Participated · Series B · Dec 2021

UNION’s platform integrates a cloud-based, industrial-grade POS with a mobile ordering and payment solution and highly granular customer data to create personalized on-premise experiences for guests, operators, and brands. It is designed specifically for high-volume bars and restaurants and scales to handle high-speed operations with minimal downtime. UNION says its system can increase revenue by up to 30%, reduce customer wait time by up to 80%, and triple each server’s capacity. Over 600,000 consumers used the platform in the last year, and the company processes over $1 billion in consumer transactions annually. UNION already operates in 34 states and emphasizes fast, contactless ordering, personalized recommendations, and integrated payments. The product roadmap and positioning focus on expanding the company’s national footprint and further monetizing customer data to drive loyalty and repeat business.

Participated · Series A · May 2016

Sun Basket provides a meal-kit delivery service focused on fresh, organic and sustainable ingredients. Founded in 2014 by Adam Zbar and chef Justine Kelly and headquartered in San Francisco, the company emphasizes health, ease, and personalization. Sun Basket reports rapid growth, citing an 80% compound annual growth rate over the last three years and what it calls the best unit economics in the space. Management has described the company's Series D as the most challenging fundraise in its history, and the firm has repeatedly delayed a planned IPO. The latest funding will be used to expand offerings to include breakfast, lunch and dinner personalized for any lifestyle. Despite difficulties and high-profile failures in the meal-kit market, Sun Basket continues to attract venture investment and has raised $125M in total funding. Sun Basket operates a healthy meal-kit service delivering organic produce and sustainable ingredients with recipes tailored to customers’ dietary needs and preferences. The company personalizes diet-specific meal plans by leveraging transaction data and stated lifestyle requirements. At the beginning of Q1 2018 Sun Basket reported a $250m annual revenue run rate. Management says the new capital will be used to advance its technology to provide more choice and greater personalization. Sun Basket plans to add Vegan, Mediterranean, and Pescatarian menu offerings and to launch new, larger distribution centers on the East Coast and in the Midwest in Q1 2018. The distribution expansion is intended to reach 98% of the continental U.S. Sun Basket provides meal kits with recipes and pre-measured organic ingredients targeted at customers following gluten-free, paleo, or vegetarian diets. Executive Chef Justine Kelly develops the company’s recipes. The company says it uses boxes, bags and insulation that are 100% recyclable and compostable and is investigating new packaging materials and design changes to further reduce its footprint. Sun Basket recently opened a Midwest facility that enables delivery to 98% of U.S. addresses and which the company says makes it the largest direct-to-consumer organic food provider in the country. Management highlights strong customer loyalty, citing analysis that suggests up to three times the retention rate of other players over a 24-month period. The company plans to use new funding to ramp up marketing and scale operations further. Sun Basket delivers pre-measured meal kits focused on "clean eating," offering gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian and other nutritionist-approved recipes created by Executive Chef Justine Kelly. The company pairs chefs with nutritionists and data scientists to categorize recipes, vet ingredients and guide logistics. It advertises 100% recyclable or compostable packaging, organic non‑GMO produce, humanely raised antibiotic- and hormone-free meat, and Seafood Watch–approved seafood. Sun Basket currently reaches more than 80% of the U.S. and plans to build a Midwest distribution hub to expand delivery to over 90% of the country and speed fulfillment. The startup is evaluating automation technologies to assist picking and packing, intending to put robots to work alongside people. Sun Basket has raised $43 million in equity to date, including the recent Series C. Sun Basket is a San Francisco–based organic meal kit provider founded in 2014 by Adam Zbar and Justine Kelly. It delivers organic, non‑GMO ingredients and weekly recipes personalized to customers’ lifestyles and diets. The service offers Gluten‑Free, Paleo and Vegetarian options. The company is rolling out 100% recyclable and compostable packaging to reduce shipping waste nationwide. Sun Basket plans to use new funding to open a third distribution center and build a procurement platform to support growth. The recent Series B financing of $15m will be used to accelerate expansion.

Led · Series C · Aug 2015

Revel Systems offers a cloud-based POS solution that runs on iPad and bundles payroll, inventory and CRM functionality for restaurants, retailers and enterprise customers. The company positions its product as a way to bypass legacy POS hardware and long banking partner chains. Revel competes with Square, PayPal and First Data and counts customers such as Shell, Cinnabon, Estée Lauder, Tully’s, Smoothie King and Stanford University. WCAS says Revel has driven significant product innovation, market traction in key verticals and strong client growth in recent years. Private-equity backer Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe has taken a majority stake and plans to fund and catalyze Revel’s next phase of growth, potentially pursuing larger-brand deals and a bigger tech exit. Revel Systems provides an iPad-based point-of-sale (POS) platform offering front-end order entry, payment processing and cash register functionality paired with back-end tools such as personnel scheduling, time clock and payroll management, inventory and product/menu management, and advanced reporting. Its platform is deployed in tens of thousands of locations across the United States and internationally. The company intends to use the latest funding to accelerate its global expansion and to support large enterprise engagements within both existing and new verticals. Revel serves SMBs, franchise operators and enterprises with enterprise-grade operations and reporting features to manage and grow their businesses. Founded in 2010 by Lisa Falzone and Chris Ciabarra, the company has steadily expanded its product suite and market presence. Revel Systems builds an iPad-based point-of-sale platform used by SMBs and larger retailers and restaurants such as Dairy Queen, Goodwill, and Smoothie King. The company has close to 10,000 terminals deployed, employs about 200 people, and is break-even on annual financials. Revel plans to expand globally with Europe as its next market and to ramp up product development. The new funding is aimed at aggressive hiring, including COO and CFO searches, and enlarging fulfillment and operations teams. Management is preparing the company for an initial public offering, which they anticipate in the next two to three years. WCAS’s involvement will also add an external board member to support growth and execution. Revel Systems provides an iOS-based iPad point-of-sale solution for restaurant, grocery and retail businesses. The platform integrates payroll, inventory tracking, customer relationship management and other back-office functions. Its Revel Marketplace enables direct integrations with third-party enhancements such as mobile payments, online ordering, gift and reward cards, and advanced financial software. Founded in 2010 by Lisa Falzone and Chris Ciabarra and based in San Francisco, the company targets merchants across retail and hospitality. Revel plans to expand sales and servicing capacity, grow nationwide and abroad by opening offices in Asia and Europe, and build a West Coast distribution center in addition to an existing facility in Orlando, Florida. It raised $10.1M in capital to fund this expansion. Revel Systems provides an iPad-powered, front-to-back-of-house POS platform including iPad software plus optimized hardware such as cash registers, weighing machines, and receipt printers. The platform can be customized for payroll, inventory tracking, web ordering, email receipts and other workflows. Revel is targeting chain restaurants and retail establishments with at least $500,000 in annual revenue and charges customers upwards of $3,000 for the full system plus a software licensing fee. The company positions its offering as a lower-cost alternative to traditional POS systems, which it says cost at least $6,000. Revel reports around $80 million in processing business with major brands and has been tapped by Beautiful Brands International to power POS systems across multiple franchised locations. The company launched in August 2011.

Led · Series C · Oct 2014

LiquidSpace operates a real-time marketplace that dynamically matches individual mobile workers and companies with professional meeting and workspace via web and mobile app. Founded in 2010 by CEO Mark Gilbreath and based in San Francisco, the company offers more than 5,500 vetted, reviewed workspaces in over 600 cities across the U.S., Canada and Australia. Customers include employees at multinational corporations such as Accenture, Teva Pharmaceutical and Postmates, as well as small business owners and individual freelancers. Use cases cited in the article include sales meetings, interviews, strategy offsites, customer trainings, quiet work, legal depositions, swing space and Board meetings. The company raised $14M in Series C financing and intends to use the funds to extend its product capabilities and scale operations. LiquidSpace operates a web and mobile platform that enables users to find and book workspace and meeting rooms (coworking venues, business centers, hotel lobbies, libraries, or private offices) by the hour or day. The service targets modern professionals who need instant bookings and companies that must manage workforce workspace needs both internally and externally. Founded in 2010 by Mark Gilbreath and based in San Francisco, the company aggregates available space and offers real-time booking. Its product serves on-demand, flexible workspace demand rather than long-term leases. Financially, the company has completed multiple funding rounds, most recently raising $1.3M and earlier securing a $6M Series B and a $3.785M Series A led by Shasta Ventures. LiquidSpace operates an online marketplace and booking tool that helps individuals and corporations find and book private workplaces and external spaces such as office business centers, hotels and coworking spaces. The platform enables employees to discover and reserve private workplaces within their company portfolios as well as third‑party locations. The company says it currently operates a network of over 2,000 private and public workspaces across more than 250 cities nationwide. LiquidSpace plans to use new capital to expand market-development efforts and extend its product offerings. Founded in 2010, the company is led by CEO Mark Gilbreath and is based in San Francisco, CA. LiquidSpace offers a mobile application that lets users find and reserve nearby workspaces on demand, including public spots (like coffee shops), paid co‑working spaces, and private company spaces. The product targets both workers without a fixed office and employees who spend significant time away from their primary desks. The company ran a promotion at South by Southwest to surface pop-up workspaces and is in limited testing in the San Francisco Bay Area. LiquidSpace has signed up four workspaces for testing, including RocketSpace, NextSpace, and Pacific Business Centers locations in San Mateo and San Francisco. On the financial side, the company announced a $3.6M first institutional round and previously raised $1.3M from Floodgate and the Greylock Discovery Fund. Future plans implied by the article include expanding availability beyond the limited Bay Area test and continuing to onboard partner workspaces. LiquidSpace is an iPhone app that helps mobile workers find immediate workspaces, from private offices and paid co‑working desks to public Wi‑Fi venues. The app lets users specify exact needs (for example, a desk with free Wi‑Fi or a private three‑person conference room) and shows listings sourced mostly from the facilities themselves, with users also able to add venue information and photos. The company positions the product as an Airbnb‑style service for on‑demand workspaces and promoted pop‑up workspaces at South by Southwest in Austin to drive adoption. The app is free to download; LiquidSpace plans to earn revenue by taking a share of paid transactions. The company has raised $1.3 million in funding from Greylock Partners and Floodgate. It cites an IDC projection of more than 110 million U.S. mobile workers this year to illustrate the market opportunity.

Participated · Equity · Jun 2014

Rant Media Network is a creator and distributor of online sports, lifestyle and entertainment content. It owns and operates a network of opinionated sites including RantSports, RantLifestyle and RantChic. Across its sites the company leverages a network of more than 400 paid writers based in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Led by CEO Brett Rosin and based in Irvine, CA, the company serves male and female enthusiasts with targeted content. Rant Media Network closed $4m in financing in the most recent round and has now raised a total of $7.3m. The company intends to use the proceeds to further accelerate growth and expand its network.