Participated · Seed · Apr 2022

Ghost Financial’s core offering is a 1% cash-back credit card for food and beverage inventory plus data-driven underwriting to provide expansion loans and card credit limits for ghost kitchens. The company is building API integrations with point-of-sale systems like Toast and delivery apps like DoorDash to pull metrics (hourly/daily sales, prep times, ratings/reviews) to assess operational health and make instant loan decisions. Ghost Financial collects roughly 2% in card interchange fees, returning about half to operators as cash back. Founder John Meyer launched the business after operating a ghost kitchen and seeing financing gaps in the industry. The $2.5 million pre-seed is being used to build engineering and marketing teams and to develop the first two products. The company expects to launch the tools later this year and reports about $27 million in committed minimum spending, which it says is likely to triple or quadruple as the card rolls out. Future product plans include restaurant insurance (product three) and an optimized payroll system (product four) to become a one-stop finance and business platform for ghost kitchens and restaurants.

Participated · Seed · Mar 2021

Mentorcam is a video messaging platform that enables users to ask personal or business questions via text or selfie video and receive personalized selfie-video responses from subject-matter experts. Responses are delivered within a short duration, sometimes within hours, and users can ask multiple questions over time to build relationships with mentors. The platform is positioned to provide tangible advice, feedback and motivation from experts who might otherwise be difficult to access. Mentorcam said the new funding will allow it to increase offerings and further enhance its growing list of experts. The company raised $1.4 million in a pre-seed round and will use the proceeds to expand the team with business development and growth hires and to support product and engineering. Mentorcam is based in Los Angeles and its app is available on the Apple Store and Google Play.

Participated · Seed · Feb 2016

Vive offers on-demand blowouts for a flat package rate at partner salons, with bookings available on short notice or far in advance. The service has booked more than 34,000 appointments since launch and works with over 230 salons across two cities, New York and Chicago. Vive initially charged $99/month for unlimited blowouts but has shifted to tiered pricing: one blowout for $35, three for $99, and five for $149. The founder, Alanna Gregory, says the vast majority of revenue comes from the unlimited tier, which remains the most popular option. The company recently launched a native app (previously a mobile web app) that enables bookings and Apple Pay tipping for stylists. These operational metrics and product changes accompanied the recent seed financing. Vive provides an app-based subscription that lets members pay $99/month for unlimited wash-and-dry blowouts via partner salons. Users can book appointments from 30 minutes to three days ahead, with availability advertised between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., seven days a week. The company partners with 66 salons in neighborhoods such as Murray Hill, Midtown East, Flatiron, Upper West Side, Noho, Gramercy, Soho, and Tribeca and pays salons a fee for every blowout performed. Vive onboards and vets salons individually to ensure quality and to attach users to the Vive brand rather than individual salons. The service limits members to one blowout per day and has observed increased visit frequency among users. Vive reports it is profitable at its current $99 price point and is launching out of beta at Disrupt NY while seeking further growth.

Participated · Equity · Oct 2015

ReplyBuy provides a backend platform that lets teams, clubs and venues connect in real time with fans and execute mobile ticket purchases through a single reply text message. The company offers fan engagement options and serves premier clients including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons, Washington Capitals, San Francisco 49ers, Auburn University, UCLA and LSU. ReplyBuy plans to use new capital to continue development of the user experience and to introduce new client capabilities and value-added services. The company is actively hiring across engineering, marketing and sales to support growth. Led by founder and CEO Josh Manley, ReplyBuy is focused on expanding its product and client offerings while scaling operations.

Participated · Seed · Jul 2015

Spoon University runs a crowd-sourced content network of student contributors that creates food tips, reviews, and lifestyle pieces aimed at millennials. The site began as a Northwestern magazine in fall 2012, launched a website in 2013, and is New York–based. Content is produced by an onboarding-trained network of roughly 3,000 college students across more than 100 university chapters in the U.S., Canada, and India. The company reports about 1.5 million monthly unique visitors. Spoon University monetizes by packaging content for brands and running on-campus experiential marketing for college users. The company plans to expand its contributor network and produce more video content using the new financing.