Participated · Series A · May 2021

Double Loop Games is a female-run mobile game studio developing a puzzle-hybrid smartphone title with a social world. The studio is led by cofounders Emily Greer (CEO, formerly of Kongregate) and Shelby Moledina (head of development, formerly at Warner Bros.). Double Loop has 14 employees and is hiring at least four more for production, with team members distributed along the West Coast and some on the East Coast. The company plans to self-publish its first title, aiming for a soft launch in Q4 and a full launch next year depending on soft-launch metrics. Management says the studio will use the new funding to finish the game, with the majority earmarked for marketing and live operations. The founders have previously raised $2.5 million in seed funding more than a year ago and had targeted a $10 million raise split into multiple rounds. Double Loop Games is developing mobile games designed to appeal to the mass market of smartphone owners, focusing on accessibility, relaxation and social connection. The studio was founded by industry veterans Emily Greer and Shelby Moledina, who bring experience from Kongregate, WB Games and DeNA. The company is building its product and engineering teams, is hiring a tech director, and currently has a couple of employees while remaining small through preproduction. Double Loop is already working on a new mobile title in development but is not disclosing details about the game yet. The founders plan to target the large global mobile audience—about 2.5 billion people who download and play games, an estimated 70% of whom do not identify as gamers—to create titles that resonate with nontraditional players.

Participated · Equity · Dec 2015

Vanitee operates a marketplace that connects beauty practitioners with customers for services such as manicures, makeup and hair, enabling professionals to take bookings and offer at-home or independent services. The company officially launched in Singapore in May and has served nearly 5,000 customers, with over 550 independent beauty professionals on the platform and more than 1,000 applicants undergoing verification. Vanitee emerged from the team behind Vanity Trove and an idea developed at a PayPal hackathon; Douglas Gan is a co-founder. The startup is adding product features including an in-service CRM tool for professionals. It is pursuing regional expansion, targeting Malaysia in Q1 2016 and planning moves into Japan (leveraging investor @cosme), Korea (via the acquired Blucarrott team), and potentially Hong Kong and Taiwan. Vanitee has prioritized corporate strategic investors over traditional VCs to tap regional expertise.

Led · Equity · Aug 2015

RedMart operates an online grocery service and marketplace in Singapore, offering roughly 15,000 products across its B2C platform and a rapidly growing marketplace for independent grocers. The company owns its logistics and warehouse chain, which it cites as a strategic advantage for expanding into other product categories and offering near-instant delivery. RedMart is building out a grocery marketplace and an on-demand marketplace as part of its product roadmap and aims to expand into other Southeast Asian cities over time. The business reports GMV, partners and SKUs growing about 12–15% per month and says metrics are trending in the right direction with a clear path to profitability. Leadership changes include the hiring of former Amazon executive Colin Bryar as COO and Vikram Rupani moving to President. Management emphasizes a cautious, learning-driven approach to expansion informed by past failures in the grocery and delivery space. RedMart is an online grocery service the founders describe as a “tech and logistics company that does grocery retail.” It offers same-day delivery, lower prices, and a wide selection, and typically fulfills orders of 22–26 items. Since its Series A in July 2013 the company says revenue has grown 20% to 30% per month; when last reported it had made $5 million in annual sales. Headcount has grown from 75 to 115 employees and the company operates 16 delivery trucks with Android-based driver software for route and delivery management. The new funding will be used to build out logistics infrastructure and technology to support rapid growth. Management says it intends to solidify its operations before expanding into other cities. RedMart is a Singapore-based online grocery retailer that offers free delivery on orders above US$60. Founded in 2011, the company reported about US$5 million in annual sales and 11,000 registered users, with customers returning on average 1.5 times per month and high retention rates. The startup operates roughly 25 office staff and 50 warehouse employees and has recently added hires including former eBay marketing director Todd Kurie. RedMart plans to use its new funding to continue developing its logistics software and infrastructure. After strengthening its Singapore operations, the company intends to expand to Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong in 2014. One of its investors is Garena, a local tech company focused on gaming and messaging.