Participated · Seed · Apr 2024

MokSa.ai is a Detroit-based startup providing AI-enabled video intelligence for retail and business locations. The platform uses computer vision and AI to automate surveillance, offering theft detection, employee tracking, identification of most visited locations, busiest-day analysis, and real-time alerts to customer dashboards. MokSa.ai operates on a subscription model, charging a monthly fee based on the number of cameras deployed. Founded in 2021 by Nikhil Kolli and Kranthi Mottu, the company plans to expand its sales and customer support teams and release a mobile app for on-the-go notifications. The startup raised $1.5M in a pre-seed round in March 2024 to fund those growth initiatives.

Participated · Seed · Apr 2024

Quadratic is positioning itself as a new type of spreadsheet that natively speaks Python and other programming languages, and integrates popular data science tools like Pandas, SQL, JavaScript and Excel formulas. The platform lets users pull data from sources such as SaaS platforms, databases, CSVs and APIs, handle hundreds of thousands of rows, and build analyses that can be shared with stakeholders. It offers team workspaces, charts, plug-ins and real-time collaboration, and its engine is optimized for performance using Rust and WebGL. Quadratic is free for individual and educational use, with paid plans for businesses and teams. The company says it has about 45,000 users and is maintained by six-plus full-time contributors and 18 total contributors to date. Quadratic launched out of stealth and was co-founded by David Kircos and Peter Mills; the team plans to use new capital to expand hiring and customer acquisition.

Participated · Seed · Mar 2024

Kidsy partners with brands, retailers and liquidation companies to give consumers access to discounted baby and kids products, including clothing, strollers, car seats, toys, travel gear and nursery furniture. The company inspects and grades inventory at a Nebraska warehouse, selling mostly new and unused items while offering about 10% gently used goods. Since emerging from beta in September 2023, Kidsy reached $1 million in annualized revenue by January and reports tens of thousands of customers. It operates on a take rate that averages roughly 35% across categories. Founded in April 2022 by former business journalist Shraysi Tandon and software engineer Sinan Sari, Kidsy aims to reduce landfill waste from returns and overstock while offering lower prices for parents. The 12-person team plans to use new capital to hire, expand partnerships and embed AI/ML to improve operational efficiencies.

Participated · Equity · Feb 2024

SheMatters builds digital tools to improve maternal outcomes for Black and minority mothers, including a new Symptom Tracker app for monitoring signs of serious complications such as preeclampsia, eclampsia, and HELLP syndrome. The company also offers the SheMatters Cultural Competence Certification Program, which trains medical providers on safety, communication, and confronting the legacy of racism in healthcare. Major universities and hospital systems are adopting the certification to better serve minority communities. Founders Jade Kearney (CEO) and Marguerite Pierce (COO) lead the company’s strategy and product development. In 2024 SheMatters plans to grow its team and build out its product offering with the symptom tracker leading the effort. The platform emphasizes empowering expecting and new mothers to track vital signs and symptoms tied to life‑threatening conditions. She Matters operates a digital health platform that connects Black women with culturally sensitive postpartum care and trains clinicians on cultural competency. The app originally focused on postpartum anxiety and depression and connecting users with therapists, but has expanded to address a wider range of postpartum comorbidities including preeclampsia and hemorrhaging. The company shifted from training individual therapists to selling subscriptions and cultural-competency training to healthcare networks and systems, partnering with hospitals. Hospitals buy subscriptions and provide the app to patients as part of care packages; Kearney says average hospital contracts are about $1.2 million and the company does not charge Black moms for therapy. She Matters participated in Techstars late last year, has six employees and plans to grow to 15 by year-end, and has hired researchers and cultural experts for product expansion. Planned product lines include Ella Importa for Latina women, They Matter for LGBTQ people and Native Her for Native American women as it scales the approach to other underrepresented groups.

Participated · Seed · Sep 2023

Partum offers a suite of pregnancy and postpartum services including lactation support, physical therapy, mental health services, nutrition counseling, and doula care. The company partners with obstetricians and midwives to complement clinical care and provides both digital and in‑person services. It works with major health plans to secure coverage for many services and tailors care to prevent common complications such as perinatal mood disorders, pelvic floor dysfunction, and avoidable C‑sections. Partum was founded in 2021 by CEO Meghan Doyle and Head of Operations Matt Rogers after they identified gaps in maternity and postpartum care. Financially, the company has raised $3.1 million in seed funding to expand its offerings and continue building relationships with insurance providers. Partum currently operates in the Chicagoland area and plans to expand throughout Illinois and Texas later this year, with an expressed aim to expand offerings across the country. Partum Health offers coordinated, patient-centered maternal care across fertility, pregnancy and postpartum with services including doula care, lactation consulting, physical therapy, nutrition support, mental health and acupuncture. Care is delivered in provider offices, patients’ homes, via telehealth and through an app chat feature. Clinical services are in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Cigna and generally reimbursed through insurance; non-clinical services (for example doula care) are paid out of pocket or via HSA/FSA. The company was founded in 2020 and currently serves patients in Illinois while planning national expansion. Partum aims to expand payer relationships (including Medicaid) and to work with employers to broaden access and coverage for its services. Financially, the startup has raised a little over $1 million in a pre-seed round from angel investors and is currently raising a seed round.