• BloomNation

  Participated · Seed · Oct 2013

  BloomNation provides software and logistics for local florists to advertise and deliver their own arrangements, coordinating fulfillment for over 3,000 local florists in the U.S. The company is rebranding as Promenade and launching two vertical sites: Dig-In for pizzerias and Swigg for liquor stores. It has partnered with autonomous delivery company Tortoise to pilot robotic deliveries. BloomNation says its business is growing at a 100% clip year over year, though the founder declined to disclose absolute revenue. The team plans to use new funding to expand engineering and product management headcount to build the new vertical platforms. The company was founded in 2011 by Farbod Shoraka, Gregg Weisstein and David Daneshgar and is based in Santa Monica. BloomNation operates a combined SaaS and consumer marketplace that gives florists website-building, point-of-sale, inventory and customer management, email marketing, and an online profile on BloomNation.com. The platform also includes a BloomSnap feature that lets florists track deliveries and upload photos. Founded in 2011, the company has signed up over 3,000 florists and covers roughly 97% of the U.S.; about 30% of its florist customers are studio designers focused on custom arrangements. BloomNation is growing 15%–30% month-over-month and is closing out 2014 at a $10 million run rate, processing roughly 120,000 transactions at an average order size of about $85. Near-term product plans include a consumer-facing mobile ordering app, an Events & Weddings marketplace section slated for mid-2015, and improved analytics. The company plans to double its 15-person team to add sales, engineering, and customer support, and longer-term may consider expanding beyond the floral industry into broader local commerce. BloomNation operates an online consumer marketplace that connects customers with more than 2,000 artisan florists and enables orders sourced locally in over 3,000 U.S. cities. The company offers a Florist Business Center that gives local florists tools to gain customers and grow their businesses, including a BloomSnap feature to share photos of arrangements before delivery. The Business Center also provides a free online store with a point-of-sale system, customer management tools, sales analytics, marketing and social media campaign management, a website builder, and credit card processing tools. Led by CEO and co-founder Farbod Shoraka, BloomNation is a graduate of the LA accelerator MuckerLab. The company raised $1.65M in funding and intends to use the proceeds to grow its marketplace.

• Chromatik

  Participated · Seed · Nov 2012

  Chromatik offers web and iPad applications for learning, practicing, recording and collaborating on music, with features to maintain collections of sheet music, lead sheets and tablature. The product is positioned as a music performance and collaboration company rather than just a sheet‑music app, emphasizing social practice and feedback. Chromatik has run nine months of beta tests and claims adoption by more than 300 music organizations including UCLA, LAUSD, The Salvation Army and NYU. The company launched publicly with partnerships such as free access to Grouplove sheet music and community recording feedback. Today the apps are free; the company plans a future business model that will include a marketplace for both music and instruction. Founders include Matt Sandler, a touring saxophonist and former A&R who started the company about a year and a half ago, and James Wicker, a former lead computer scientist from Adobe.

• Wallaby Financial

  Participated · Seed · Aug 2012

  Wallaby Financial has developed the Wallaby Card, a cloud-based wallet that helps consumers who hold multiple credit cards automatically optimize credit card rewards and benefits. The product also connects users to marketing offers from merchants and banks and incorporates social mechanics. The company is led by co-founder and CEO Matthew Goldman and CTO Todd Zino. Wallaby is based in Pasadena, California. It has raised $1.1M in funding and intends to use the proceeds to further expand and refine its program. The company also received additional backing from MuckerLab.

• Lifecrowd

  Participated · Equity · Apr 2012

  Lifecrowd is an online marketplace led by CEO Bong Koh that helps users discover and participate in casual local activities and meet new people. The service emphasizes small group sizes (typically 8–10 people) to keep settings social but not overwhelming. It is live in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County and San Diego. Lifecrowd emerged from the MuckerLab accelerator program and was the first start-up to do so. The company has secured initial external funding to support its operations and growth in its current markets. No revenue or user metrics were disclosed in the article. Lifecrowd is a social activities website that focuses on curated, expert-led meetups and real-world experiences such as culinary sessions, poker lessons, beachside yoga and photography excursions. The company differentiates itself from open platforms by partnering with reputable, hand-picked experts to create higher-quality events rather than allowing anyone to host. Lifecrowd launched officially in the Los Angeles area and has signed up more than 100 experts in that market. Experts use the service to earn money from activities and Lifecrowd takes an initial 18 percent cut of transaction fees, with plans to reduce its share as the service scales. The startup has nine full-time employees and debuted at DEMO Fall 2011. Management has stated plans to expand up and down the West Coast (Orange County, San Diego, the Bay Area) and to launch in New York by the end of the year.

No current team members are available.