Participated · Equity · Apr 2016

704Games develops and publishes NASCAR-licensed racing games for console and mobile, led by CEO Paul Brooks. The company released NASCAR Heat 2 in September 2017 and NASCAR Heat Mobile in 2017; the mobile title has surpassed two million downloads. Its newest entry, NASCAR Heat 3, was scheduled for release on September 7, 2018 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC via Steam. 704Games also announced NASCAR Heat Champions, a multi-day esports tournament during the DAYTONA 500 weekend, reflecting a push into competitive gaming. The company extended its NASCAR gaming license with NASCAR Team Properties through 2029. No revenue or other financial metrics were disclosed in the article. Dusenberry Martin Racing (DMi, Inc.) is a digital games publisher and developer focused on delivering NASCAR-branded games. Founded in early 2015, the company holds exclusive licensing rights to NASCAR simulation-style racing titles on interactive entertainment platforms through 2020. It plans to develop next-generation video and mobile NASCAR games across multiple platforms and intends to launch its first PlayStation 4 and Xbox One game this year. The company is headquartered at NASCAR Plaza in Charlotte, North Carolina. DMR has signaled interest in VR and eSports opportunities through strategic partnerships. Recently it secured $8.0 million in additional equity growth capital to fund product development and market launch plans.

Participated · Series B · Sep 2012

FashionPlaytes operates FPGirl.com, a fashion website aimed at girls ages 5–12 where users can design and purchase clothing. Users can create dresses, t-shirts, tops, and doll clothing, dress a custom avatar, share portfolios, interact in a monitored forum, and learn from fashion-industry experts. Items created on the site can be purchased with prices starting under $20. The company reports 500,000 registered users, an average session length of about one hour, and more than 5 million unique designs created. FashionPlaytes raised $5 million in a Series B from Leo Capital Holdings and Spindrift Equities, with participation from prior backers Fairhaven Capital, New Atlantic Ventures, and Golden Seeds. The company previously raised $4 million in Series A funding. FashionPlaytes operates a website that enables girls aged 5–12 to design and create their own clothing lines, including jean jackets, dresses, tees and hoodies from over 5 million possible design combinations. The site allows users to act as fashion designers and produce wearable items based on their creations. The company launched in 2009 and is based in Salem, MA. FashionPlaytes plans to use new funding to accelerate product development and expand its customer base. To date the company has raised $5.8M, including an initial $1.8M round and a subsequent $4M Series A. In conjunction with the financing, Rudina Seseri of Fairhaven Capital will join FashionPlaytes’ board of directors.

Led · Equity · Feb 2011

Media Chaperone develops Piggyback, a free Facebook application that provides parents real-time overviews, parental controls, and payment management for children’s activity in online games, virtual worlds, and social networks. Piggyback enables parents to monitor behavior, manage entertainment expenditures, add funds for tokens or game credits, and uses Facebook Credits for virtual goods and currency. The app has been integrated with several online gaming environments and virtual worlds, including Whyville.net, Planet Cazmo, Woozworld, Everloop, and Webosaurs. Founded in 2009 and based in Chicago, the privately held company is backed by angel investors including Leo Capital Holdings and Hyde Park Angels. Media Chaperone plans to use new funding to expand Piggyback’s services and features and to scale infrastructure to support its rapidly growing subscriber base and partners. The company positions Piggyback to tap the tween market, with recent research cited that children aged 8–12 influence roughly $150 billion in U.S. parental spending annually.

Participated · Series B · Dec 2010

Shoutlet provides a platform for brands to publish social content, run apps and contests, moderate feedback, and measure social marketing performance across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The company plans to use its new capital to expand products, build out its Social Switchboard feature, and hire business and sales staff in New York, London and San Francisco. Management is also evaluating acquisitions—particularly Facebook Ads API companies and firms that cleanse and manipulate data to make it useful for marketers. CEO Jason Weaver says the investor offered a premium valuation and the ability to access additional capital for acquisitions. Shoutlet faces competition from recently acquired rivals Buddy Media and Vitrue, which sold for reported sums of $689M and $300M respectively. The company has now taken a total of $24.2 million in funding. Shoutlet offers a centralized social media management platform that consolidates Facebook and Twitter management, Social CRM, and widget-building capabilities. The platform allows companies to create promotions, coupons and sweepstakes and streamline social media outreach through a single interface. It also enables mobile marketing, social commerce and real-time campaign analytics. Financially, Shoutlet announced a $6 million Series B funding round. That investment was led by customer American Family Insurance and includes participation from original backers Origin Ventures and Leo Capital Holdings, and it adds to $3.2 million in previous funding.

Led · Series A · Jan 2010

Sway licenses and supports Shoutlet, a software platform that allows brands to create, distribute, and coordinate social-media marketing campaigns across multiple networks. The product targets enterprise customers, enabling central management of all social media communications. Existing clients include American Family Insurance, Solo, and Cannondale, indicating adoption among both large insurers and consumer-goods brands. The company is experiencing profitable growth, and the new capital will be applied to deepen product capabilities and help customers achieve greater success with social media management. While specific revenue or user metrics were not disclosed, the company’s profitability suggests a sustainable business model. Sway plans to leverage its expanded resources to further scale Shoutlet’s client base and enhance platform functionality.