Participated · Seed · Feb 2026

FinOpsly is a Cincinnati-based startup building an artificial-intelligence automation platform focused on ‘value-control,’ a framework that lets customers visualize, understand and reduce their cloud, data and AI expenditures. The software ingests usage data and applies AI to identify inefficiencies, automate policy enforcement and streamline financial operations. Founded by two former FIS executives and led by CEO Kiran Jain, the company has positioned itself as a 2024 Cincy Inno ‘Startup to Watch.’ Management has set 2026 goals that include tripling revenue, indicating a growth-oriented roadmap supported by the recent capital infusion. Although specific current revenue or user figures were not disclosed, the team is doubling down on brand messaging to accelerate customer acquisition. FinOpsly targets enterprises wrestling with escalating cloud and AI infrastructure costs, offering them tangible savings and improved governance. The firm’s Midwest roots and focus on operational efficiency resonate with a growing market for cost-control solutions in cloud computing.

Participated · Equity · Jun 2023

Leap builds and operates a network of branded physical retail stores that integrate with ecommerce and use data-driven operations. The platform enables brands to deploy stores more rapidly at reduced cost and risk while delivering immersive customer experiences. Leap currently operates more than 100 stores across 12 Tier One U.S. markets for brands including Grown Brilliance, Ring Concierge, Godiva and Malbon Golf. The company says it is profitable and emphasizes first-party data, economies of scale and a shopper marketing file to support brands' omnichannel efforts. Leap plans to use new capital to expand its store network, enhance retail operations, and invest further in its platform technology and data analytics. Amish Tolia is co-founder and CEO, and the company recently appointed Karen Katz to its board of directors. Leap provides a retail platform that launches and operates insight-driven branded stores, using data and technology to power immersive customer experiences and streamlined operations. The platform enables brands to deploy stores that work in concert with ecommerce at reduced cost and risk. Leap’s offering is driven and informed by millions of data points and is designed to scale stores for multiple brands. Today more than 50 brands use the platform to power over 100 stores across 11 markets. The company says it has more than doubled its network size and revenue since its Series B financing in January 2022. Leap plans to use the new funding to drive growth with existing and new brands, enhance platform capabilities, and accelerate its path to profitability. Leap offers a full-service retail-as-a-service platform that handles the complete lifecycle of a brand’s brick-and-mortar launch, including owning leases and taking on financial commitments. The company covers staffing, experiential design, technology integration and day-to-day operations so brands can avoid the upfront costs and operational complexity of stores. Leap charges partner brands on a percent-of-sales basis rather than a traditional lease, aligning incentives and lowering risk for digitally native vertical brands. Less than a year after its founding, Leap launched its first store in Chicago for D2C sneaker brand Koio. With a $3 million seed raise announced alongside the store opening, Leap plans to build out its team and continue expanding to new locations. Longer term, the founders aim to build a network of sites to provide intelligence for new store development and shopper preference.

Participated · Series D · Sep 2020

ShipBob operates a full-stack logistics platform combining physical warehousing with merchant software to help e-commerce brands store, pick, pack and ship orders. The company works with roughly 5,000 e-commerce businesses and integrates with about 40 partners and marketplaces, including Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix, Square and Squarespace. ShipBob runs warehouses across around 20 locations in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia and offers a “Prime”-style option enabling merchants to provide affordable two-day shipping. The company is already profitable and says it will invest in geographic expansion and additional R&D around software, robotics and autonomous systems. Co‑founder Divey Gulati and CEO Dhruv Saxena emphasize the platform’s goal of creating scale for smaller brands to compete with larger marketplaces. ShipBob offers full‑stack fulfillment technology and services that enable thousands of ecommerce businesses to manage inventory and ship orders quickly while preserving brand identity. The company operates ten fulfillment centers across the US, Canada and Europe and integrates with leading ecommerce platforms and marketplaces including Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix and Squarespace. Its platform includes an apps marketplace offering partners and integrations for returns management, inventory management and financing solutions. The new capital is intended to expand the company’s software platform, scale its global fulfillment network and bring its solutions to more customers. ShipBob was founded in 2014 and was launched through Y Combinator by co‑founders Dhruv Saxena and Divey Gulati. The company has raised $130.5 million in funding to date. ShipBob provides fulfillment, inventory management, shipping and back-office logistics services for small e-commerce businesses, aiming to help them compete with Amazon’s fast-delivery expectations. The company was launched through Y Combinator in 2014 by Dhruv Saxena and Divey Gulati. ShipBob’s platform automates elements of e-commerce operations and focuses on enabling smaller merchants to offer fast shipping across the country. The startup is headquartered in Chicago. To expand its capabilities and better serve merchants, ShipBob recently raised a new funding round. Its fundraising history includes a $5 million Series A in 2016 and a $17.5 million Series B the following year. ShipBob provides logistics and fulfillment solutions for thousands of e-commerce businesses through proprietary software that predicts trends, shopping habits and geographic insights across multiple selling channels. Its platform powers fulfillment centers in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, enabling same-day fulfillment and ground delivery in 1–2 business days. The company integrates with e-commerce platforms including eBay, Shopify and Amazon and has shipped more than two million packages to date. Founded in 2014 and launched through Y Combinator, ShipBob combines in-house shipping operations with technology designed for Amazon-scale logistics. The company intends to use the $17.5m Series B to accelerate growth and expand its software platform. ShipBob offers outsourced packaging, inventory storage and order-fulfillment services that let small online retailers and sole proprietors outsource packing and shipping for eBay, Etsy or stores built with tools like Shopify, Bitcommerce and WooCommerce. Customers pay a small subscription fee plus the cost of discounted postage; ShipBob also provides packaging-design help, sources packaging materials and in some markets will pick up inventory. Co-founder Divey Gulati says successful e-commerce businesses can save 20–25% in overhead by using ShipBob. Hyde Park Venture Partners led a $4 million Series A that Hyde Park’s founder Ira Weiss said will be used for hiring and to build warehouses in at least five new U.S. cities over the next year. The article cites an IBIS World estimate that U.S. order-fulfillment services generate about $9 billion annually, and Hyde Park says ShipBob is projecting 500% growth with this round. Competitors named include public company Ryder Systems and startups ShipStation, FulfillRite and Shipwire.

Participated · Equity · Jul 2018

Paladin’s core product is a pro bono management platform used by law firms, legal departments and legal services organizations to list, find, sign up for, and track pro bono opportunities. Its customers include major law firms such as Dentons, Clifford Chance, Wilson Sonsini, and McDermott Will & Emery, as well as companies including Verizon, Dell, and Zurich. The company says the platform helps legal teams run more efficient pro bono programs and increase access to justice. Paladin will use new funding to accelerate product development and to meet demand from organizations building out or scaling pro bono programs. The company also plans to continue expansion beyond the U.S. and Canada. As of the Series A, Paladin reports total financing of over $12 million. Paladin is a New York–based SaaS business that helps legal teams sign up for pro bono opportunities, enables coordinators to track attorneys’ donated time, and captures impact stories. The platform helps legal departments see the return on investment for pro bono work and is used by clients such as Verizon and Lyft. Founders Felicity Conrad and Kristen Sonday created the company about three years ago and it operates as a seven-person team. Paladin plans to build infrastructure that connects organizations on the ground with legal services and law firms worldwide, acting as a matchmaker for legal departments. The company acknowledges scalability challenges because many corporate lawyers do not practice the types of litigation often most needed, including immigration, social security, criminal, and domestic abuse matters. To support growth and product development, Paladin has raised $1.1 million from investors.

Participated · Seed · Jan 2016

Limelight Platform provides a cloud-based solution that lets marketers plan, build, communicate and measure campaigns in one place, with tools to track and optimize live marketing activities such as experiential programs, test drives, trade shows, sponsorships, sampling programs and branded consumer events. Launched in 2014 by CEO Jonah Midanik, the company serves clients including Allstate, BMW, Bosch, Heineken, Infiniti, Mercedes‑Benz and Scotiabank. The platform gives brands control over campaign performance and optimization for live activities. Limelight is headquartered in Toronto and also maintains offices in San Francisco. The company closed a seed financing and intends to use the proceeds to accelerate expansion into the U.S. No operating metrics beyond client names were disclosed in the article.