Participated · Seed · Oct 2022

Founded in 2020 by Daniel Taylor, William Hayden, and Ignacio Semerene, New-York-based Bags turns QuickBooks data into actionable financial guidance by combining responsible AI with human expertise and CFO-quality reporting. Its platform pinpoints bookkeeping errors, explains their root causes, and recommends fixes, while also surfacing access to more than $10 billion in potential credit. Companies using Bags report an average 250 % year-over-year growth, are 4.5× more likely to receive funding, and secure financing five times faster than the national average. The service is positioned as an affordable alternative to traditional fractional CFOs, which can cost $10k–$20k per month. With total funding now at $7 million, Bags plans to deepen its product capabilities and broaden partnerships with mission-driven lenders and CDFIs. Upcoming pilots with TruFund Financial Services and additional CDFIs and MDIs in 2026 aim to streamline borrower preparation, packaging, and post-loan support. Ultimately, Bags envisions a future where small businesses are well-capitalized, financially literate, and poised for sustainable growth.

Participated · Series A · Nov 2021

Founders First Capital Partners provides revenue-based funding, business acceleration, coaching, and post-funding advisory to underserved and diverse-led small businesses. Its core product pairs flexible RBF (payments that vary with monthly revenue) with a proprietary performance platform offering structured growth education, financial-health services, and operating support. The company closed an oversubscribed $11 million Series A to expand capital deployment and accelerate a $100 million credit facility from Community Investment Management. Typical borrowers generate $500,000 to $5 million in annual revenue with potential to grow above $10 million, and more than 400 companies have completed Founders First programs. Participant outcomes include 71% reporting increased revenues within 12 months and 65% reporting revenue increases of 25% in six months. Founders First runs cohort-based accelerator programs (three cohorts via the Founders Business Growth Bootcamp and four cohorts via the FastPath Funding Growth Experience annually) and plans to publish an Inclusive Economy Market Report.