Karlani Capital
240 Kent Ave Fl 2, Brooklyn, New York, 11249, United States
Overview
Karlani Capital is an operating fund started by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. We love creating new ideas that change lives for the better, creating wealth for our entrepreneurs and their employees, and creating new products that democratize humanity through better access or simpler ways to do things. And we really love being part of the communities we serve. We love life, period. While we take our work very seriously, we don’t take ourselves very seriously. When it really comes down to it, we believe: • Our calling is improving lives by what we do. • Integrity is in our DNA. • Opportunity exists everywhere; we just have to find it. • If it doesn’t sell, we don’t do it. • Life is better when you’re laughing, through both happiness and sadness. We’re looking for like-minded people who want to go on this journey with us, with plenty of joy, laughter and occasional tears along the way, enriching humanity through what we do. Value Proposition Karlani Capital has one main objective: to enable the growth and success of ideas that are original, interesting and useful to people. At the core, Karlani is an operating fund lead by a group of master operators with the expertise to help grow companies from 1 to 1,000+ employees, as well as from $1 to over a billion dollars in valuation, and even assist you into taking your company into the public markets. As your partner, our goal is to add exceptional value with every investment we make. But that’s not all. We want you enjoy the sheer exhilaration of being an entrepreneur. As seasoned entrepreneurs, we know how emotionally and mentally draining building your business can be. Chances are that the pain points you are experiencing in your start up are things we’ve already been through; and we’re happy to advise you through them. Our vast, combined expertise (which includes, though is not limited to, entrepreneurship, technology, finance, adtech, enterprise software, sales execution, HR, operations, product development, eCommerce, digital marketing, branding, mobile tech, and retail) can help you attain the true potential of your idea or product. We will support your growth by helping you define your business’ strategy and future direction for successful growth. Our singular objective is to help you execute; not to add reporting requirements. Our portfolio companies have told us they love the discipline we help bring, and that we enable them to thrive both financially and as a workplace of choice. We have a strong value system that aims to enrich humanity through what we do, which is reflected in our portfolio of partner companies.
- Total investments
- 5
- Lead investments
- 2
- Investments · 12mo
- 0
- Active investors
- 4
Sector focus
- E-Commerce
- Enterprise Software
- Finance
- Marketing
- Mobile
- Product Management
- Sales
- Venture Capital
Investment portfolio
- Betty
Led · Seed · Feb 2023
Betty operates an online casino tailored to female players, focusing on transparency, community-driven play, and gamification of traditional slot experiences. The company has built an in-house proprietary platform called Midnight 1 and plans to upgrade it to Midnight 2. Betty launched in February 2023 and is licensed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, where it has gained significant traction. It reports an eight-figure net revenue run rate and has grown 30% month-over-month since launch. Female players retain at a rate three times higher than male counterparts, a KPI the company highlights as a competitive advantage. The latest capital will be deployed to expand user acquisition, improve live operations capabilities, and support the platform upgrade. Betty builds a proprietary real-money online casino (iCasino) and casual mobile gaming platform aimed at maximizing entertainment for casual players through a safe, social, and inclusive environment. Its core product is an iCasino platform tailored to casual slot players, especially women. The company is led by CEO Betty and plans to use newly raised capital to launch and expand operations in Ontario and continue platform development. Betty was issued a gaming license by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario on January 24 and anticipates a soft launch in February followed by a full go-to-market in Q2. The company previously raised $1.8M in a March 2022 pre-seed round and maintains an R&D office in Bulgaria. The new funding is intended to support expansion in Ontario and further R&D on its proprietary iCasino offering.
- Spren
Participated · Seed · Oct 2022
Spren provides a camera-enabled, digital biomarker platform that lets health, wellness, and fitness companies embed biomarker insights (HRV, body composition, stress, recovery, cardiovascular fitness, and more) into their apps via an SDK and API. The technology transforms smartphones into real-time biomarker sensors without additional hardware or wearables. Spren builds on the Elite HRV app (715,000+ users) and is rolling out integrations with partners including Fitbod, Marius Pharmaceuticals, FORTË, and Final Surge. Its patented algorithms are supported by research collaborations with 117 universities and analysis of more than four billion biomarkers across 20 million user sessions. The company aims to accelerate enterprise integrations and expand into the broader $1.5 trillion global wellness market. The seed financing announced in October 2022 is intended to fund product expansion and partner rollouts.
- QL Gaming Group
Participated · Equity · May 2020
QL Gaming Group (formerly RotoQL) operates consumer-facing sports data and analytics products—BetQL (betting), RotoQL (daily fantasy) and SquadQL (season-long fantasy). Launched in September 2015 and based in New York City, the company serves over half a million users across its products and reports tens of thousands of paying customers. BetQL alone has over 300,000 free users and 10,000 paying customers. QL holds a New Jersey gaming affiliate license and partners with sportsbook operators including DraftKings, FanDuel and BetStars, and has affiliate partnerships with ten operators in states including Indiana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The company says it will use the new capital to accelerate growth of BetQL and its affiliate marketing business and to expand product offerings. Planned product expansion includes player prop and in-game predictions and additional sports such as international pro soccer, tennis, golf and eSports.
- Phenom
Participated · Series C · Jan 2020
Phenom provides an AI-powered Talent Experience Management (TXM) platform that personalizes and automates the talent journey for candidates, recruiters, employees and management. Its TXM offering includes Career Site, Chatbot, CRM, CMS, SMS and Email Campaigns, University Recruiting, Internal Mobility, Career Pathing, Diversity & Inclusion, Talent Marketplace, Gigs, Referrals, Hiring Manager and Analytics. The company says over 400 global enterprises — including nearly 50 Fortune 500 companies — use its system, with customers such as Southwest Airlines, Newell Brands, Land O’Lakes, AXA and Radian Group Inc. Phenom intends to use the funds from its latest raise to continue to innovate its TXM platform. Led by CEO and co-founder Mahe Bayireddi and headquartered in Greater Philadelphia, the company also has offices in India, Israel, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom. The platform focus and customer base position Phenom for continued product development and enterprise deployments. Phenom People provides an AI-powered, SaaS Talent Experience Management platform that connects candidate, recruiter, employee and management experiences, reducing the need for multiple HR tools. The platform targets the full talent lifecycle across those four stakeholder experiences. Led by CEO and co-founder Mahe Bayireddi, the company serves over 300 customers across all industries. At the time of the report the company had about 500 employees across Philadelphia, Canada, India, Israel, the U.K. and the Netherlands. Phenom intends to use new funding to continue growth and scale. The company had raised a total of $61m to date following the announced round. Phenom People offers a Talent Relationship Marketing (TRM) platform that leverages artificial intelligence to create personalized candidate experiences. The platform includes a personalized career site experience, real-time Candidate Relationship Management (CRM), Content Management System (CMS), Campaign Management, Event Management, Talent Analytics, and conversational bots. The company serves over 120 customers, including Fortune 500 companies such as Abbott Laboratories, Cognizant, Express Scripts, General Motors, Kohl’s, L’Oreal, Microsoft, Southwest Airlines, and Whole Foods. Led by CEO and co-founder Mahe Bayireddi and based in Ambler, PA, Phenom plans to use new funding for strategic growth initiatives. The company aims to accelerate product innovation and expand global sales. Phenom recently raised a $22m Series B, bringing total funding to $31m. Phenom People is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based provider of a Talent Relationship Marketing platform. Led by CEO Mahe Bayireddi, the company offers a platform that automates the process of driving talent awareness, interest, engagement and acquisition. It built the Phenom Enterprise Talent Graph, an engine that collects and analyzes candidate data and combines it with predictive intelligence. The platform helps candidates, recruiters and hiring managers find matches more effectively. Phenom raised an additional $2.7M in Series A funding, bringing total Series A proceeds to $7.6M. Sigma Prime Ventures joined the round and Sigma Prime Managing Director John Simon will join Phenom People’s group of senior advisors. Phenom People provides a talent relationship marketing (TRM) platform that collects and analyzes candidate data and combines it with predictive intelligence to help candidates, recruiters, and hiring managers find matches. Led by CEO and co-founder Mahe Bayireddi and based in Philadelphia, the company delivers TRM to more than 70 customers, including Cisco, Deloitte, Safeway, Fidelity, and Hershey’s. The company raised $6M in a Series A round led by Sierra Ventures. Phenom said it will use the funds to expand its sales, marketing, and product teams and to continue innovating and expanding product capabilities. As part of the financing, Sierra Ventures managing director Tim Guleri joined Phenom People’s board, along with HR entrepreneur Rudy Karsan, co-founder of Kenexa and head of Karlani Capital. The additional capital is intended to support growth and product development as the company scales its TRM offerings to enterprise customers.
- KEYPR
Led · Series A · Jun 2017
Keypr offers a cloud-based Guest Experience Management System (GEMS®) and a mobile services layer that together deliver personalized guest experiences and operational dashboards for property owners and operators. Its offerings include KEYPR Intelligent Lock Technology (KILT), in-room tablets, a custom mobile app with keyless entry, and a directory of services such as dining, entertainment and third-party content. The platform provides owners and managers visibility into guest needs before, during and after stays while monitoring operational KPIs across multiple properties. The solution is deployed across hotels and luxury residential properties with customers including Denihan Hospitality, Proper Hospitality, L.E. Hotels and Greystone Hotels. In June the company began casino deployments starting with Odawa Casino Resort and Lac Vieux Desert, with additional properties planned in 2017. Keypr plans to use new funds to advance R&D on GEMS®, KILT and voice-based mobile functionality and to expand its sales force to grow hotel, casino and residential sales in new markets.