Led · Equity · Sep 2021

Misfits Gaming Group is a global esports and entertainment company headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. It is led by CEO Ben Spoont and operates from a facility in South Florida. MGG owns three franchised esports teams — the Florida Mayhem (Overwatch League), the Florida Mutineers (Call of Duty League) and Misfits Gaming (League of Legends) — and runs a network of content creators and competitive gamers. The company also maintains a full-service in-house media team. In September 2021 MGG raised $35M in funding led by The E.W. Scripps Company, which will invest $10M specifically into MGG’s global esports organization. The Scripps partnership includes a board designee and plans to distribute MGG’s content across Scripps’ linear and OTT platforms to broaden reach and advertiser access.

Led · Seed · Aug 2015

Cintric, founded in 2014 and led by co-founder and CEO Connor Bowlan, offers a consumer intelligence platform for brands, publishers and retailers. The platform collects and analyzes location data from mobile-device users who have opted into geo-location. Customers can use Cintric to analyze rich behavioral data, create personalized marketing campaigns, and measure the effectiveness of messaging on actual consumer behavior. The company is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cintric intends to use recent funding to expand its operations.

Led · Seed · Jun 2014

Besomebody operates an app that helps users find content tied to their interests and either book or host in-person experiences and lessons. The company grew out of founder and CEO Kash Shaikh's "#besomebody" social media efforts and aims to connect users with local "passionaries" who teach skills. After a beta launch in Austin, Texas, the app was downloaded nearly 30,000 times in three months and facilitated more than 400 experiences taught by 200 passionaries. Besomebody is now available nationwide and plans to expand recruiting and training of passionaries beyond Austin. The company recently raised additional funding to support that expansion and product growth. Besomebody is creating a platform and marketplace to help people monetize and pursue passions through live experiences and passion-related content. Founder and CEO Kash Shaikh built the brand from a #besomebody hashtag (started 2009) and a blog (launched 2011) that he says reaches 4 million people. The platform, currently in development, will highlight passion content, connect users with similar interests, and host a marketplace where experts sell lessons and experiences. The marketplace will initially focus on art, music, fitness, and adventure, and will include mutual ratings for buyers and sellers. Besomebody plans to launch first in Austin and emphasizes live, in-person experiences rather than online webinars. Financially, the company has begun with outside backing and founder-funded early work (Shaikh left GoPro and used personal savings/401k to support the project).

Participated · Equity · Apr 2014

Wanderful Media aggregates newspaper circulars, coupons and local retail advertising for delivery on mobile devices and in shopping tabs on newspapers' websites. The Los Gatos, Calif.-based company launched in 2013 with an iOS app and has since released its Find&Save app for Android while rolling out location-based services for both platforms. It was formed with a $22 million investment in 2012 and has attracted additional funding from large media owners. The company manages national retail advertising relationships while regional newspapers handle local and regional retailer relationships and placement. Since launch Wanderful has generated less than $10 million in revenue but places content in front of about 100 million monthly uniques. CEO Ben Smith says the company focused on mobile and tablet to reach audiences and modernize the circulars experience. Wanderful Media’s core product is Find&Save, a local deal service that aggregates offers from newspaper circulars, retailers, and other data sources. The company recently relaunched Find&Save with added personalization and social features, including shopping lists and the ability to follow retailers and other users. The relaunch followed Wanderful’s acquisition of Travidia, the print-to-digital conversion company that started Find&Save. Find&Save integrates with newspaper sites (for example the San Francisco Chronicle) and the company says its network reaches 100 million unique visitors each month. Executives report positive response to the relaunch and plan to use new funding to increase distribution and to launch mobile and tablet apps as a next step. Financially, Wanderful has raised an additional $9 million in the latest round, bringing total funding to $36 million. Wanderful Media digitizes newspaper circulars and local retailers' coupons via its Find n Save platform. Find n Save powers deals and shopping sections on newspaper websites in more than 250 markets and the company planned to expand to 600 sites in 2013. Wanderful acquired Travidia to convert print coupons to digital and operates a conversion center in Chico, Calif. The company raised $22 million from 12 newspaper publishers, who also serve as key distribution partners. CEO Ben T. Smith IV said retailer adoption drove publisher partnerships and that tablet and smartphone apps were imminent, with the tablet positioned as the core discovery-shopping experience and phones for in-store alerts. Management plans to extend the underlying technology beyond Find n Save into other industries over time.

Led · Series B · Oct 2011

Ebyline operates an open marketplace for freelance journalists to pitch story ideas, take assignments, and for publishers to find talent and syndicate content. The platform automates freelancer administration including assignment and pitch flow, independent contractor agreements, payment processing, and tax management. Publishers use Ebyline to syndicate content—Variety uses it to syndicate movie reviews—and partners include the LA Times, Gatehouse Media, Internet Broadcasting, Grammy.com, and E.W. Scripps. In May the company added video and audio capabilities to support multimedia broadcast. Ebyline crossed the $1 million revenue mark in August, with revenue largely derived from the small percentage the startup takes from syndication deals. The company has powered over 75,000 projects to date. Ebyline is a Los Angeles, CA-based marketplace that connects news publishers with professional freelance journalists. Created by media executives Bill Momary and Allen Narcisse and publicly launched in September 2010, the platform aims to create an alternative economic model dedicated to preserving high-quality reporting. Its platform is already used by outlets including Variety, ProPublica, Cars.com, MinnPost.com and The Texas Observer, and its journalist members include credentialed freelancers from The Journalism Shop and The Sports Media Exchange. Financially, the company had previously raised an initial round from Los Angeles-based angel investors and has now closed a $1.5M Series A. The Series A was led by The E.W. Scripps Company. Ebyline intends to leverage its marketplace and publisher relationships to support sustainable models for in-depth reporting.