Participated · Equity · Dec 2020

Sanguina develops an AI application that screens for anemia using fingernail images, leveraging technology from Georgia Tech and Emory University. The company is based in Georgia and is part of a regional effort to bolster biomedical startups with local capital and expertise. Its recent financing from a syndicate including Emory BioFoundry Institute, Invest Georgia, and the Georgia Tech Research Impact Fund is intended to advance and market the AI app. Sanguina plans to use the investment to pursue FDA approval, improve data collection, and scale commercial operations. The coverage notes the company has previously raised $5.6 million. The startup is positioning its solution against a global anemia burden that affects nearly two billion people.

Led · Equity · Nov 2020

Terra Kaffe designs high‑end bean‑to‑cup coffee machines, led by its flagship TK‑02 which offers over 100,000 drink combinations and basic drip coffee. The company pairs sleek hardware with a connected app and machine‑learning features to appeal to younger, high‑end home‑brewing consumers. Terra Kaffe emphasizes sustainability by helping customers transition off single‑use plastic pods, reducing waste and lowering cost per drink. It primarily sells direct‑to‑consumer via its eCommerce site and has expanded distribution to Amazon, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's and Seattle Coffee Gear, experiencing strong growth with its primary product. The company is positioned to capitalize on a consumer shift from pod‑based machines to bean‑to‑cup solutions. Terra Kaffe’s core product is the TK-01, a podless super-automatic espresso machine that lets users select beans and brew espresso with one touch. The company says it has offset the use of more than one million single-serve pods to date and highlights a Bauhaus-inspired industrial design. Founded by Sahand Dilmaghani in 2019, Terra Kaffe positions the TK-01 as a lower-cost super-automatic option at $775 versus an average price point around $2,000. The article frames the product within strong home-coffee demand since the COVID-19 pandemic, noting single-cup brewing demand is up 50% since 2018 and 79% of Americans prepare coffee at home daily. Terra Kaffe recently secured $4 million in funding through a partnership with The Seed Lab, a New York–based consumer venture-capital fund. Both founder Dilmaghani and Seed Lab founding partner Stephen Ippolito describe a close, collaborative partnership focused on accelerating the business and execution.