Participated · Series A · May 2024

Traction Ag develops cloud-based accounting software and data integrations that give farmers and ranchers the functionality and insights needed to improve farm profitability and decision-making. Led by CEO Dustin Sapp, the company delivers platform features for both premium and enterprise users. Traction Ag recently acquired and integrated solutions from Granular and Conservis, accelerating the expansion of its product feature set. The company serves farmers across the United States and focuses on combining accounting tools with data-driven insights. Traction Ag raised funding to support continued platform development and business growth. Traction Ag offers an integrated cloud farm accounting and operations application that delivers financial solutions to growers across the Midwest. Its suite includes accounting, operations, and a fully digital payroll that automatically files and pays federal and state payroll taxes. The platform leverages integrations with Climate FieldView and John Deere Operations Center to automate and ease collection of field activities. Traction Ag raised $3M in a Seed round with participation from Hageman Group, Allos Ventures and Elevate Ventures. Don Aquilano of Allos Ventures and Shane Hageman, president of Hageman Investments, will join the company's board as part of the investment. The company intends to use the funds to add functionality and value to its integrated application and to further enhance the team, and the investment accompanies a renewed commitment to independence and focus on customers and stakeholders.

Participated · Equity · Jan 2024

Algo offers an AI-driven supply-chain SaaS suite that turns data into actionable insight for demand planning, inventory optimization, and in-store allocation. Its products target retailers, suppliers, distributors and manufacturers to improve demand planning and inventory allocation processes. The company says its suite delivers a game-changing shift in how customers manage demand planning, inventory allocation, and in-store optimization. Algo plans to expand its offerings and onboard additional retailers and merchants as part of a strategy to consolidate the fragmented supply-chain software industry. Proceeds from the recent funding helped complete Algo’s merger with V Net Solutions in December 2023 and provide additional growth and acquisition capital. The announcement did not disclose revenue, user counts, or other operating metrics. Algo offers a SaaS platform and a natural-language virtual supply chain bot that enables enterprises to analyze, drive, predict, and prescribe critical business data and functions, including demand and inventory planning, sales forecasting, product lifecycle management, and category optimization. The platform is used by Fortune 500 enterprises to increase sell-through, optimize inventory, minimize returns, and drive measurable ROI across the enterprise. Led by Amjad Hussain, CEO, chairman and founder, the company sells its software to large enterprise customers. In February 2020 Algo raised $15M in funding and said it will use the capital to continue to expand operations and its business reach. As part of the transaction, Scottie Wardell of Integrity Growth Partners will join Algo’s board of directors. The company is based in Troy, Michigan.

Participated · Equity · Mar 2023

MentorcliQ builds employee mentoring software and white-glove services that help companies design, run and measure mentoring programs. Its platform lets employers run multiple mentoring programs from a single interface, create participant profiles, control program participation, choose matching rules, and view metrics such as participation, engagement and mentoring activity. The company emphasizes a population-optimized matching algorithm that calculates match scores across potential relationships while factoring matching rules, timing, turnover, new hires and other program-configurable variables. Founded after Phil George left his role in 2012 to team up with Andy George and Miles Ulrich, MentorcliQ grew its customer base to hundreds of companies, with the pandemic accelerating adoption. The company closed an over-$80 million growth investment from PSG with participation from Rev1 Ventures and Plymouth Growth, bringing total funding to more than $100 million. MentorcliQ plans to use the funding for product development and to ramp customer acquisition; it recently hired a new chief revenue officer and plans to expand its roughly 120-person team over the next 12 months. MentorcliQ is a relationship-based employee mentoring platform that helps companies run mentoring, onboarding, high-potential, and D&I programs. The platform serves over 2 million employees across more than 100 countries and supports customers from 300 to over 300,000 employees, including multiple Fortune 500 firms. MentorcliQ reports revenue growth of 3X over the past three years and cites program outcomes of a 30–60% increase in employee retention within participating segments. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio, and earlier this year acquired mentor training and talent development firm TERP Associates. MentorcliQ plans to more than double its headcount over the next 18 months and will use new capital to expand product innovation, market development, and customer success.

Led · Series A · Jan 2023

Forj provides a member experience platform purpose-built for associations and professional communities to grow membership, revenue, and impact. The platform enables personalized, enriched experiences that connect members for the common good. Forj has merged with learning-technology provider Web Courseworks and the combined businesses will operate under the Forj brand. Web Courseworks brings a Learning Management System, CourseStage, which organizations of all sizes use to build a learning business and track education outcomes; Amber Winter will serve as Forj Chief Client Officer. Led by CEO Kurt Heikkinen, Forj plans to use new funding to accelerate growth and expand operations. The company is based in Milwaukee, WI. Forj provides a virtual events and member experience platform aimed at helping professional associations and membership groups attract more members and sponsors and deepen engagement. The company is led by CEO Kurt Heikkinen and is based in Milwaukee, WI. It recently raised an undisclosed funding round to support its growth. Forj intends to use the funds to accelerate growth and further develop its platform. In conjunction with the funding, a partner from the lead investor joined Forj’s board. No operating metrics or revenues were disclosed in the article.

Led · Series A · Oct 2021

Deck Commerce is a St. Louis-based cloud solution that provides an order management system for retailers and brands. Its platform offers enterprise inventory visibility, universal product information, and distributed order management, connecting front-end shopping channels with back-end business systems. The product was built to address data, system integration, and business process challenges retailers face in today’s retail environment. In October 2021 Deck Commerce closed a $7.8M Series A funding round led by Plymouth Growth. The company plans to use the funds to expand strategic alliances, amplify sales and marketing initiatives, and drive product development, including enhancing direct-to-consumer capabilities for leading brands. Deck’s platform targets small e-commerce businesses seeking to streamline order, inventory, and product data management while leveraging existing back-end systems. Deck Commerce provides a cloud-based Order Management System (OMS) and web services that help retailers and consumer product brands simplify order fulfillment and servicing across retail channels and distribution networks. The platform supports omnichannel workflows and recently added an In-Store Fulfillment module enabling retailers to use stores as pick-up locations and micro-distribution centers. Customers include New Balance, Build-a-Bear, and NYDJ. The company is led by founder and CEO Chris Deck and is based in St. Louis, MO. Deck Commerce secured $2.7M in financing and plans to use the funds for marketing, sales, and distribution, expansion of its Channel Partner program targeting value-added eCommerce vendors and system integration agencies, and rollout of new implementation programs and business development support. Backers included Arsenal Capital Management. Deck Commerce is a SaaS eCommerce operations platform launched in 2015 by Christopher Deck and based in St. Louis, Missouri. The platform connects front-end shopping channels with back-end business systems to help businesses compete with eCommerce leaders. It streamlines processes for managing orders, inventory, and product data, with features including enterprise inventory visibility, universal product information, and distributed order management. The company serves retailers and branded wholesalers such as New Balance, Rawlings Sporting Goods, Chinese Laundry, and Warrior. Deck Commerce closed a $2M financing round led by Arsenal Capital Management and intends to use the proceeds to expand sales and marketing, accelerate product development, and increase customer on-boarding capacity. In conjunction with the funding, Arsenal Managing Director Pete Reinecke joined the Deck Commerce board of directors.