Participated · Series B · Aug 2024

Founded in 2017 in Fort Collins, Colorado, Tilt (Career Allies, Inc.) is building a cloud-based platform that guides employers and employees through every stage of a leave of absence. The software delivers a research-backed, inclusive workflow that helps companies retain talent, support managers, and ensure respectful transitions during parental or other leaves. By automating complex compliance tasks and offering employee-centric support tools, Tilt aims to reduce turnover and attract new generations of workers. The company positions its Talent in Leave Technology (TiLT) as an easy-to-use SaaS solution that replaces fragmented, manual processes. Proceeds from its new Series A funding will be directed toward further engineering and product enhancements that “turn current leave management systems on their heads” and deepen the platform’s humanized support features. No operating metrics such as revenue or user numbers were disclosed in the articles.

Led · Series A · Nov 2023

Inclusively's core product is Retain, a workplace personalization platform that merges advanced AI with a framework to centralize accommodations and help employees tailor their work environment. Retain automates over 60% of the accommodation process, provides data and analytics for continuous learning, and offers a transparent, confidential experience for employees. The company cites a $4,000 cost savings each time an existing employee discloses accommodations, and gives the example that 1% disclosure at a 1,000-person company yields $1 million in annual savings. Inclusively serves over 50 enterprise clients, including Delta, Pfizer, Accenture, Charles Schwab, and Edward Jones, and provides integrated access to one million diverse candidates. With the new funding, the company plans to expand Retain to address individual needs across underserved demographics such as caregivers, veterans, and immigrants. Inclusively has active partnerships with the Saints and Pelicans, which have engaged approximately 10% of their full-time employees since the start of the partnership.

Participated · Series C · Sep 2023

Transfr provides virtual reality simulations paired with a digital coach to deliver hands-on workforce training and career-development courses, with a focus on middle-skills jobs. Its platform is used by government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, community organizations, workforce development groups, K-12 schools and higher-education institutions. The company reports installations in more than 1,000 U.S. locations, has facilitated almost 400,000 training simulations, operates in over 40 states, and says its customer base more than doubled year-over-year from 2019 to 2023. Transfr monetizes via a software-as-a-service licensing fee; customers must also acquire headsets (notably Meta’s Oculus Quest with Oculus for Business) to use the platform. The company plans to scale the platform, build out its executive team, invest in new training simulations across a wider range of skills and scenarios, and expand Spanish-language offerings and overall content. Founder and CEO Bharani Rajakumar, whose prior company LearnBop was acquired by K12 in 2014, leads the company’s partnerships with educational and workforce organizations. Transfr VR builds virtual and augmented reality simulations that simulate on-the-job training in fully immersive, 360-degree environments. Delivered with employers, colleges, and workforce development organizations, its simulations include a pre-programmed digital coach to enable hands-on, distraction-free training. The company serves industries including automotive, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, health care, and construction. Over five years Transfr expanded from customers in a single state to partners in 36 states and the District of Columbia, and nearly 300 organizations now use its platform. More than 10,000 incumbent workers, job-seekers, and students have accessed its simulations. The company recently completed a $35 million Series B financing led by Lumos Capital Group. TRANSFR VR builds simulation-based, hands-on training experiences using virtual reality to prepare people for technical and skilled-trade roles. The company’s platform pairs curriculum and assessment tools with headsets (the article cites Oculus Quest with Oculus for Business) to recreate on-the-job experiences. TRANSFR says its programs are aimed at boosting economic mobility in regions with acute skills gaps and unemployment and are already used by workforce agencies, schools, colleges, and employers. Customers and partners named in the article include Lockheed Martin, Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, and statewide partnerships in Alabama through AIDT and the Alabama Community College System under the JumpstartAL initiative. The company emphasizes connecting schools, workplaces, and governments to make technical careers more accessible and to open pathways to higher wages. TRANSFR was recognized in January 2020 as a “2020 Innovator to Watch” by nonprofit JFF.

Participated · Series C · Oct 2022

Hazel Health provides school-based telehealth and teletherapy, partnering with school districts and health plans to deliver virtual pediatric care in school and at home. Its licensed providers deliver teletherapy and virtual care to over four million K-12 students regardless of ability to pay. The company aims to remove barriers to mental and physical health care by integrating services into the K-12 education system. UnitedHealthcare Community & State of Iowa announced a $1.5 million investment to help Hazel partner with Iowa school systems and build the technological infrastructure needed to bring mental health services to students. After the first phase of infrastructure building, Hazel therapists will begin providing services in August, with confirmed districts including Des Moines, Council Bluffs and Cedar Rapids. The Iowa expansion is expected to impact approximately 100,000 students in historically underserved and rural communities. Hazel Health delivers school-based telehealth services, partnering with school districts to provide mental and physical health care to students at school or at home. The company deploys a diverse, culturally competent provider network that works with parents and school staff to make care decisions. Hazel is led by CEO Josh Golomb and Chief Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles. It has expanded to 14 states and is contracted to provide services to nearly 2.5 million students in more than 3,000 schools. The company says it consistently delivers improved access and quality of care. Hazel intends to use the new funding for continued product innovation and growth. Hazel Health delivers school-linked telemedicine and remote-care services to children, partnering with districts to provide on-site iPad telehealth access and a Hazel at Home service. Founded five years ago by Nick Woods, the company expanded rapidly after COVID-19 to support distance-learning students. It now works with districts responsible for nearly 1.5 million children, growing from about 300,000 pre-COVID. Enrollment and engagement metrics are strong: roughly 90% of eligible families have enrolled and 70% have engaged with services; nearly 40% of users report they don’t have a primary care physician. Hazel has been developing remote telemedicine applications to continue serving students during lockdowns and to expand statewide. The company intends to use new funding to expand its footprint across the U.S., invest in product capabilities to support larger volumes, and support families and district partners.

Led · Series A · Mar 2022

Learn In provides a platform that enables companies to establish Talent Academies to build deeper, role‑aligned skills across their workforce. Its core features include a prepaid learning stipend card, a world‑class program marketplace, a custom program builder, a tuition benefits manager, and dedicated coaching. The company targets mid‑market to large employers, with a pipeline focused on financial services, industries undergoing transformation like manufacturing, and fast‑growing companies. Learn In emphasizes precision, personalization, and transparency to increase learning outcomes versus older micro‑learning and licensed‑content approaches. The company was co‑founded by the founders of Degreed and is led by co‑founder and CEO David Blake. Learn In says it will use new capital to expand its technology platform, go‑to‑market team, and customer success capabilities. Learn In offers a dual product: employer-facing SaaS that helps determine whether a company can afford sabbaticals for individual employees, and a marketplace that connects employees to online bootcamps and degree programs. Its sabbatical setups are flexible—employees can split time between work and learning, take partial-pay sabbaticals, or remain on benefits while removed from payroll. Learn In partners with edtech providers such as Podium Education, FlatIron School and Foundry College to deliver training and credentials. The company charges employers a SaaS fee plus a tuition fee per employee; a typical Learn In program costs about $7,000, with employers usually covering $5,250 and employees covering roughly $1,750. Learn In argues its model helps companies avoid layoffs by reskilling staff, estimating rehiring costs (a data scientist can cost above $30,000) and claiming reskilling an internal employee can save about 40% versus external hire costs. The startup launched amid widespread tech layoffs and positions its offering as a longer-term talent retention and cost-saving alternative.