The Venture Codex

Participated · Series A · Dec 2023

Founded in 2019 by Larry Haertel Jr. and Aaron Telch, Jiant is a Los Angeles-based ready-to-drink alcohol maker focused on hard tea, kombucha, and cocktail-inspired beverages crafted with fresh-brewed tea, real fruit, and botanicals. Its products are distributed across the U.S. through a network of top-tier distributors and retail partners including Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Target, Kroger, Albertsons, Total Wine & More, HEB, Erewhon and Sprouts. The company recently completed a capital raise to support growth initiatives. Management intends to use the proceeds to bolster production capabilities, drive deeper distribution, support new sales channels, and accelerate expansion of its hard tea line. No operating revenue or user metrics were disclosed in the article.

Participated · Seed · Jun 2020

Bümo launched in 2019 as a combined daycare and co-working space for professional parents based in Los Angeles. When the pandemic hit and their planned Westfield mall site opening was delayed, the company pivoted to twice-weekly virtual classes and supplemental à la carte skills sessions. The founders had already raised a $2.4 million seed round between November and May to fund curriculum development and to hire educational and operational staff. The financing is being used to build a more robust suite of educational offerings and expand curriculum. Bümo reports roughly 100 students enrolled in its virtual program so far; its initial two-hour class package is priced at $199 per month, with an additional supplemental program offered at $599. The founders are serial entrepreneurs who have worked together for 14 years.

Participated · Equity · May 2020

Stringr began as a marketplace connecting news organizations with videographers and has expanded into a broader cloud-based video production platform. The company reports a network of more than 100,000 videographers and has added tools for live streaming, transcription, and editing to streamline production. Some customers use Stringr just for footage, while others rely on it as a purely cloud-based solution for producing news programming when staff cannot come into the office. Stringr also launched Embed Studios, a division that uses its videographer network to create branded content for clients including Corcoran, Zillow, HBO Max, Amazon, TikTok, Mastercard, United Way and MGM. The company says demand has increased amid COVID-19 as media companies seek more cost-effective production workflows. Financially, Stringr has raised new funding and says its total capital raised is $7.25 million. Stringr operates a comprehensive video marketplace that enables media organizations to source custom footage, edit and publish under tight deadlines. The company leverages a nationwide network of more than 60,000 responsive videographers who provide broadcast-quality video in every major U.S. market. Stringr collaborates with The Associated Press by providing a selection of daily video stories for syndication through AP’s VideoHub marketplace. The company was founded in 2014 by Lindsay Stewart and Brian McNeill, who met at The Wharton School, and is based in New York City. Stringr raised more than $1M in the latest funding and has raised $4.6M to date. It intends to use the new funds to accelerate growth, including integration of its service into partners’ products. Stringr operates a marketplace that lets media customers post requests for footage and receive submissions, often in under an hour. The platform is open to professional videographers and casual contributors, but emphasizes quality through a curation team that works with both newsrooms and shooters. CEO and co-founder Lindsay Stewart previously worked as a TV news producer for ABC, Bloomberg and Fox News, and says the service was born from newsroom needs. Stringr currently hosts 10,000 videographers on its platform. The company's present focus is editorial footage for breaking news and evergreen stories, with potential to expand to other businesses that need video. Stringr plans to apply learnings from pilot markets toward a nationwide push.