Participated · Series D · Jun 2018

Qumulo builds storage software and appliances that help companies store and manage vast amounts of unstructured data. It released a storage appliance in 2014 and has shifted toward hybrid solutions that span on-prem and public cloud environments. The company says rising volumes of unstructured data and a move to the public cloud are driving demand for its product. Qumulo reported nearly 100% year-over-year growth as its quarter closed at the end of April and says it beat its pre-COVID revenue estimate. Today it serves about 400 customers and has more than 300 employees, with plans to add roughly 100 more before year-end. Founded in 2012, Qumulo says it emphasizes diverse hiring practices as it scales the team. Qumulo is a Seattle-based provider of scalable file storage software that runs in data centers and public clouds. Its flagship product, Qumulo File Fabric (QF2), can scale to billions of files and includes analytics that let administrators drill down to file-level details in real time. The company says its technology enables customers to store, manage and access file data at scale anywhere in the world. Customers include three of the five largest companies globally, nine of the 10 top Hollywood studios and many Fortune 500 firms. Led by CEO Bill Richter, Qumulo intends to use the $93M Series D proceeds for continued expansion of its solution. The financing announcement coincided with the appointment of Peter Zaballos as chief marketing officer. Qumulo delivers enterprise-grade, modern scale-out storage designed to handle rapidly growing unstructured data such as video and audio. Its flagship Qumulo Core stores tens of billions of files with full data management and real-time visibility into usage at petabyte scale. The company supports on-premises and cloud deployments and emphasizes performance and actionable visibility for storage administrators. Qumulo has experienced 425% year-over-year growth in petabytes shipped to customers, indicating strong product traction. It plans to use new funding to fuel global expansion and rapid entry into vertical industries across North America, Europe, and Asia. Recent executive hires include CEO Bill Richter, VP of worldwide sales Eric Scollard, and VP of marketing Jay Wampold. Qumulo provides Qumulo Core, a data-aware scale-out NAS software that builds real-time data analytics directly into a POSIX-compliant file system to give enterprises a complete view of their data and storage at scale. The company recently introduced Qumulo Core 2.0 and three QC-Series hybrid storage appliances (QC40, QC104, QC260) that offer capacity trends analytics and resilient data protection with erasure coding. Led by co-founder and CEO Peter Godman, Qumulo serves customers across media, entertainment, healthcare, and other industries; customers mentioned include Ant Farm, Atomic Fiction, Blind Studios, Densho, FotoKem, MSG Networks, Sinclair Oil, Sportvision, TELUS Studios, UConn Health, University of Utah Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, Vaisala, and ZOIC Studios. Financially, the company has raised $100m to date and closed a $32.5m Series C. Qumulo plans to use the new funds to extend its market presence throughout North America and Europe and to invest in its technology. Qumulo was founded by a team of former Isilon engineers and is led by co-founder and CEO Peter Godman. The company has built a modern storage appliance designed to manage large volumes of data and improve findability and data administration. The first-generation product is a cost-effective appliance built from commodity hardware and has been generally available since Q3 of last year. Qumulo already has customers in production, including one customer that has used the appliance for over a year. The team says it used a prior Series A to develop the technology and is aiming to transition to an all-software solution over time. With the new capital, the company plans to scale out its go-to-market efforts.

Participated · Series B · Jul 2015

Bidtellect offers a suite of native advertising products including a native demand-side platform (nDSP), a native supply-side platform (nSSP), and an open native programmatic exchange built on the IAB OpenRTB 2.3 specification. The platform handles in excess of 500 million auctions each day. The company says it will use new funding to expand capabilities in programmatic and content recommendation, invest in technology infrastructure and product development, and accelerate in-market sales in Europe and Asia. The release positions Bidtellect as a global leader in native advertising technologies and solutions. Bidtellect was launched in 2013 and is headquartered in Delray Beach, Fla. Its recent Series B follows a prior $4.4 million Series A raised in 2012.

Participated · Series A · Apr 2015

Custora is a cloud-based retail customer analytics platform that unifies data from disparate sources and automatically generates AI-powered predictive analyses such as lifetime value and personas. Its software helps retailers acquire higher-value customers, personalize online and offline communications, increase purchase frequency, and improve team efficiency. Custora serves more than 100 customer-obsessed brands worldwide and works with customers including J.Crew, Tiffany & Co., Uniqlo, Kenneth Cole, Nordstrom, Ann Inc., Crocs, and Teleflora; the company says it counts seven of the top 201 U.S. retailers. The company frames its offering as enabling 'Customer-Obsessed Commerce' and positions its platform to help retailers meet digital-era expectations through machine-learning-driven insights. Custora announced a $13.75M Series B to power that effort and expand its capabilities. The company also hosts an annual user conference, CARMA, to connect retail practitioners and share customer-focused workshops and case studies. Custora is a NYC-based marketing software startup that provides a predictive marketing platform built for e-commerce teams. The platform analyzes customer data to predict purchases, how much customers will spend, and how often they will shop, enabling more effective advertising and communication. It works with a variety of online and omnichannel retailers including LOFT, Guess?, Crocs, Bonobos, and Backcountry. Led by co-founder and CEO Corey Pierson, Custora is a Y Combinator company and previously raised a seed round in 2011. The company intends to use the new funding to scale out sales and marketing and to further develop its platform. Custora recently closed a $6.5M Series A. Custora offers a SaaS product that analyzes order logs and individual customer behavior to identify which customers are most valuable and which are at risk of leaving. The software distinguishes between customers who are dormant and those who have churned, and it manages and optimizes email campaigns to keep customers engaged. Custora automates email sends to at-risk customers and repeat purchasers, identifies the sources of repeat customers, and recommends specific incentives to reclaim lost shoppers. The company launched in February and is Y Combinator–backed. Custora has signed notable clients, including Etsy, whose analytics lead credited Custora’s segmentation for a key holiday marketing push. Financially, the company has raised $850,000 in funding from a group of angel and institutional investors.

Led · Series B · Dec 2014

Zonoff develops the Zonoff Connected Home Software Platform, comprising Home, Cloud and App software that powers entry-level point solutions and comprehensive home automation, remote control, energy management and safety monitoring. The platform is used by partners including electronic device makers, service providers and retailers and powers Staples Connect in over 550 Staples retail stores. Led by CEO Mike Harris and based in Malvern, PA, the company focuses on enabling partners to deliver new products and services to the consumer mass market. Zonoff completed a $31.8m Series B in April 2014, bringing total funding to $35.6m. The company intends to use the funds to add new commercial agreements, to be announced in 2015, and to expand its product presence into additional channels. Zonoff offers the Zonoff Connected Home Platform to act as the connective tissue between different smart, internet-connected devices and appliances. The company does not manufacture hardware; instead it partners with consumer electronics and home hardware manufacturers to embed its software. The platform includes Home, Cloud, and App software to enable home automation, energy management, and safety monitoring. Zonoff monetizes by licensing its technology, hosting cloud services for partners, and sharing revenue from services. The article notes the company is already generating revenue. With new funding it plans to grow its technical team, support more customers and partners, and expand internationally. Zonoff is led by CEO Mike Harris and is based in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

Participated · Series D · Oct 2014

SolidFire, based in Boulder, CO, offers all-flash storage systems engineered to meet modern data-center demands by guaranteeing performance for thousands of applications on a shared platform. The company’s architecture is designed to scale and maintain predictable performance, positioning it as a high-performance alternative to traditional disk or hybrid arrays. SolidFire sells primarily through a global reseller network spanning Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and North America. Led by founder and CEO Dave Wright, the firm employs more than 250 people worldwide. With its latest funding, SolidFire plans to broaden its international presence and continue advancing its all-flash storage technology. To date, the company has raised $150 million in total capital.