Participated · Series A · Sep 2024

TriLite designs and manufactures the Trixel® 3, which it bills as the world’s smallest projection display using Laser Beam Scanning (LBS) technology. The Trixel® 3 targets AR smart glasses, OEM/ODM integrations, and in-vehicle driver information systems. The company emphasizes a compact form factor that enables high brightness and image performance for both consumer AR and automotive use cases. TriLite holds multiple patents around its projection technology and plans to refine its IP while scaling mass production. Management says the latest funding will accelerate production and innovation. The company is based in Vienna, Austria and was founded in 2011; prior to the new round it had reported total raises of $9.29M. TriLite, based in Vienna and led by CEO Peter Weigand, develops ultra-compact projection displays for consumer augmented and mixed reality applications. Its Trixel® 3 module occupies just 0.92 cm3 and combines a micro-optical RGB laser light source with a MEMS mirror to deliver bright, high-quality images at very low power consumption. The company has invested in software, including proprietary calibration algorithms, to simplify developer adoption and minimize optical system size and complexity. TriLite also offers a manufacturing platform and high-volume supply chain to accelerate customers' time-to-market. The firm's stated aim is to help AR/MR glasses overcome the bulkiness and weight that have hindered mass-market adoption. In October 2021 TriLite raised €8m to continue expanding operations and broaden its business reach.

Participated · Seed · Aug 2016

Espresa is a Palo Alto–based provider of a personal benefits platform for global enterprises. Its core product, branded LSA Plus, combines traditional well‑being benefits with Lifestyle Spending Accounts that let employers incentivize health‑related and cultural activities. Employees access LSA funds via payroll reimbursement, an integrated marketplace, or a pre‑funded Espresa debit card. The company has served hundreds of thousands of users across sectors including tech, consumer, healthcare and pharma, financial services, media, agriculture, law, manufacturing and construction. Customers include Avalara, Cadence, Flex, Nielsen, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Prudential, Unisys and The Wonderful Company. Espresa plans to use new funding to scale sales and marketing, further develop the platform and build its global support infrastructure. Espresa operates a web and mobile platform that connects companies and their employees with vendors offering on-site and on-demand services such as phone repair, car washes, haircuts, manicures and bicycle repair. The company charges employers a subscription fee that scales by company size (reported as $1–$2 per employee per month) and also takes a commission on vendor transactions; vendors join the platform for free. Espresa curates and vets vendors through a pre-check program, verifying reviews, insurance and background checks, and vendors commit to maintaining quality standards and accepting user feedback. As of the article, Espresa works with about 50 vendors and is used by roughly 25,000 employees at about 15 companies; the startup has a team of 20 employees. The platform is currently available only in the Bay Area and the company plans to expand next year, likely to Austin, Los Angeles and San Diego. Espresa positions itself against benefits/discount platforms like AnyPerk by focusing on bringing providers directly to the workplace.

Participated · Seed · Aug 2013

BuildersCloud offers a centralized file-sharing and mobile collaboration platform for construction projects, consolidating PDFs, photos, safety manuals, task lists and other project files. The product includes smart notifications and SMS text alerts to keep teams updated. The company plans to use the seed funds to hire full-time product, sales and development staff. BuildersCloud graduated from the 2013 Microsoft Accelerator powered by TechStars. Founded in June 2013 and led by CEO Andrey Nokhrin and CTO Konstantin Novikov, the company is based in Bellevue, WA. It recently raised more than $1m in seed funding.

Participated · Equity · Nov 2012

TranscribeMe provides a speech-to-text platform that leverages speech-recognition algorithms and crowd-sourced transcribers working around the world to convert audio and video into searchable and shareable text. The service integrates with Evernote, Livescribe and select VoIP providers. Its customer base includes medical professionals, corporations, conferences, writers, podcasters and academics. Led by CEO Alexei Dunayev, the company operates out of Emeryville, CA; Auckland, New Zealand; and Singapore. TranscribeMe raised $900K in angel funding and has now raised $1.5M to date. The company intends to use the new funding to continue to grow.