• Nymi

  Led · Series B · May 2017

  Founded in 2011 by CEO Karl Martin and backed by ten years of research at the University of Toronto, Nymi launched the Nymi Band in 2014. The Nymi Band is a wearable authenticator that uses a wearer’s cardiac rhythm as a biometric identifier and enables continuous presence-based authentication. The device communicates via patented secure Bluetooth and Near Field Communication (NFC) systems. Nymi has recently focused on Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The company closed a US$15m Series B and intends to use the funds to enter the next phase of scaled deployments. It aims to deploy at scale later this year. Bionym develops the Nymi, a wristband that embeds an advanced electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor to authenticate a wearer by matching their heartbeat to a stored profile. Once authenticated the band wirelessly authenticates other devices throughout the day until it is removed, at which point it requires re-authentication. The Nymi is the company’s first product and is currently in the hands of developers, with a consumer launch planned for later this fall. A pre-order campaign has generated over 10,000 orders to date. The company will use the Series A proceeds to hit its ship date and to support ongoing hiring as it grows; Bionym has about 40 employees and was founded in 2011. Strategic partners such as MasterCard, Salesforce Ventures and Export Development Canada see applications for commerce, hospitality and enterprise security, and the company may license its ECG technology beyond its own wearable. Bionym builds Nymi, an ECG heartwave–sensing wristband that authenticates users by matching the shape of their heartwave and sustaining an authenticated state while worn. The device captures ECG data via on‑device sensors, transmits encrypted data over Bluetooth Low Energy, and stores credentials in a hardware secure element to prevent spoofing and tracking. Nymi also includes a gyroscope and accelerometer (6‑axis motion sensing) to enable gesture unlocking and basic activity tracking; the company plans an open-source API/SDK to attract third‑party developers. The companion app is slated for iOS, Android, Windows and Mac OS X, and the device was offered for pre‑order at $79 with early 2014 shipping; battery life is reported at about a week between charges. Bionym positions the product beyond device unlocking toward smart environments and hyper‑personalized experiences. The company was spun out of the University of Toronto and is led by CEO and co‑founder Karl Martin; it closed a CAD$1.4 million seed round reported in the article.

• Diablo Technologies

  Participated · Series C · Aug 2016

  Diablo Technologies is a San Diego-based developer of enterprise computing technologies led by CEO Mark Stibitz. The company builds Memory1, a memory channel storage platform that combines software and hardware architectures with NAND-Flash to create a new generation of solid-state storage. Memory1 provides 1TB or 2TB of system memory in a single two-socket server via JEDEC-compliant, flash-based DIMMs that interface with existing server architectures. The DIMMs require no changes to hardware, operating systems, or applications. The product targets workloads needing large memory footprints such as big data analytics, caching, and complex web applications. Diablo recently secured $37M in an oversubscribed Series C across two phases. Diablo Technologies develops enterprise computing memory solutions and offers the Memory1 and Memory Channel Storage products. Memory1 is a memory technology that delivers high capacity on large DRAM modules. Its Memory Channel Storage platform combines software and hardware architectures with non-volatile memory to create a new generation of solid-state storage for data-intensive applications. The company plans to use the new funding to further accelerate customer deployments through expanded sales, applications support and R&D. Diablo is led by newly named CEO Mark Stibitz and Chief Product Officer Riccardo Badalone, the company's co-founder and previous CEO. The company was founded in 2003 and is based in San Jose, CA. Founded in 2003 by CEO Riccardo Badalone, Diablo Technologies develops memory system interface products centered on its Memory Channel Storage (MCS) technology platform. The MCS platform leverages NAND-flash and future non-volatile memory technologies to enable increased application performance and a new class of enterprise server and storage system designs. Diablo's upcoming MCS products are intended to improve transaction processing and data analysis within compute-servers, enterprise datacenters and cloud-computing facilities worldwide. The company closed an additional $7.5M of equity funding to support the launch of MCS and to expand marketing and distribution across a broader set of applications. This additional financing brings the total equity investment in the latest round to $35.5M, following a $28M raise in November 2012. Diablo Technologies develops the Memory Channel Storage (MCS) technology platform, a memory system interface that leverages NAND-flash and future non-volatile memory technologies. The platform is intended to enable improvements in transaction processing and data analysis within compute servers, enterprise datacenters and cloud-computing facilities worldwide. The company intends to use the $28M raised to complete its MCS technology platform. Diablo was founded in 2003 by Riccardo Badalone, who serves as CEO, and is based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. In conjunction with the financing, representatives of investors will join the company's board of directors.

• Valencell

  Led · Series D · Mar 2016

  Led by Michael Dering, CEO, Valencell produces biometric sensor systems and provides patent-protected technology to consumer electronics manufacturers, mobile device and accessory makers, medical device makers, sports and fitness brands, and gaming companies for integration into their products. The technology, protected by more than 60 granted patents and more than 100 patents pending, can be used in wearables and hearables and is scalable to multiple form factors including earbuds, smartwatches, armbands, and wrist devices. The company is based in Raleigh, NC. Valencell secured $10.5M in Series E financing, bringing total funding to date to $35M. The round was led by Sonion a/s with participation from existing investors TDF Ventures, GII LLC, and WSJ Joshua Fund. The company plans to use the funds to accelerate investments in its biometric sensor technology and expand sales growth, and Sonion and Valencell recently announced a strategic partnership to make biometrics universal in the hearables and hearing health markets. Valencell, led by CEO Michael Dering, is a Raleigh, N.C.-based developer of performance biometric sensor technology. It licenses its PerformTek® sensor technology to consumer electronics manufacturers, mobile device and accessory makers, sports and fitness brands, and gaming companies. PerformTek employs active signal characterization to remove physical noise and extract accurate biometric information, enabling continuous heart rate, activity and other biometric measurements. The company has over 25 licensees around the world producing wearables and hearables. Valencell recently introduced BioPack™, a biometric sensor system with the PerformTek technology package ready for immediate integration into devices. It plans to use the new funding to continue growth and accelerate innovation in accurate biometric wearable technology and has raised $24.5M to date. Valencell develops PerformTek biometric sensor technology that measures biometric data “on anyone, doing anything, anywhere on the body,” aimed at improving the accuracy of fitness tracking and other wearables. The company collaborates with license partners to validate the reliability, performance and accuracy of wearable products using its technology. In February it received approvals for eight patent applications intended to support its sensor technology, including methods using light to filter noise and a photoplethysmography sensor as an alternative to ECG. Valencell says the new patents will help make calorie-burn monitoring more accurate by assessing energy expenditure without relying on footsteps. The company recently joined the National Sleep Foundation’s sleep technology council to work with other sleep-tech firms on insights and innovations. Financially, Valencell has raised capital across multiple rounds, most recently securing $2.64 million and earlier raising $7 million as part of a Series C, bringing total funding to $14 million. Valencell, founded in 2006 and based in Raleigh, North Carolina, develops performance biometric data sensor technology. Its PerformTek®-powered biometric sensors measure real-time heart rate and activity continuously and are available in multiple form factors, including ear-worn designs. The sensors target consumer electronics manufacturers, mobile device and accessory makers, sports and fitness brands, gaming companies, and headset and earbud manufacturers. Valencell's technology is currently powering four wearable products. The company has raised more than $13M in venture funding and more than $3M in grants. With newly appointed CEO Michael Dering, Valencell plans to use new funds to further technological development, sales and marketing of its sensors. Valencell’s Healthset® platform integrates vital-sign sensors directly into music earbuds and audio headsets to track heart rate, calories burned, steps taken, distance traveled, speed and other physiological metrics. Sensor data is streamed to smartphones and MP3 players via wired or wireless links, enabling live body metrics, training and coaching through mobile and online fitness applications. The company licenses its sensor technologies to industry partners for integration with brand-name consumer products across consumer mobile, fitness, gaming, mHealth and PPE markets. Valencell validated the accuracy of its sensors in a 2010 clinical study at the Duke University Center for Living and is actively signing licensing deals with strategic partners. The Series B funding will be used to expand the team, increase the number of licensing deals with strategic partners, and accelerate the product pipeline to include additional physiological monitoring capabilities. Valencell was seeded by its three founders, previously raised a $1 million Series A, and has been awarded more than $3 million in R&D grants.

No current team members are available.