Led · Equity · May 2018

Rubicon Global offers a cloud-based technology platform that connects businesses, governments and organizations to a network of independent waste haulers to manage waste and recycling streams. The company positions itself as a leader in sustainable, cloud-based waste and recycling solutions and is developing smart city products in the waste and recycling space. Rubicon’s platform aims to help customers reduce expenses, increase recycling and find economic value in their waste while supporting sustainability goals. Management highlights the company’s goal to divert waste from landfills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, and was described in the press release as pre-IPO. In May 2018 Rubicon announced a significant expansion capital investment, indicating a phase of growth and scaling. Rubicon Global is an Atlanta-based provider of cloud-based waste and recycling solutions and is a Certified B Corporation. Its cloud-based platform lets companies reduce operating expenses, divert waste from landfills, track key metrics and pursue long-term sustainability goals. The company is led by co-founders Lane B. Moore (Executive Chairman) and Nate Morris (CEO), with Perry Moss as President. Rubicon raised $50m in venture capital financing, which pushed its valuation to $500m. The round was led by Nima Capital, with participation from Goldman Sachs, Wellington Management Company, Henry Kravis, Paul Tudor Jones II, Leonardo DiCaprio and others. The company will use the funds to scale its technology and expand on-demand and mid-market services, and Strategic Chief Advisor and Uber board member David Plouffe is joining its board of advisors. Rubicon Global provides a software platform (called Caesar) that records and tracks relationships among clients, haulers, and disposal and recycling facilities, acting as a marketplace rather than owning trucks or landfills. The company has secured contracts with national chains such as Wegmans and 7-Eleven and has enabled local haulers to bid on national contracts. Rubicon also runs an R&D arm called Rubicon X, which is developing recycling technologies and projects such as dumpster-mounted cameras to track pickups. Management frames the business as a way to divert waste from landfills and to increase competition in an industry dominated by large incumbents. The company recently received a $30 million infusion from outside investors to expand reach and fund Rubicon X research. Rubicon is described in the article as a seven-year-old startup based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Participated · Equity · Aug 2015

View manufactures View Dynamic Glass, a digitally connected window system that automatically controls natural light and preserves unobstructed views while reducing glare and heat. Its windows can be controlled remotely, including via smartphone, eliminating the need for blinds or shades. View reports installations across 35 million square feet of buildings and says its product can cut building energy consumption by up to 20 percent. Independent studies cited by the company indicate significant occupant health benefits, including greater than 50% reductions in eye strain, headaches, and drowsiness compared with regular windows. The company plans to use new capital to scale production and deployment capabilities and to accelerate product innovations. View positions itself as creating a new market category focused on healthier, smarter building skins. View makes internet-connected electrochromic smart glass that can change transparency via a smartphone app or automatically based on weather conditions. The windows eliminate the need for blinds and aim to optimize natural light in buildings. The company is focusing the majority of its efforts on North American markets and has more than 150 commercial installations in process and over 350 completed projects. More than 66,000 square feet of View’s dynamic glass will be used in the Terminal 1 redesign at SFO. Scaling production is capital intensive—View says demand has outpaced production and aims to deploy smart glass across up to 20 million square feet of buildings. The company is researching next-generation features such as embedding transparent displays into its windows. View manufactures View Dynamic Glass, an electrochromic architectural glass that automatically tints in response to outdoor conditions or via mobile device to reduce heat and glare while maximizing natural light and views. The company positions its product at the intersection of human wellness, smart connectivity, and energy efficiency and says it was the first to advance large-scale commercialization of dynamic glass. View reports it has more than doubled installations in the last 12 months, with over 300 completed commercial installations and another 150 in progress across corporate offices, healthcare, government, higher education, and hospitality. To support rapid demand, View announced $100M in investments, including a $50M investment from TIAA Investments (an affiliate of Nuveen). Proceeds are intended to expand manufacturing capacity and scale operations to meet growing demand. Rekha Unnithan of TIAA Investments has joined View’s board. View develops and sells View Dynamic Glass, windows that tint automatically in response to outdoor conditions or via a mobile device. The product is designed to maximize natural light and unobstructed views while reducing heat, glare and improving occupant comfort and energy savings. View has completed more than 100 installations across North America with an additional 100 underway in corporate offices, healthcare, government, higher education and hospitality. The company announced $150 million in new funding to continue product development, advance manufacturing capabilities, and accelerate sales, distribution and marketing efforts. Participants in the round include NZ Super Fund, Corning Incorporated, Madrone Capital Partners and others. View has raised nearly $500 million to date. View produces View Dynamic Glass, an architectural dynamic-glass product that adjusts tint automatically in response to environmental conditions and user preferences, and can be controlled via smartphone/tablet apps or wall switches. The product eliminates blinds and shading structures while enabling unobstructed views and improved thermal comfort. In typical commercial installations the company reports annual HVAC and lighting energy reductions of about 20% and HVAC peak-load reductions of about 25%. Since launching its first large-scale commercialization in November 2012, View has installed more than 50 projects across corporate campuses, educational institutions, government buildings, hotels and hospitals in North America. The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley and operates high-volume manufacturing facilities in Olive Branch, Mississippi. View announced a $100 million investment from Madrone Capital Partners to accelerate growth, expand market presence and meet increasing demand.