Participated · Series B · Oct 2022

Partake Foods, founded in 2016, produces allergy-friendly snacks and mixes (cookies in multiple flavors, baking mixes, and pancake and waffle mixes) and operates with products made in a top-nine allergen-free facility. Allergy-friendliness is core to the brand and its product testing and manufacturing practices. Distribution expanded from about 5,000 stores at the end of 2021 to roughly 9,000 stores, including Target, Whole Foods, Walmart, and Kroger, and the products also appear on American Airlines flights and in certain offices. Revenue grew 200% between 2020 and 2021 and 100% between 2021 and 2022; headcount rose from one employee in 2020 to 20 in 2022. The company has raised $19 million to date and used the new capital to support hiring, retail sales leadership, operations, marketing, and product innovation. Planned initiatives include further distribution expansion, seasonal flavors, a new product category, partnerships with national brands, more hiring, and expanding channels beyond the grocery aisle.

Participated · Seed · Mar 2022

DasLab operates a vendor‑neutral diagnostics platform that connects telemedicine providers, patients and accredited laboratories to add testing and digital results into healthcare workflows. The platform initially supports PCR, antigen, antibody tests and vaccines and will expand to a broader spectrum of at‑home tests analysed by accredited labs. DasLab aims to cut through vendor‑specific limitations and fragmentation in the diagnostics ecosystem while increasing test volumes for partner laboratories. Since launching in late 2020 the company has processed about 600,000 test results via 50+ partners at 150 sites across Germany and Spain. The funding will be used to further develop the platform and expand the partner network and team. CEO and co‑founder Dr. Daniel Fallscheer says the company’s vision is a “plug‑and‑play” solution that empowers patients to access and share their test results digitally.

Participated · Series A · Feb 2022

Sanzo produces Asian-inspired, clean-label sparkling waters made with real fruit and no added sugar or artificial flavors, with SKUs including Lychee, Calamansi Lime, Alphonso Mango and Yuzu Ginger. Launched in 2019 by Sandro Roco, the brand positions itself to bridge beloved Asian flavors and mainstream clean-label beverages. Sanzo has achieved distribution in 2,000+ strategic retailers and is rolling out all flavors to Whole Foods Market nationwide (500+ doors). The company reported 5x year-over-year growth in both 2020 and 2021 and a >30% repeat purchase rate in direct-to-consumer sales. Future plans highlighted in the articles include accelerating national retail rollout, limited-time collaborative SKUs tied to cultural moments (e.g., a Turning Red Lychee can), and continued strategic brand partnerships to amplify AAPI representation. Sanzo focuses on cultural resonance and targeted partnerships to expand share within the $10+ billion sparkling water category. Sanzo produces Asian-inspired sparkling water in three core flavors—lychee, alphonso mango, and calamansi—made with real fruit and no added sugars or artificial flavors. The brand sells direct-to-consumer, through food & beverage wholesale distributors, and has launched in retail including Whole Foods. Sanzo reported rapid COVID-era growth, citing a 400% increase in revenue and later reporting >600% growth in its DTC channel that has driven over 4x revenue. The company was self-funded at launch and is operated by a sole founder who remains the only full-time employee. Sanzo’s mission is to bridge cultures by introducing authentic Eastern flavors to a broader audience, and it plans additional retail rollouts in the near term while bolstering e-commerce and digital marketing efforts. The business targets the growing sparkling water market and leverages clean-label, Asian-inspired positioning to capture consumers seeking healthier alternatives.

Participated · Series B · Sep 2017

Eaze Inc. announced a relaunch of multi-state cannabis operations after acquiring select assets from Eaze Technologies Inc. The company operates retail stores, scheduled delivery services, and private-label product lines and will reopen 70 locations across California, Colorado, Florida, and Michigan (57 retail stores, 11 delivery hubs, two production facilities). Leadership under Cory Azzalino plans to expand retail and delivery capacity, scale production (including doubling Florida flowering canopy from 32,000 to 64,000 square feet), and hire more than 1,000 operational employees. Eaze said it has a 10-year operating history through Eaze Technologies Inc., which completed over $1 billion in deliveries. The company will allocate the new funding to strengthen supply chain and customer experience, support brand and product innovation at Green Dragon locations, and build new brand partnerships and market-specific offerings. Eaze emphasized minimizing disruption for customers, patients, and vendors during the operational transition. Eaze operates an online marketplace that connects adult consumers with licensed cannabis retailers and products across California. The company is pursuing a verticalization and brand strategy, planning to launch its own consumer brands in partnership with local licensees while continuing to support independent licensed retailers. In January Eaze acquired DionyMed Brand’s rights to retail licensee Hometown Heart depots in Oakland and San Francisco and now oversees HTH’s day-to-day operations. The company reported strong 2019 growth, including a 97% increase in new sign-ups, 74% increase in first-time deliveries, and 71% increase in overall deliveries. Eaze says it has supported over five million legal deliveries, has 600,000 registered customers, and features more than 100 licensed brands through its retail network. The company also announced promotions of Megan Miller to COO and John Curtis to CFO as it pursues a more sustainable and profitable business model. Eaze operates an online marketplace that historically connected customers with third‑party dispensaries and handled delivery of cannabis products. It has completed more than 5 million deliveries, served 600,000 customers, and reports an average transaction value of $85. To date Eaze has expanded beyond California only into Oregon and says it aims to add five more states this year and another three in 2021. Facing thin margins, payment‑processing constraints, lawsuits and late vendor payments, Eaze is pivoting to “verticalization” — sourcing and branding its own products and operating owned delivery depots to increase margins. The company is acquiring assets from bankrupt Canadian firm Dionymed, including Oakland dispensary Hometown Heart, which it plans to operate as its first owned depot. Eaze projects $204 million in revenue on $300 million of gross transactions and says its take per sale could rise from $9.04 to $18.31 with private‑label products and depot control. Its cash reserves are reportedly depleted: the startup laid off about 30 people last summer, closed a $15 million bridge to stay afloat, and faces the risk of missing payroll or having services like AWS shut down. Eaze operates a proprietary software platform that connects California medical‑marijuana patients with local dispensaries and arranges delivery to customers' doors. The company is moving into recreational marijuana delivery ahead of California's planned issuance of recreational licenses beginning in 2018, expecting a new revenue stream. Eaze reports a 300 percent year‑over‑year increase in gross sales but has been burning at least $1 million in cash per month. It previously raised $24.5 million in venture capital and has spent that capital largely on aggressive marketing and growth tactics. New CEO Jim Patterson, who took over in December 2016, frames the strategy as investing heavily now to capture a large future market. The company had roughly 80 employees at the time of reporting. Eaze is an on-demand platform that lets medical marijuana patients order cannabis for delivery and obtain a medical weed card in California over the phone. Since launching in July 2014, the company says it's available in nearly 100 California cities (including about 20 Bay Area cities) and has delivered to more than 200,000 people. Eaze operates a data-driven platform designed to streamline ordering and dispensary operations. It plans to hire additional staff, expand into new markets as more states legalize marijuana, and build features to recommend strains to users. Eaze aims to establish itself as a recognized delivery brand inside and outside California to capture growth in a market projected to expand significantly.