Participated · Series D · Aug 2023

Simon Data builds a customer data platform (CDP) that not only collects first-party data but ships applications out of the box and lets customers build custom apps. Its product includes audience management, email marketing, and customer identification capabilities, positioning the company as an application layer over stored customer data. The company emphasizes enabling marketers and business stakeholders to act on confirmable first-party data rather than just handling plumbing. Simon Data was founded in 2015 and lists customers such as JetBlue, SeatGeek and Venmo. It has kept a relatively lean headcount of around 100 employees with plans to grow that by roughly 30% over the next year and operates a remote-first culture with an office in New York City. Leadership says the business is making R&D and ecosystem investments while remaining on a path toward profitability, and the company runs internal diversity and inclusion groups with dedicated budgets. Simon Data offers a customer data platform that pulls together complex data from diverse marketing tools and activates defined actions to improve customer experience. The product builds complex triggers to target the right customer at the right time and deliver consistent messaging across sources, for use cases like abandoned shopping carts. The company plans to invest in machine learning and predictive/data-science capabilities to automate more advanced interactions and address core platform and infrastructure challenges. Simon Data was launched in 2014 and is based in New York City. Customers include Equinox, Venmo, and WeWork. The company has 87 employees and expects headcount to grow following the new funding, which will be used to advance product and data-science efforts. Simon Data positions itself as the first enterprise customer data platform with a fully integrated marketing cloud, blending data infrastructure with messaging and orchestration capabilities. Its platform enables brands to join disparate data sources, build unified customer views, and run complex cross-channel campaign orchestration and personalization. Major customers cited include Airbnb, OpenTable, Blue Apron, TrueCar, and Rover, demonstrating enterprise traction. The company plans to use new funding for business development and to expand its product and engineering teams, with a specific focus on data science. Simon was founded by Jason Davis, Josh Neckes, and Matt Walker and is based in New York. Financially, the company has raised a total of $32 million to date following the new financing.

Participated · Series A · Aug 2023

Tisento Therapeutics is a Cambridge, MA-based developer of novel medicines targeting diseases with significant unmet needs. The company launched with an $81m Series A financing to advance its pipeline. Tisento acquired zagociguat and CY3018 from Cyclerion; zagociguat is a Phase 2 soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator being developed for MELAS and other genetic mitochondrial diseases, while CY3018 is a CNS-targeted sGC stimulator in IND-enabling studies. The company intends to use the funds to develop zagociguat in MELAS and other genetic mitochondrial diseases and to advance additional assets for serious diseases with unmet need. As part of the asset purchase, Cyclerion received 10% equity ownership in Tisento with anti-dilution protection through a $100m post-money valuation and the right to purchase additional equity, and Cyclerion received a $10.4m cash payment (including an $8m upfront payment and reimbursements). In conjunction with the asset sale, Tisento CEO Peter Hecht invested $5m in Cyclerion.

Participated · Series A · Jul 2023

Tisento launched with a focused pipeline centered on zagociguat, a first-in-class, brain-penetrant soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator that showed promising Phase 2a biomarker and safety data in MELAS. The company plans to advance zagociguat into a Phase 2b study in MELAS and to develop additional assets for serious diseases with unmet need. Tisento acquired zagociguat and CY3018 (a CNS-targeted sGC stimulator in IND-enabling studies) from Cyclerion as part of an asset purchase agreement. The company closed an $81 million Series A to support clinical development and operations and is led by CEO Peter Hecht. Cyclerion received 10% equity in Tisento with anti-dilution protection through a $100 million post-money valuation and a $10.4 million cash payment related to the transaction. Tisento’s investor syndicate includes major Cyclerion shareholders and strategic backers, reflecting support for rapid clinical advancement.

Participated · Equity · Sep 2022

Zero Motorcycles designs and manufactures premium electric motorcycles featuring its Z-Force powertrain and aircraft-grade aluminum frames to deliver lightweight, torque-rich performance with reduced emissions. Founded in 2006 in a Santa Cruz garage, the company has grown into an internationally recognized EV motorcycle brand. Its business model focuses on producing premium models while keeping prices competitive and maintaining an annual model refresh cycle. Zero is working to broaden its portfolio with additional models — reports mention a rumored mini-bike aimed at entry-level and urban riders. As it expands internationally, the company is navigating varied regulatory standards around batteries, charging compatibility, and emissions. Recent investor interest and capital injections position Zero to scale production and expand product lines amid a challenging competitive landscape. Zero Motorcycles designs and sells electric motorcycles and develops electric powertrains and its Cypher III operating system. Its consumer lineup includes on-road, adventure sport, and dual-sport motorcycles, and the company also targets fleet sales and partner powertrain applications. Zero reports having sold over 20,000 vehicles that have accumulated more than 165,000,000 miles and is present in over 200 police departments and authority fleets. The company says the new financing will fund global scaling of operations and sales and the development of additional new models. Zero positions its powertrain technology between e-bicycles and cars and contributes to the electrification of industry-leading applications by its partners. The company is designed and crafted in California and emphasizes its role leading the transformation of the motorcycle and powersports industry through electrification. Zero Motorcycles designs and manufactures electric motorcycles and powertrains, combining Silicon Valley technology with traditional motorcycle craftsmanship. The company says it has the most power- and energy-dense EV technology in powersports and offers a broad product portfolio, including the recently launched SR/F model. It operates a global supply chain and distribution network and states it sells more electric motorcycles annually than all of its competitors combined. Zero emphasizes capital efficiency, R&D investment, and industrial capability as foundations of its strategy. Founded in 2006 and led by CEO Sam Paschel, the company says it has 13 years of experience. With a strong capital base and brand, Zero plans to continue driving two-wheeled and broader powersports electrification as adoption and innovation accelerate. Zero Motorcycles builds electric motorcycles, including highway-legal DS models that are quiet enough for urban law enforcement and suitable for some off-road paths. All of its bikes use fully recyclable lithium-ion batteries. The company highlights environmental benefits, claiming its bikes produce less than one-eighth the CO2 per mile at the power plant and 1/100th of smog-causing nitrous oxides compared with gas-powered motorcycles. Recent capital will be directed toward expanding U.S. operations, growing global sales efforts, and funding research and development. Invus, LP — the company's earliest financial backer since April 2008 — remains its principal investor. Founder Neal Saiki has recently left the company to pursue a human-powered helicopter competition prize. Zero Motorcycles designs and sells all‑electric motorcycles, including the Zero DS model with a claimed range of up to 50 miles (80 km) and highway‑legal capability. Its bikes are quiet due to their all‑electric drivetrains and have been adopted for urban patrols by the Scotts Valley Police Department. The company sells products in 32 countries, including the U.S., Switzerland, Germany, Italy, the U.K. and Canada, and expanded sales to Australia in late 2010. Last summer Zero secured a U.S. patent for a battery interconnect system that reduces heat losses around power packs. Competitors named in the article include Brammo, Mission Motors, Honda and BMW. The company has raised multiple rounds of equity and continues to expand international distribution.

Participated · Series A · Feb 2021

FOLX Health delivers end-to-end virtual primary care and specialized services for LGBTQIA+ people, including gender-affirming hormone replacement therapy (HRT), PrEP, sexual health consults and prescriptions, care navigation, content, and community. The company operates a virtual healthcare platform that offers consults and prescriptions in nearly all 50 states through a network of queer- and trans-specialized providers. Founded/launched in December 2020, FOLX has also established the FOLX HRT Care Fund to help trans, nonbinary, and intersex people access HRT. With new funding, FOLX plans to expand its enterprise and direct-to-employer offerings while investing in mental and behavioral health products. Planned product rollouts include expert-led multi-week support groups with follow-up one-on-one consultations, an expanded community platform, and a companion iOS and Android app for real-time emotional and behavioral health support. The company raised a $30 million Series B to finance these expansions and product investments. Folx Health is a Boston-based digital healthcare service provider built to serve the medical needs of the LGBTQIA+ community. Led by founder and CEO A.G. Breitenstein, the company offers Hormone Replacement Therapy (testosterone or estrogen) and is rolling out sexual health and wellness services, beginning with erectile dysfunction treatment. It plans to add at-home STI testing and treatment, with all services including unlimited on-demand clinical support, at-home lab testing for most plans, and home-delivered medications. The company launched the Folx Library, a free content hub addressing Queer and Trans health topics. Folx came out of stealth in December 2020 after a $4.4M seed round led by Polaris and has since raised a $25M Series A led by Bessemer Venture Partners. The new capital will be used to drive national expansion and broaden offerings in sexual health and family creation in late 2021 and early 2022. Upon launch, Folx was available in CA, CT, DE, FL, IL, MA, NC, NY, TX and VA. Folx Health is a digital health provider created to meet the medical needs and goals of the LGBTQIA+ community. The startup offers gender-affirming hormone therapy, erectile dysfunction treatment, at-home STI testing, one-on-one consultations, and prescriptions with or without insurance, and assists with family-creation services. Founded in Boston this year, Folx has built a network of 12 clinicians and is operating in approximately six states. The company estimates the addressable population at about 11 million people and notes many are young and lack a primary care physician. Folx plans a hard launch in January and expects to be in nearly all U.S. states by then. The recently secured seed funding will be used to build out clinical networks and develop offerings around hormone replacement therapy and sexual health as it prepares for a potential Series A if initial data and operations validate growth.