The Venture Codex

Participated · Seed · Apr 2015

Conversion Logic offers a cross-channel measurement platform that combines cloud analytics and machine learning to translate data science into actionable insights across the customer journey. The product is aimed at helping enterprise marketers reduce friction, adapt, and realize value more quickly. The company works with brands such as ADT and Microsoft. Led by co-founder and CEO Brian Baumgart, Conversion Logic plans to use new funding to expand sales and marketing, data science, and engineering efforts. The company is based in Los Angeles, CA and was founded in 2014. As of this round the company has raised $14.1M to date. Conversion Logic offers a software-as-a-service platform that helps advertisers track ad effectiveness across devices and channels, including video, TV, display, and search. The company positions itself as “the media practitioner’s platform,” delivering attribution data in formats that are accessible to people who buy ads and integrating with partners such as demand-side platforms. Conversion Logic does not take a cut of ad spending, marketing itself as a media-agnostic attribution provider. The startup was founded by former Visual IQ executives Trevor Testwuide and Alison Lohse. It is currently working with around 10 clients. Prior to this round, Conversion Logic raised a $1.1 million founder’s round. Conversion Logic offers a platform for cross-device attribution that aims to measure when consumers interact with video ads on one device and convert on another. The product emphasizes reduced friction in data access, automation, nearer‑real‑time reporting, and making outputs consumable and actionable for advertisers. The company plans to expose APIs and seed its attribution outputs into DSPs and bidding platforms rather than forcing users into a proprietary UI. Conversion Logic’s data science team, led by Jeong‑Yoon Lee, is building an advanced algorithmic approach to identify when the same user accesses multiple devices. The startup is developing the product with a few clients now and plans to bring its first paying customers this fall; it is focused on video initially with intentions to expand to other ad formats. Financially, Conversion Logic announced a $1.1 million founders’ round to support product development as it launches.

Led · Equity · Feb 2013

Sociocast is a New York City–based big data and analytics company led by CEO Albert Azout, COO Scott Hoffman and CTO Giri Iyengar. The company provides predictive analytics that enterprise developers and data scientists can plug into applications to optimize existing products and services and create new revenue opportunities. Its core product is the Prediction API. Sociocast raised $1M in funding reported on February 20, 2013. The company intends to use the capital to hire new people and continue development of its Prediction API. The funding was provided by Raptor Ventures. Sociocast offers Big Data analysis and predictive modeling of human behavior aimed at marketing and advertising decision-makers. Its software enables advertising-technology vendors to gain real-time audience insights that help clients make effective marketing decisions. The company’s flagship product, Connect, is designed to help advertisers reach the right people at the right moment by predicting where audiences are and where they are likely to go next. Financially, Sociocast announced a $1.5 million bridge funding round and has previously closed financing rounds in January 2010 and March 2011. The bridge round is positioned ahead of a larger financing effort planned for 2012. No operating metrics were disclosed in the article.

Led · Series A · Aug 2012

SeatCrunch launched as the national online platform for Texas ticket seller Best Tickets and aggregates event tickets via the Ticket Evolution software and API. The platform broadcasts a large, price-competitive inventory sourced from brokers who use Ticket Evolution. SeatCrunch differentiates with a fixed-price model that displays one price throughout the shopping process rather than adding a service charge at checkout. It also unveiled an affiliate program that lets webmasters share the site's tickets and earn revenue. The company launched with a $3.5 million Series A and positions itself to enter the roughly $15 billion secondary ticket market. The article frames the timing as favorable given steady ecommerce growth and large incumbents in the resale space.

Participated · Seed · Aug 2012

Moven is a NYC-based fintech that provides a free debit card and companion app to track users' money and spending in real time. Led by Brett King, the service aggregates accounts so users can see all accounts in one place. The debit card is issued by CBW Bank, member FDIC, pursuant to a license from MasterCard International. Moven raised $12m in a Series B financing led by Route 66 Ventures. The company intends to use the funds for international expansion and to recruit new staff in NYC and Philadelphia. Moven provides a mobile app that delivers real-time spending alerts, visualizations and budgeting tools, and lets users link external accounts for a consolidated view. The company also offers feeless Moven accounts with debit cards backed by CBW Bank, an FDIC member in Kansas. Moven exited beta in March after a mid-2013 soft launch and early invite beta. At that time it reported about 5,000 registered users and more than 100,000 invite sign-ups. The company plans to use new funding to expand offshore via a licensing model, targeting Canada and New Zealand as initial markets. Moven aims to announce two major global partnerships and drive app downloads toward a 10 million-download goal over the next few years. Movenbank, led by CEO and founder Brett King, is a New York City mobile-direct financial start-up that offers a banking service delivering real-time feedback on everyday spending via users' mobile phones. Its core product includes CRED, a proprietary financial credibility score that analyzes financial data, social influence and shopping patterns to help customers understand day-to-day financial behavior. The company works with banking and payments partners, mobile operators, consumer credit groups, social media partners and merchants to deliver its service. Movenbank has closed a US$2.41m seed funding and intends to use the capital to strengthen its team and further advance CRED. The funding was provided by a mix of institutional and individual backers as described in the press report.

Participated · Series A · May 2012

Ticket Evolution develops ticketing software and proprietary tools, including an automated ticket uploader that integrates real-time purchasing and coordinates inventory, shipping, record keeping, and order management. The company has integrated mobile technology and third-party APIs, such as accounting suites and marketing tools, to increase functionality for users. It is led by Chairman and Co-Founder Steve Parry. Ticket Evolution is based in Jersey City, NJ and Plano, Texas. The company closed a $3.5M Series A venture round and plans to use the funding to expand its distribution channels and market influence. It also entered a business development agreement with Raptor Accelerator to support growth and, as part of the financing, Harry DeMott of Raptor Ventures and Dave Andonian of Dace Ventures joined the board.