Participated · Seed · Aug 2023

EcoMap Technologies operates a platform used by universities, tech communities, municipalities and other organizations to map their ecosystems. Co-founder and CEO Pava LaPere says the company will revamp its core product, rebuilding it from the ground up to bring backend tech and data to the front end. The recent raise will fund that product overhaul and support the addition of five team members, including two full‑stack developers, additional engineering and product support, digital ad management, and another account executive. The company previously doubled its principal staff from 15 to 30 after its prior seed raise and established headquarters in the Bromo Arts District of downtown Baltimore. Recent milestones include launching the AI-enabled EcoBot, graduating from the Equitech Accelerator, earning Breakout Company of the Year at UpSurge Baltimore, and placement on the 2022 RealLIST Startups roster. EcoMap Technologies builds data-driven EcoMap platforms that centralize information about organizations, resources, people, and activity into one-stop online hubs to help users navigate ecosystems. The company plans to use the new funding to focus on growth, increase market share, and develop EcoMaps for ecosystems across a wide range of industries and communities. EcoMaps can serve local business communities, entire industries, and corporate networks by making it easier to find and navigate resources and stakeholders. EcoMap was founded by LaPere while she was a student at Johns Hopkins University, with co‑founder Sherrod Davis, and is a graduate of the TechStars Equitech Accelerator. The Baltimore-based, female- and Black-founded startup says it aims for a 50/50 female workforce; currently half its employees are female and 30% are people of color. In June 2022 EcoMap closed a $3.5M seed round led by Las Olas Venture Capital.

Participated · Series E · Nov 2021

Verbit provides an AI-driven automated transcription and captioning platform augmented by professional transcribers to deliver vertical-specific, compliant transcripts and captions. Its platform uses machine learning and natural language processing to build custom models by vertical and customer, enabling over 99% accuracy and turnaround times the company says are 10x faster than industry standard. Verbit serves more than 2,000 customers across media, education, corporate, legal and government sectors, including CNN, Fox, Disney, Coursera, Stanford, Harvard, Amazon, Microsoft and AT&T. The company reports 6x year-over-year revenue growth, over $100 million in annual recurring revenue, and a customer retention rate of 163%; it also describes itself as cash efficient. Verbit employs more than 470 staff across offices in New York, Colorado, Pittsburgh, Palo Alto, Canada, Tel Aviv and Kyiv, and leverages a global network of 35,000 freelancer transcribers and 600 professional captioners. Future plans include continued product development, vertical and geographic expansion (notably further European expansion), a continued acquisition strategy, and preparation for a near-term IPO. Verbit offers an interactive transcription and captioning solution that uses in-house AI technology to convert live and recorded audio and video into accurate captions and transcripts. The platform serves more than 1,500 customers across legal, media, education, government, and corporate sectors, including major media and academic customers. Led by CEO and founder Tom Livne, Verbit employs over 350 people and works with more than 30,000 transcribers globally. The company operates from offices in New York, San Francisco, Tel Aviv, and Kyiv. Following the Series D, Verbit plans to use the funds to improve and develop new products, add 200 new business and product roles, support research and development, and prepare for a public offering. The funding and scale position the company for continued product investment and commercialization at enterprise scale. Verbit provides a transcription and captioning platform that leverages a hybrid model of machine learning, natural language processing and a network of 22,000 human transcribers to deliver accurate, fast results. Its AI technology transcribes across accents, detects domain-specific terms, and filters background noise and echoes, while professional transcribers edit, review and incorporate customer-supplied guidelines to maintain quality. The company serves more than 400 enterprise-grade customers in the legal and higher-education industries, including universities and national court reporting agencies. Led by CEO and founder Tom Livne, Verbit operates across NYC, Palo Alto, Tel Aviv and Kyiv. It has raised over $100 million in total capital, including a $60 million Series C. The company plans to use the funds to innovate data-driven product capabilities, enter new verticals, increase language support, boost hiring, expand international reach and pursue M&A opportunities. Verbit offers AI-assisted transcription and captioning services to professional users, with a focus on the media and legal industries as well as educational institutions. Its machine-learning tools reach about 90% accuracy, and the company works with about 15,000 human transcribers to revise output to roughly 99% accuracy. Verbit has more than 150 customers, including Harvard, Stanford and Coursera, and it recently launched real-time transcription and opened a New York office. The company is three years old and is based in Tel Aviv and New York. It plans to use new funding to expand into new verticals, add new languages, and to double its headcount in 2020. Financially, Verbit has raised a total of $65 million to date, including a $23 million Series A in 2019 and the new $31 million Series B. Verbit offers a speech-to-text solution that combines AI transcription with an on-demand network of human transcribers to achieve about 99% accuracy and can transcribe one hour of video in roughly five minutes. The product is applied to traditional transcription and to captioning for video, with particular traction in academic and legal verticals where the company says it serves over 100 customers. Verbit reported revenue growth of more than 300% since its prior funding and expects another 300% increase in 2019. The company uses a dual human review process to correct machine output and feed edits back into its machine-learning models to improve accuracy over time. Verbit plans to use new funding to develop its solution further, add language support, invest in marketing and sales, and accelerate expansion into the U.S., including opening a New York City office and recruiting local talent. Management cites the rise of video and podcasting and shortages in court-reporting talent as drivers of demand for its combined AI-plus-humans model.

Participated · Series A · May 2021

Emocha Health is a Baltimore, Maryland-based digital health company that offers Digital Medication Adherence Programs enabling patients to take every dose via video technology and scalable human engagement. It partners with health plans, health systems, employers and health departments across the U.S. to improve adherence for patients with diabetes, asthma, tuberculosis and other chronic and infectious diseases. The company operates a remote clinical team of nurses and pharmacists that engages patients at scale. Emocha raised $6.2M in a Series A to expand strategic integrations and grow its remote clinical team. The funding is intended to help respond to demand from health plans and transplant centers across the United States. Sebastian Seiguer is CEO. emocha Mobile Health builds a mobile video technology platform used to support medication adherence for tuberculosis and other conditions. The platform is currently in use at sites in California and Puerto Rico and a Maryland phase showed 94% patient adherence and average public-health savings of $1,391 per patient. Researchers from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine will use a $1M NIH Small Business Innovation Research grant to evaluate the platform at those sites and at a third site in Minnesota where it is not yet in use; the study will run two years. The grant will also fund pilots in Guam and New Jersey. emocha is beginning a second phase of research, funded by a separate federal grant, to evaluate use of the platform for buprenorphine treatment for opioid addiction at the University of Washington and Boston Medical Center. The company has about 12 employees and is recruiting for roles in design and development. emocha Mobile Health is a Baltimore, MD-based medication adherence platform provider that uses video-based technology. The company closed a $1M seed funding round from a group of investors. It will use the funds to expand sales efforts and tailor the technology for opioid use disorder treatment. Led by CEO Sebastian Seiguer, emocha provides a video-based adherence platform powered by healthcare providers. The company works with payers, providers, and health departments to reduce costs and support patients with conditions such as tuberculosis, hepatitis C, and opioid addiction.

Participated · Series B · Sep 2020

Whitebox is an eCommerce marketing and fulfillment technology company based in Baltimore, MD. It provides a modern commerce platform for ecommerce powered by omnichannel data, connected to every relevant marketplace and platform, and united with a trusted fulfillment network. The company's core product is its proprietary Omnifi technology platform. Led by CEO Marcus Startzel, Whitebox supports brands with a combined commerce and fulfillment offering. The company raised an additional $20m financing to advance its ecommerce tech product and services. It plans to use the proceeds to accelerate Omnifi enhancements and scale operations by investing in people. Whitebox combines tools for managing e-commerce listings across multiple marketplaces with physical warehousing and fulfillment services in its own U.S. facilities. The company also emphasizes a decisioning layer that uses data to guide fulfillment and inventory choices for brands. Whitebox serves challenger direct-to-consumer brands expanding beyond Shopify as well as more traditional store brands moving into e-commerce. It reported 40% quarter-over-quarter revenue growth in the first three months of 2020, 78% growth in Q2, and a 300% increase in direct-to-consumer shipments over the first half of the year. Whitebox operates fulfillment centers in Baltimore (its headquarters), Las Vegas, and Memphis, and plans Midwest expansion next year. The company intends to use new funding to expand sales and marketing, continue developing its technology platform, and build out additional fulfillment centers. Whitebox operates a technology-driven e-commerce logistics platform that lists products on online marketplaces, runs ads to promote listings, and handles order fulfillment from leased warehouse space. The company serves both startups and established brands, with customers including McCormick, Starbucks, KitchenAid, Bare Bones and Kitu. CEO Marcus Startzel said Whitebox’s integrated platform lets it both sell and move products, enabling tactics such as multi-packs and variety packs that other vendors may miss. Startzel joined earlier in the year from a digital-ad background; under his leadership the company grew to 42 full-time employees and opened a second fulfillment center. Whitebox leases warehouse space rather than buying facilities and says operations become profitable within weeks, making fulfillment an accelerant rather than a drag on the business. The company raised $5 million in Series A funding to support its growth.

Participated · Seed · May 2018

Insightin Health offers a data-driven, AI-powered member engagement platform called inGAGE™ that applies Natural Language Processing to collect medical, clinical, cognitive and social determinants of health. The platform generates a Next Best Action (NBA) algorithm for care management and member retention tailored to each person. Insightin Health positions inGAGE™ to help health insurers reduce costs and improve growth and retention through improved member engagement. The company reports that inGAGE™ has aggregated data for over five million lives. Insightin plans to use the new funding to scale the platform and bring on new clients. Insightin Health was founded in 2016 by CEO Enam Noor and is based in Baltimore. Insightin Health provides an AI-driven customer relationship management platform that helps health plans identify and acquire high-value member prospects and engage them with personalized content based on social determinants. Its platform aims to enhance member acquisition, retention, and engagement while minimizing churn and improving quality measure adherence. The company is led by Founder & CEO Enam Noor. Insightin plans to use new funding to expand product development and to drive sales and marketing initiatives. The company closed a $2 million seed-stage financing round in May 2018 and is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland.