Participated · Seed · Jun 2021

Ayraa builds an intelligent and connected enterprise platform aimed at simplifying and modernizing workplace security, compliance, facilities and operations. The company is led by CEO Vinay Mahadik and Chief Design Officer Nikita Chikate. Ayraa intends to remain in stealth for the next year while it develops its go-to-market platform. The startup plans to use its recently raised capital to build out a large engineering and design operation in Mumbai and Pune, India. The company raised seed funding to support product and team expansion while it completes its stealth development. Ayraa is based in San Jose, California.

Participated · Seed · Dec 2015

Teforia's flagship product is an internet-connected tea infuser that brews the company’s pre-packed “Sips” or loose-leaf tea placed into an "infusion globe." The device is controlled via a mobile app that lets users create, share and store brewing recipes, and it can also be operated manually. Founder and CEO Allen Han, previously known for designing the XBOX, emphasized a sleek, consumer-electronics design that contrasts with traditional kitchen appliances. The company generates revenue from machine sales, subscriptions and tea sales and currently employs 24 full-time staff. Teforia plans to use new funding to hire, scale manufacturing, expand marketing and bolster customer support, with an operational focus on North America first. The product is positioned against single-serve and specialty brewers like Keurig, Chime and the high-end Bkon, aiming to capture part of the large U.S. wholesale tea market. Teforia produces a high-end tea-brewing machine that applies a proprietary Selective Infusion Profile (SIP) system to tailor brews to different tea varietals. The device was developed by founder Allen Han, who emphasizes a scientific and artistic approach to infusion and visibility of the brewing process. The company ran a successful pre-order campaign that generated roughly $300,000 and sold out an initial run of 500 machines. Teforia plans a second batch of 250 units priced at $699, later moving to a $1,299 retail price, with delivery slated for spring 2016. The startup positions itself against lower-priced competitors by targeting devoted consumers and leveraging SIP to differentiate product quality. Market context cited in the article notes the global tea industry is about $37 billion and projected to grow to $44 billion by 2021. The company intends to use new capital to build machines, fund R&D, and grow the team.

Participated · Seed · Feb 2015

Chewse provides family-style corporate catering and a curated in-person dining experience, employing drivers and meal hosts who receive training and benefits to improve service quality. The company uses machine learning and algorithms to learn employee food preferences and create custom meal schedules. Chewse initially launched in Los Angeles, paused operations for just over a year to focus on market profitability in San Francisco, then relaunched in Los Angeles and expanded into Palo Alto and San Jose. It currently serves hundreds of customers across three markets and has partnered with local restaurants for its Silicon Valley launch. Financially, Chewse announced a $19 million fundraising round that brings total funding to more than $30 million. The company says its investment in hosts, drivers, and technology is intended to drive superior customer retention despite higher costs, and it plans to double the number of markets where it operates within the next year. Chewse faces competition in the corporate meal space from players such as Zesty (acquired by Square for Caviar) and ZeroCater. Chewse operates a corporate catering and office meal-delivery service that handles last-mile logistics including pickup, delivery and presentation. After several years refining its playbook while operating primarily in San Francisco, the company re-launched service in Los Angeles as its next market. Over the last 16 months since its Series A, Chewse tripled sales and increased margins by roughly 50%, and the company is now profitable. Chewse differentiates by taking on delivery logistics itself and working with a curated group of restaurant partners rather than relying on partner restaurants for last-mile delivery. The company treats delivery drivers and servers as hourly employees with benefits such as paid sick leave and internal advancement opportunities, which it says improves retention and customer experience. Chewse is focused on proving positive unit economics in new markets while maintaining its culture and service quality as it scales. Chewse provides a SaaS-based platform for corporate meals, delivering family-style trays and platters from local restaurants via an online ordering experience. The company is led by CEO/Founder Tracy Lawrence and CTO Jeff Schenck and is currently present in San Francisco. Chewse raised $5.9M in a Series A financing to support continued expansion. The round was led by The Foundry Group with participation from Andy Appelbaum, 500 Startups, Galvanize, and Telegraph Hill Capital. The company said it is using the funds to continue to expand operations and is hiring. The fundraising was reported on 11/09/2015. Chewse provides one-click catering for offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco, handling ordering, portioning, dietary restrictions and delivery timing. The service pre-vets partner restaurants and meals for taste, portion size, serving style and arrangement to reduce friction for office managers. Clients give a budget, headcount and dietary notes and Chewse builds and delivers the meal at a predetermined time. The company partners with restaurants such as American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, Rosamunde Sausage Grill and Mission Picnic, and counts customers including StyleSeat, 42Floors, inDinero and Anyperk. After serving its 100,000th meal, Chewse is raising additional capital to expand its catering service. The article frames the raise as seed funding totaling $1.7 million. Chewse operates a curated office-catering marketplace that matches office admins with restaurants that already do catering and delivery. The service emphasizes a vetted selection of restaurants, group-ordering workflows, and support for dietary restrictions to simplify corporate meal orders. Restaurants handle preparation and fulfillment while Chewse focuses on curation and customer acquisition. Chewse launched in July in Los Angeles, has grown rapidly in that market, and reports about 70% of users place a second order; clients include Wells Fargo and PricewaterhouseCoopers. The three-person team is now based in San Francisco and plans to hire more staff and expand into new markets within six to nine months. The company raised seed funding to support that expansion.

Participated · Equity · Dec 2012

Watchup, founded in 2012 and led by CEO Adriano Farano, delivers personalized newscasts compiled from trusted global news sources to tablets, smartphones and other devices. The service curates content from outlets including PBS NewsHour, CNET, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and Univision. Its app is available on Apple’s App Store, Google Play, Google Glass and the Amazon App Store. The company is based in Stanford, CA and is currently hiring. Financially, Watchup has raised $4.25M to date. The product focus is on assembling a tailored TV‑style news experience across multiple consumer platforms. Watchup offers an iPad app that aggregates short video news segments into user-assembled playlists sourced from outlets such as the Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, and Univision. Version 2.0 automated playlist assembly based on user preferences so segments start when the app opens. Co-founder Adriano Farano, a former journalist, says the company has validated its assumptions and is ready to expand to new platforms; it previously released an app for Google Glass. The product aims to create a new version of the daily newscast with an effortless, personalized video experience. Financially, Watchup announced $1 million in additional funding and previously raised $500,000 in angel funding in 2012; the company says the new money is not a Series A. Watchup is a StartX-incubated iPad video app that lets users select segments from a curated set of news channels and assemble them into automated playlists. The app currently aggregates content from 35 channels and offers premium placement partnerships with The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, Deutsche Welle, and The I-Files. Founders position the product as a modern ‘‘time for news’’ experience, aimed at delivering high-quality, professional news in a compact, viewable playlist. Future product plans include more personalization and automation so Watchup can surface news with minimal user effort. Live coverage is not currently planned, as the team views the live space as crowded. Financially, the company has just closed a $500,000 angel round to support its development and growth.