The Venture Codex

Participated · Series B · Apr 2017

Pepper IoT is an Internet of Things platform and service provider offering an operating system and service delivery platform for connected-home and enterprise IoT solutions. The company has launched the Pepper IoT operating system to power a new generation of IoT and connected‑home services. It sells via two paths: Pepper Enterprise for large partners (insurance carriers, utilities, telecom providers) to deploy branded IoT services, and Powered by Pepper for manufacturers and partners that want to avoid software development overhead. The platform emphasizes a customizable, tile‑based user interface and rapid device onboarding to support interoperability across devices and services. The recently announced $8.5M Series B will fund the launch of several consumer IoT products and support Pepper OS distribution through global mass‑market channels in the coming months. Pepper works closely with design consultancy argodesign to shape product strategy and user experience and partners with large enterprises on home automation and security use cases. The company is headquartered in Kansas City.

Participated · Series B · Mar 2017

Pepper is a Kansas City, Mo.-based IoT platform and service provider that partners with insurance carriers, utilities and telecom providers to develop strategic IoT and connected-home services. Led by CEO Scott Ford and chief creative officer Mark Rolston, the company has launched the Pepper IoT operating system to power a new generation of IoT and connected-home offerings. Pepper works with corporate partners that want to incorporate connected-home solutions into their services. In March 2017 the company raised $8.5M in a Series B financing. Investors included Leawood Ventures, the KCRise Fund, Royal Street Ventures, OpenAir Equity Partners and Comporium Communications. Pepper intends to use the funds to launch several consumer IoT products.

Participated · Equity · May 2016

Zubie provides end-to-end connected-car technology that delivers real-time information about vehicles and drivers to help businesses manage and optimize fleets. The company closed an additional round of funding in 2019; the amount and instrument were undisclosed. Backers mentioned in the article included BP and Melody Capital. Zubie intends to use the capital to fund growth in the Fleet sector and to launch new products addressing additional verticals with its connected-car solutions. Led by CEO Gary Tucker, the company emphasizes telematics data insights and fleet optimization. In conjunction with the funding, Paget L. Alves and Dennis Huber joined Zubie’s board, bringing a combined 50+ years of telecommunications experience and added financial, operational, marketing, product development and IT expertise. Zubie is a connected-car platform and telematics provider serving enterprises, small businesses and consumers. The company connects cars to the internet to deliver real-time location, trip history, maintenance alerts, engine diagnostics and driving insights to smartphones. Zubie also offers the ZinC Open API platform, which allows developers and partners to create apps leveraging its platform and vehicle data. Formed in 2012 and led by CEO Tim Kelly, Zubie is based in Charleston, South Carolina. The company secured $6M in venture funding and intends to use the proceeds to expand into the enterprise market, enhance its API platforms, and grow operations and staff. Zubie offers a car and driver management platform that delivers trip and vehicle analytics via its AlwaysSmart™ proprietary technology. The company provides remote services that monitor driving behavior and engine health to generate safety and cost recommendations. Zubie products are sold online through Zubie.com, Amazon, Best Buy and Newegg. Led by CEO Tim Kelly, the company intends to use new funding to further develop its car and driver management system. Zubie is described as Charleston, SC–based and maintains operational offices in the Minneapolis area. The company recently completed a new funding round that supports its product development plans. Zubie offers a connected-car service built around a cellular OBD device called the Zubie Key and cloud-based AlwaysSmart™ technology that is always on and always connected. The service captures vehicle and driving data—car diagnostics, driving behavior reports, family safety location alerts—and provides travel coordination tools, and is iPhone- and Android-compatible. Zubie sells through Amazon, BestBuy, its own storefront, telesales and enterprise channels. The company plans to integrate enterprise partners in insurance, automotive services and advertising into the user experience via its SmartOffer™ technology, allowing customers to share data in exchange for services and discounts. Aggregated trip, driver and car data is a stated asset for partners and underpins Zubie’s commercial strategy. The company announced a $10 million Series A to support continued product and go-to-market expansion. Zubie makes the Zubie Key, a $100 gadget that plugs into a car’s OBD port and uses a T-Mobile-powered cellular connection to relay diagnostics and trip data to smartphones. The device reports location, trip history, potentially troublesome events (hard braking, rapid acceleration, first night drive) and produces a driving score based on 30 metrics. Zubie also sends alerts when a car needs repairs and says its service will get smarter with use. Buyers receive one year of wireless service included with the device and can pay $100 per year thereafter. The company was incubated by Best Buy and is led by CEO Tim Kelly; an Android app is planned and Zubie is developing repair intelligence, data-offer monetization, and theft/tow monitoring. Zubie launched nationwide after completing its funding round and has raised $8 million in its first round.

Led · Series A · Oct 2015

Commerce Signals is a privacy-centric platform that connects advertisers and publishers to near-real-time insights from retail payment transaction data via its databridge™ solution. Its secure platform holds no data, leaving information in control of banks and institutions while providing aggregate transaction insights covering approximately 70% of U.S. card-based purchases. The company has added location and payment panel data to give a more holistic view of the consumer journey from ad exposure to purchase. Advertisers and publishers use the insights to measure tactic performance and optimize campaigns based on actual sales response. Commerce Signals currently works with over 20 publishers, including partnerships with Barometric, LiveRamp, and AdTheorent. Management says demand from large U.S. retailers is driving growth and the new funding will enable expansion of products, partnerships, and geographies. Commerce Signals provides the Federated Data™ platform that lets data owners—such as mobile operators, payment entities and others—share data while keeping it within their own infrastructures. The platform ensures data owners retain control over where and to whom data is sent and the intended use. Purchasers, including digital ad companies, retailers and others, gain access to customer insights typically held by regulated sectors. The company serves retailers, mobile operators, banks and payment networks and is led by founder and CEO Thomas C. Noyes. Commerce Signals has offices in Palo Alto, CA, and Charlotte, NC. It plans to use new funding to continue expanding operations and is hiring.

Participated · Equity · Aug 2015

C2FO operates an on-demand working capital platform that allows businesses to access funds tied up in accounts receivable via dynamic discounting and supply chain financing. Its suite uses patented Name Your Rate® technology to enable companies to be paid sooner by the world's largest enterprises. The company says it serves hundreds of thousands of business customers globally and has delivered more than $400 billion in risk-free capital since inception; in 2024 it provided over $13 billion to more than 20,000 businesses in developing nations. The $30 million investment announced with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and existing shareholders will accelerate technical development and expand the platform's reach into emerging markets. As part of the IFC relationship, C2FO and IFC plan a Nationwide Working Capital Platform across Africa, starting in Nigeria with a launch expected later in 2025. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Kansas City, C2FO emphasizes accessible, low-cost working capital for micro, small and medium enterprises to support growth and economic resilience. C2FO operates a global market for working capital and styles itself as the largest global platform for working capital. Its platform is described as the only working capital exchange that allows companies to optimize working capital positions in a live, bid/ask environment. Companies across the globe use C2FO to increase gross and net profit while producing early cash flow delivery to their supply chain. C2FO refers to its service as Collaborative Cash Flow Optimization and positions the market as providing risk‑free profit. The company announced a $140 million funding round led by Third Point Ventures, with participation from Vista Credit Partners and Mubadala Capital. The funding announcement was made from Kansas City, MO. Based in Kansas City, Mo., C2FO operates an online marketplace that connects businesses that need cash with those that have cash, using proprietary algorithms to dynamically price early-payment opportunities in real time. The platform supports multiple sources of cash flow, including early invoice payment, A/R financing, and other lending options. More than 300,000 businesses across 173 countries use C2FO, which matches over $1.2 trillion of accounts receivable and accounts payable and delivers more than $1 billion in funding every week. Management cites industry-leading unit economics, high customer satisfaction, and strong global growth. The company positions itself as the world’s largest non-banking solution for working capital and plans to use new funding to accelerate development of new markets and expand access to working capital for companies of all sizes. The investment is intended to help scale the platform’s global expansion and deepen liquidity for buyers and suppliers. C2FO operates a working capital marketplace enabling companies across retail, industrial, manufacturing, CPG, energy, healthcare, technology, telecom and transportation sectors to improve operating income and supply-chain liquidity. The company is led by Founder and CEO Sandy Kemper and CFO Kerri Thurston. At the end of 2017 C2FO was providing $1B of funding per week to businesses in more than 100 countries. C2FO completed a $100M funding round to support strategic initiatives. The company plans to use the funds for international growth, to develop additional working-capital solutions, and to build the C2FO customer community. The round will also enable secondary share purchases from earlier investors and associates. C2FO runs a marketplace that connects companies holding excess cash with businesses seeking working capital, using accounts receivable–linked financing. The platform enables lenders to earn higher returns by funding receivables. The company is pursuing global expansion and has opened offices in Germany, India, Hong Kong and Singapore in the last year. C2FO says it is expanding its offerings and capabilities globally. Leadership framed the investment from Citi Ventures as strategic, intended to bring deep relationships and help boost platform growth. Citi Ventures described C2FO’s marketplace as a way to simplify and optimize cash flow and promote a healthier supply chain.