Kauffman Fellows
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Network of innovation investors providing smart capital for entrepreneurs.
Deals · 12mo
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- Flash
Participated · Series B · Jul 2021
Flash has evolved into an integrated platform for workforce management and employee benefits, positioning itself as the fifth largest company in the Brazilian benefits market. The company serves roughly 60,000 client companies and covers more than 2 million workers. Flash reports it has been generating cash for nearly a year and announced R$400 million of its own capital in 2026 to expand the platform. Management plans to accelerate product development and intensify use of artificial intelligence to integrate solutions, reduce HR and finance bureaucracy, and surface decision-driving data. The company aims to intensify go-to-market efforts with a goal of becoming the market leader by 2030. Flash also intends to restart M&A activity to speed growth, having previously acquired ExpenseOn and FolhaCerta.
- Sidecar Health
Participated · Equity · Jul 2020
Sidecar Health offers major medical insurance for employers using a free‑market model that provides upfront pricing, no prior authorizations, no network restrictions, and a direct‑pay VISA benefit card for members. The company emphasizes price transparency, sharing savings with members when providers charge less than plan rates, and asserts plans are about 20% more affordable than traditional employer plans. Sidecar’s product removes restrictive formularies, coinsurance, and copays while adding financial protections against balance billing. Sidecar currently operates employer plans in Ohio and Georgia and is expanding into Florida to access a large employer market. The company has enlisted Koch Industries as a design partner for Jumbo employer coverage and will make major medical coverage available to a segment of Koch’s workforce in 2025. The business model is positioned to scale through employer adoption and regional expansion backed by recent institutional capital. Sidecar Health offers a cash-price health insurance model and a proprietary app that shows benefit amounts for more than 170,000 services and prescriptions before care. Members pay providers directly at time of care using a Sidecar Health Visa card, enabling them to access discounted self-pay rates and avoid network restraints and surprise bills. The company says members can save 40% or more compared with traditional insurance and can view what other members were charged for services. Reception has been strong: membership rose sharply in 2020, third-party Trustpilot reviews average 4.5 out of 5, and the company is operating in 16 states. Sidecar plans to expand its geographic footprint, grow its team, and invest in new insurance products, beginning with an Affordable Care Act offering for 2022 and a product for the self-funded employer market. Financially, Sidecar has raised more than $175 million since its 2018 founding and announced a Series C at a $1 billion valuation. Sidecar Health offers insurance plans that let members pay for care directly at the time of service using a Sidecar Health Visa card and mobile app, enabling access to providers’ discounted self-pay or cash rates. The company reports members save roughly 40% compared to traditional insurance and covers about 170,000 medical services and prescription drugs. Sidecar is operating in 11 states and expects to expand to several more by year’s end. The startup says it tripled membership in 2020 and plans to use new funding to grow the team and enter new geographies. Sidecar positions its product to bring price transparency and consumer choice to healthcare transactions and to push down average prices as membership scales. The company is based in Los Angeles and has raised about $40 million to date. Sidecar Health sells transparent, personalized insurance plans that give members a payment card to pay providers directly and an app to compare local provider prices. Members can see how much providers in their area charge, shop for care, and are not constrained to provider networks. The company says its policies offer robust coverage at fixed, published amounts so members know what will be paid for any health service. Sidecar touts savings of up to 40% versus traditional major medical plans. Its plans are underwritten and backed by global insurers rated A by AM Best, which the company says provides financial strength. Sidecar launched in Texas and plans to expand nationally, adding several additional states over the next 12 months.
- Groww
Participated · Series A · Jan 2019
Founded in 2016, Groww began as a direct-to-consumer mutual fund distributor and has evolved into a full-stack wealth management platform offering stockbroking, digital lending, and allied financial services. It now holds the position of India’s largest stockbroker with 13 million active traders as of February, outpacing rivals Zerodha and Angel One. The company recently deepened its advisory capabilities by acquiring PayU-backed fintech Fisdom for roughly $150 million. Financially, Groww’s FY25 revenue rose 31 % year-over-year to Rs 4,056 crore while net profit more than tripled to Rs 1,819 crore, a sharp turnaround from the prior year’s one-time tax-driven net loss. Its valuation has more than doubled since 2021, reflecting strong investor confidence. In May, Groww confidentially filed draft papers with SEBI for an IPO targeting $700 million–$1 billion, underscoring its near-term expansion ambitions. Existing backers include Peak XV Partners, Tiger Global, Ribbit Capital, Iconiq Capital, and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC.