Led · Equity · Dec 2021

Sens.ai builds a consumer brain-training solution consisting of a wearable headset and an app that deliver more than 20 training programs. The headset features comfortable all-day EEG electrodes, high-signal-quality EEG for clinical-grade neurofeedback, specialized LEDs for photobiomodulation, a heart-rate monitor, Bluetooth audio connectivity, and an audio-in jack. The product offers three modes—Boost (non-invasive light stimulation with Gamma/Alpha/Theta options), Train (audio/visual neurofeedback combined with heart-rate variability training and light stimulation), and Assess (functional testing of cognitive enhancement). Sens.ai applies decades of clinical research to a consumer setting by combining neurofeedback, photobiomodulation, and HRV training into a single wearable. The company ran an Indiegogo pre-order campaign that had surpassed $650,000 USD with more than 680 backers as of Dec. 8, 2021; the campaign was scheduled to end on Dec. 30, 2021. Sens.ai was founded in 2018 and is based in Whistler, British Columbia.

Led · Equity · Jan 2019

Neofect builds the NeoMano, a leather, hand-worn powered glove designed to give users mobility in a paralyzed hand due to conditions like stroke, MS and ALS. The glove wraps around the thumb and the index and middle fingers, enabling otherwise simple daily tasks such as brushing teeth, opening doors, and drinking from a cup. The device attaches to a pulley connected to a detachable motor powered by AAA batteries, and a Bluetooth controller held in the other hand controls open and close. The San Francisco-based team completed an Indiegogo campaign late last month, raising north of $28,000 — about 130% of its initial goal. Neofect says the NeoMano is on track to ship to customers in June and appears closer to production than last year’s prototype. The product is listed at $1,999 post-Indiegogo.

Participated · Seed · Dec 2016

Kien is an Amsterdam-based maker of wireless sound systems. Its first product includes a "Follow Me" feature designed to make music automatically follow a person walking around the house. The company says the speakers are intended to suit flexible media consumption across smartphones, tablets and streaming services. Kien plans to demonstrate its first product at CES in Las Vegas next month and to launch sales in the second quarter of 2017. The company was founded by Florent Gatin and brothers Jorn and Sten Ouborg, all of whom previously worked in the audio industry. The €850,000 seed financing will be used for product development, manufacturing and patents.

Led · Equity · Jul 2015

Curb makes a comprehensive household energy monitoring system that installs sensors on each breaker to provide circuit-level and whole-home electricity usage data via a smartphone and web app. Installation requires a licensed electrician and takes about three hours, with configuration done through an iPad app. The product surfaces real-time consumption and dollar estimates per circuit, and the founder says it can flag appliances that may be failing by detecting abnormal consumption. The web and smartphone apps are currently basic, but the team is developing additional features and experimenting with weekly usage emails and partnerships to extend functionality. Curb is available via Indiegogo and Amazon, has sold just less than a thousand units, and works with electricians for installations. The company is also talking with solar providers about using Curb to monitor panel output alongside home energy usage. Financially, Curb collected $117,000 in Indiegogo preorders and later raised $1.25 million in seed funding from angels, strategic partners and Austin’s Capital Factory. Curb is a technology and manufacturing company that builds hardware and software for monitoring and managing energy consumption and solar production in homes and businesses. Its technology provides circuit-level electricity monitoring, real-time reporting, smart alerts and remote energy controls. The company’s systems interface with other Smart Home platforms, including Samsung’s SmartThings. Curb says these features produce bottom-line energy savings for consumers and increase solar efficiency and energy consumption overall. The company was started in 2012 by Erik Norwood, founder and CEO, and is based in Austin, Texas. It recently raised a Series A funding round; the amount of the deal was not disclosed. Curb is part of the portfolio of Dallas-based Stroud Companies and their subsidiaries. Curb makes a sensor box that connects to a house’s circuit breaker and software that analyzes whole-home electrical usage, tracking consumption by rooms, devices, and appliances. The system can monitor usage even when devices are turned off and can alert homeowners when equipment begins to fail. Curb provides a mobile app, web dashboard, and weekly email reports to help customers track energy use. The product has been tested for 18 months in more than 175 houses and businesses. The Curb system starts at $249. The company launched an Indiegogo campaign for its smart home monitoring system and has exceeded its crowdfunding goal.

Led · Equity · Mar 2015

Jolla develops Sailfish OS, an open mobile operating system, and has pursued related device and licensing projects such as the crowdfunded Jolla Tablet. The company intends to use new funding to continue development of Sailfish OS, proceed with closing the Jolla Tablet project, and extend its licensing partnerships. Jolla experienced financing challenges the prior autumn, subsequently entered an agreement with its main creditors and canceled its debt restructuring application in Finland. Following the financing, Jolla will be able to fulfill a small number of tablet shipments to its crowdfunding backers and has decided to refund remaining Indiegogo contributions in two rounds. The company is preparing a new special community program that it says will be announced soon. Jolla is led by Antti Saarnio, Chairman. Jolla develops the Sailfish OS and builds smartphones and tablets as reference hardware to demonstrate the software. Its Jolla Tablet won 'best tablet' at Mobile World Congress and is being funded via an Indiegogo campaign that has raised almost $2.4 million. The company is about 130 people and plans to license Sailfish OS for free as a platform while pursuing revenue-sharing partnerships on software services. Jolla is actively seeking partners on both the apps side and hardware manufacturing (ODMs and OEMs) and hopes to see a non-Jolla device running Sailfish before the end of the year. The Indiegogo cash infusion is intended to buy time to refine the business model and sign partners. Jolla positions Sailfish as a lightweight, gesture-based OS with technical flexibility to scale across form factors and verticals such as cars and healthcare. Jolla develops Sailfish OS, an open-source mobile operating system that is compatible with Android apps but does not have access to Google’s Play store. The company says roughly 90% of its efforts go to software development and it aims to license the OS to device partners, while also producing its own hardware and branded accessories. Jolla has run product partnerships (including with Rovio and Makia) to deliver content via its ‘Other Half’ accessories. It recently crowdfunded a Sailfish tablet on Indiegogo, raising more than $1.8M from over 13,000 backers and unlocking stretch goals such as Micro SDHC support and split-screen mode. Devices are currently available in Europe and Asia, with India and Russia added most recently. The company has a team of over 100 people and is seeking strategic partners and a Series C to scale international expansion. Jolla was formed by former Nokia staff to continue work on the MeeGo-derived Sailfish OS and build a mobile‑OS and smartphone ecosystem. The company has pursued China as a primary market, signing a distribution deal with D.Phone Group and creating a Hong Kong-based alliance that intends to contribute €200 million to the Sailfish ecosystem. Jolla is establishing R&D operations in Hong Kong and elsewhere in China to support market entry. Financially, Jolla said the China Fortune investment is part of its first financing round, which it started last summer and has now concluded. China Fortune previously acquired convertible bonds and exercised an option to buy shares as part of the transaction. Jolla also confirmed both owners and a group of unnamed outside investors participated, and the company plans a second financing round in spring to be financially ready for its product launch. Jolla is a startup formed by the team behind Nokia’s abandoned MeeGo project that has developed the Sailfish mobile operating system and released an SDK. The company showed the Sailfish UI and emphasized multitasking, privacy of notifications, and customisable UI themes. Jolla has partnered with ST‑Ericsson on chipsets for its phones and signed distribution and carrier arrangements including retailer D.Phone in China and a sales and marketing deal with Finnish operator DNA. The firm raised about €10 million in capital from a private consortium of investors. Jolla says Sailfish can be ported to tablets, smart TVs and cars, but will focus primarily on smartphones. The company is targeting growth in Asia—especially China—and plans direct-to-consumer online sales in addition to carrier and retail partnerships.