Participated · Seed · Jan 2023

Skillit builds a data-driven recruiting platform purpose-built for construction that taxonomizes and assesses skills, experience, goals and preferences to generate data-rich worker profiles. The platform is used by top ENR contractors pursuing self-perform strategies to better control project lifecycle and profitability. Skillit reports materially higher interview requests, offer acceptance rates that are 1.7x the industry average and retention rates that are nearly double. The company is expanding its Trade-Region Pairs (TRPs) and has doubled the number of roles available to customers, covering trades from carpenters and electricians to heavy equipment operators and welders. Skillit is positioning to serve growth in demand driven by legislation and major infrastructure and green jobs, and is building product, engineering, customer success and sales teams to scale. The company is based in New York City and has raised a total of $13.6M to date. Skillit provides an end-to-end recruiting platform purpose-built for construction, offering sourcing, trade-specific skills assessments, hiring, training, evaluation and win-back workflows. The platform collects hundreds of data points to create a rich, taxonomized view of skilled construction labor across the employee lifecycle. It is already in use by select ENR contractors, including Messer Construction, and delivers improved hiring outcomes such as higher percent of offers accepted and reduced time to hire. The company says its product smooths and accelerates the hiring experience for both contractors and workers and produces data-driven compensation and labor-market insights. Skillit plans to open new regional markets, refine the product with real customer usage and feedback, and expand its team across product, engineering, customer success and sales. The company raised a $5.1M seed round to fund these efforts and pursue broader adoption, including potential application in the unionized sector.

Participated · Series A · Nov 2021

Augmentir develops a connected worker platform that leverages AI to digitize and optimize frontline work based on worker capability and task complexity. Its technology supports skills management, training, digital workflow, and collaboration for manufacturers and industrial customers in manufacturing, service, energy, and construction. In February the company expanded its AI platform to incorporate Generative AI and other foundational technologies underpinning ChatGPT. Led by CEO Russ Fadel, Augmentir positions its product to help manufacturers identify opportunities to improve training and optimize upskilling and reskilling programs. The company announced recent organizational growth with two senior hires: Kiyomi Otani as VP of Operations and Carsten Hunfeld as Director for EMEA. Augmentir intends to use new funding to expand its team, grow global sales and marketing, and accelerate product development and innovation. Augmentir offers a suite of AI-powered connected worker tools that help industrial companies understand and support their diverse frontline workforce at an individual level. The platform combines AI with digital workflows and remote collaboration to reduce the effort of onboarding, guiding, and supporting workers. Customers across manufacturing, service, energy, and construction use Augmentir to optimize frontline operations and drive performance support, training, and workforce development. The company serves industries including manufacturing, construction, utilities, oil and gas, mining, and field service. Augmentir is led by co-founder and CEO Russ Fadel and is based in Horsham, Pennsylvania. The company recently secured external financing to support growth. Augmentir is a Horsham, PA-based provider of augmented worker software for industrial companies. Its flagship Augmented Operations™ platform combines enterprise augmented reality (AR) with artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) to allow frontline workers to perform higher-quality work, increase productivity, and drive continuous improvement across organizations. The company closed a funding round for an undisclosed amount led by Pritzker Group Venture Capital with participation from Lerer Hippeau, other current investors, and HOLT Ventures. Augmentir plans to use the funds to expand its global footprint and further increase the functionality of the platform. It also intends to make the platform accessible to small, mid-sized and large industrial customers across sectors including oil and gas, mining, field service, and manufacturing. Russ Fadel is co-founder and CEO.

Participated · Series A · Oct 2021

RodRadar is an Israeli sensor technology startup focused on utility strike avoidance. Led by CEO and Co‑Founder Moshe Dalman, the company is developing sensor technology to detect and prevent damage to underground utilities such as powerlines, communications, water, gas, and oil. The company will use newly raised funds to complete product engineering and to engage additional customers and partners. RodRadar raised $6M in a Series A round. Investors in the round include Brick & Mortar Ventures, Mayers Cars and Trucks Group, Dysruptek (Haskell’s venture arm), and HOLT Ventures (HOLT CAT’s ventures arm). The funding is intended to accelerate product completion and customer/partner expansion.

Participated · Series B · Feb 2021

Interplay Learning is an Austin, TX-based provider of immersive career development and skilled trades training. Its platform combines hands-on 3D simulations, expert-led videos, knowledge checks, and personalized learning paths, delivering over 500 hours of courseware across multiple skilled trade paths. The company says its training enables rapid upskilling and job-readiness within weeks rather than years. Interplay plans to use the new growth investment to expand operations and development efforts and to move deeper into the industrial sector. It has acquired Industrial Training International (ITI) to support expansion into crane, rigging, and load handling training. Since 2016 Interplay has trained more than 250,000 people and worked with nearly 2,000 businesses and educational organizations. Interplay Learning develops and delivers online and virtual reality training simulations for the essential skilled trades, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, solar, multi-family maintenance and facilities maintenance. Founded in 2016 and led by CEO Doug Donovan, the company offers a next-generation training platform used nationwide. It serves more than 2,000 customers and has over 110,000 users across the U.S. Products combine digital learning simulations with VR to prepare workers to be job-ready for trade roles. The company intends to use new funding to expand operations and broaden its business reach. Owl Ventures’ managing director Ian Chiu will join Interplay’s board following the financing. Interplay Learning delivers scalable training for mechanical, electrical and industrial workforces using virtual reality and 3D simulations. The company’s subscription-based platform offers monthly and annual pricing and targets industries including HVAC, electrical, energy auditing, solar install, manufacturing and construction codes. Interplay has developed simulation training expertise over the last eight years. The company plans to use new funding to hire talent for its Austin offices and to expand its customer success team. Management also intends to accelerate expansion into new markets and to develop new platform features. The business recently completed a Series A financing to support these initiatives. Interplay Learning is an Austin, TX-based training technology company that provides a 3D interactive training platform to education and professional markets. Led by CEO Doug Donovan, the company focuses on trades including HVAC, electrical, energy auditing, and manufacturing. It recently unveiled a virtual reality demo at the Solar Power International Show. The company intends to use new funding to accelerate its move into delivering 3D simulation-based and virtual reality training for middle-skills and professional trades. Interplay raised $1M in funding and also won a $1.25M cooperative award from the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative to develop an online solar training platform featuring 3D simulations and an intelligent learning system. The DOE award is intended to accelerate development and launch of the solar training platform to speed skill building for immediate on-the-job results.

Participated · Series A · May 2020

ZAF Energy Systems develops and commercializes next‑generation battery technologies, including nickel‑zinc (NiZn) and a zinc‑air chemistry. Its batteries use sustainable, nontoxic materials, can be safely and easily recycled, and the company says they deliver the highest power and energy density in their class. ZAF targets a wide range of applications such as electric vehicles, commercial trucking, renewables integration, back‑up power, consumer electronics, mobility, recreation vehicles, and aerospace and defense. The company is led by President and CEO Randy Moore and was incorporated in 2011; it is Joplin, Missouri–based and has locations in Montana and Missouri. ZAF is working with three segments of the U.S. Department of Defense on energy storage solutions where its NiZn batteries provide significant performance enhancements. The company recently raised funding to accelerate licensing and joint venture negotiations, drive commercialization and adoption in key markets, and expand manufacturing capacity. ZAF Energy Systems develops and commercializes next-generation rechargeable nickel-zinc (NiZn) and zinc-air batteries using sustainable, non-toxic materials designed for easy recycling. Its NiZn chemistry is described as delivering high power and energy density, with twice the storage capacity and three times the power of conventional lead-acid batteries in a smaller, lighter package. ZAF reports its batteries are performing well in rigorous testing by major commercial trucking, telecommunications, and large-scale data storage customers, and that customers are ready to place orders once manufacturing capacity is available. The company is using investments to hire employees, expand production, and forge strategic partnerships while pursuing licensing and joint-venture arrangements to enable commercially scaled factories globally. A strategic investment from Wirtz Manufacturing is intended to expand production at ZAF’s Joplin facility from hundreds to thousands of batteries per month to rapidly seed the market. ZAF was incorporated in 2011 and has locations in northwestern Montana and southwest Missouri.