Participated · Seed · Nov 2018

RoadBotics builds AI-driven computer vision software for pavement assessment and infrastructure management. Its RoadWay online GIS platform analyzes road images and color-codes each 10-foot segment from green to red, enabling decision-makers to monitor networks, communicate budget needs to city councils, and resolve citizen complaints. The company was spun out of Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute in 2016 by Mark DeSantis, Dr. Benjamin Schmidt, and Dr. Christoph Mertz and is based in Pittsburgh, PA. Over 150 governments across 23 US states and 11 countries use RoadBotics’ solution. The company closed a $7.5M Series A and intends to use the funds to accelerate growth and develop new products. RoadBotics develops computer vision and deep learning technology to inspect roads and infrastructure using a proprietary smartphone app. Users mount a standard smartphone on a vehicle windshield to collect roadway imagery, which is uploaded to RoadBotics' platform where deep learning isolates the road, assesses condition, and generates objective condition ratings. The company renders assessments on an interactive online mapping platform called RoadWay. RoadBotics emerged from Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute in December 2016 and was co-founded by Christoph Mertz, Benjamin Schmidt and Mark DeSantis. It currently assesses roadways for 78 cities, towns and counties across the US and Australia. The company intends to use its new seed funds to continue developing its technology.

Participated · Equity · Aug 2018

Qucit develops AI-driven tools to streamline the design of public space, manage urban services, and improve citizen well-being. Its offering includes BikePredict, ComfortPredict, ParkPredict and RoadPredict to anticipate demand, comfort issues, parking and road incidents. The technology is built on artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistical models, data science, data analysis, visualization and data mining and integrates thousands of data sources. The company plans to use the new funds to continue expanding operations, development efforts and its business reach. Qucit was founded in 2014 by Raphaël Cherrier and operates out of Bordeaux, France and New York City.

Participated · Seed · Aug 2018

Rentlogic provides building-condition grades for New York properties using roughly 150 variables (heat, hot water, pests, mold, etc.) and has evaluated more than 1 million properties in the city. The company added an inspection service it charges landlords for, allowing them to display a rating placard outside their buildings; it has inspected 103 properties to date. Rentlogic’s product combines public complaint and assessment data with machine learning; the company runs an algorithmic review committee and plans a building simulator to show how issues affect scores. It charges landlords for assessments and placards, and a white paper cited renters’ willingness to pay up to an extra $45/month to lease in a certified building. Launched in 2013 by Yale Fox after his own landlord dispute, Rentlogic has partnerships with brokers and platforms like Nooklyn and Roomi and a deal to rate Blackstone’s Stuyvesant Town asset. The company plans to scale its system beyond New York by hoovering up publicly available data to provide grades across the United States.

Participated · Series A · Jul 2018

Blueprint Power has developed a machine-learning platform that enables buildings to sell excess electricity into a growing number of competitive energy markets. The platform connects to and manages onsite assets such as solar, battery storage, cogeneration, fuel cells, thermal storage and controllable loads. Its marketplace software receives price signals and dynamically matches supply to the best source of revenue, effectively turning buildings into virtual power plants. The company closed a $3.5M Series A to support its product and market expansion. The team includes co-founders Robyn Beavers (CEO), Claire Woo (head of technology) and Nicholas Squires (head of systems integration), along with engineering and product leads.