary inhalation device technologies centered on its RespiRx™ platform, an orientation-agnostic, portable vibrating mesh nebulizer. Its lead asset is the RespiRx™ Nicotine Inhaler (QN-01), a prescription inhaled smoking cessation therapy that has demonstrated clinical proof-of-concept in a first-in-human Phase 1 study and received FDA IND clearance. The company plans to advance QN-01 beyond Phase 1 and pursue a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) submission to the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in 2026, aiming to accelerate commercialization in the UK. Qnovia will use recent proceeds to support clinical, regulatory, and commercial development of QN-01 and to evaluate additional therapeutic indications for its platform. Founded in 2018, the company highlights opportunities to apply its device technology to asthma, COPD, vaccine delivery, pain management, generics, and select investigational drugs. Qnovia is led by CEO Brian Quigley and was founded by Mario Danek. Qnovia develops proprietary inhalation device technologies, centering on its RespiRx platform described as the first orientation-agnostic, portable vibrating mesh nebulizer. The company’s initial clinical focus is nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) with plans to expand into other cardiopulmonary and therapeutic indications including asthma, COPD, vaccine delivery, and pain management. Qnovia sees opportunities to apply its platform to several generic and investigational drugs to improve patient outcomes. The company raised $17 million in a Series A and will use the proceeds to advance its NRT drug candidate through an IND submission and begin human clinical trials in 2023. Qnovia plans to initiate a Phase 1 study for NRT once the FDA approves its IND application. The company was founded by Mario Danek in 2018 and is based in Los Angeles.

Participated · Equity · Nov 2023

Genetica develops AI-driven retail solutions for the cannabis market, including its Flora Match product for retailers and brands and Flora OS, currently in beta. The company reports rapid adoption with over 300 clients globally and 280% month-over-month growth. Genetica is on pace to deploy its software to north of 2,500 locations by the end of 2024. The team plans to use the recent funding to expand in U.S. and European markets and to grow headcount over the next quarter. Its product suite focuses on improving consumer education, increasing basket sizes, and delivering deep consumer insights for brands. Genetica is an AI-powered cannabis retail platform founded in 2020 and based in San Francesco, CA, led by CEO Ben York. Its core product is Flora AI, which analyzes over 650 million data points to deliver precise product recommendations. The flagship offering, Flora Match, personalizes recommendations using in-store inventory, customers’ dietary habits, activity levels, age, medical conditions, and desired effects, complementing store employees and enabling upselling. The product suite is set to expand later this year with Flora OS, an all-in-one operating system using AI to optimize retail operations. The company intends to use the $500K seed funds to expand into more dispensaries nationwide and into other retailers such as grocery stores and pharmacies. It is on pace to launch its software into more than 350 U.S. locations and dozens of retail and pharmacy entities over the next quarter.

Participated · Series C · Jun 2023

Hungry operates a food-tech marketplace that sells business food solutions and hosts live and virtual experiences from local chefs and restaurants. The company was founded in 2017 by Eman Pahlavani, Shy Pahlevani and Jeff Grass and is based in Washington, DC. Hungry runs operations across numerous U.S. cities including Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, Oakland, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and San Jose. The company recently acquired snacks brand NatureBox. Hungry is valued at $270m and says it will use new funding to drive continued growth and achieve full operational profitability. The product mix centers on marketplace transactions and experiential offerings from local food providers. Hungry is a technology-enabled marketplace that offers curated experiences to groups and businesses across the U.S. Its offerings include catering, chef pop-ups, snack packs, virtual cooking experiences, and food delivery services. The company operates in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, New York City, Austin, Dallas and Los Angeles. Hungry closed a $21M Series C to fund expansion. Management intends to use the capital to accelerate geographic and service-based expansion, beginning with launches in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area in September. The company positions itself at the intersection of food service and experience-driven corporate offerings. HUNGRY operates a technology-enabled marketplace focused on the $60 billion business and events catering market, offering curated experiences for groups and companies across catering, chef pop-ups, snack packs, virtual cooking and delivery. The company emphasizes diversity, equity and inclusion across its staff and chef network, reporting approximately 73% more minority workers and 111% more minority managers than the average U.S. business; women make up 52% of staff and ~45% of its chef network, with minorities accounting for nearly 64% of that network. HUNGRY says it will leverage new capital from its recent investment to improve hiring and training practices so employees can develop skills and execute at a higher level. The company has donated more than half a million meals and runs Food Solutions programs to reduce waste. HUNGRY has received recognition on lists including Forbes' "America's Best Startup Employers of 2021," Fast Company's "Most Innovative Companies 2021," and Forward Fooding's "FoodTech 500." Founded in 2017, HUNGRY is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with operations in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, New York City, Austin and Dallas. Hungry operates a marketplace that connects businesses with screened independent chefs who cook out of ghost kitchens and have food delivered by Hungry's team. The company has built a network of chefs in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, New York and Atlanta and serves customers including Amazon, E-Trade, Microsoft and BCG. Hungry emphasizes a lower cost structure than restaurants while maintaining high-quality dishes produced by top chefs. The startup also runs a charitable program that donates one meal for every two sold and has donated nearly 500,000 meals to date. CEO Jeff Grass and co-founders Eman Pahlavani (COO) and Shy Pahlavani (president) launched the business after working together at their prior startup LiveSafe. The company plans to use new funding to expand into additional markets and aims to be in 23 cities by the end of 2021. Hungry operates a digital marketplace and logistics platform that enables independent chefs to sell cuisines directly to corporate customers and event clients, targeting the $25 billion business and events catering market. The platform features chefs including former White House chefs, Chopped champions, Food Network chefs, and celebrity personal chefs. The company plans to use the new funding to continue investing in its digital marketplace and logistics capabilities and to accelerate expansion into new U.S. markets. Founded in late 2016 by Eman Pahlevani and Shy Pahlevani and led by CEO Jeff Grass, Hungry currently operates in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. The company has raised a total of $12.5M to date and intends to deploy capital to drive growth and market penetration.