Participated · Series A · Sep 2018

The/Studio operates an on-demand custom manufacturing platform that lets customers manage product development from custom design to production using advanced technology and a network of vetted factories worldwide. The company serves a broad range of customers, from large corporations like Nike, Live Nation, and Urban Outfitters to mid-market retailers such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store and long-tail makers and creators. It has offices in China, Romania, the Philippines, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and reports more than 100,000 customers on its platform. According to the company, The/Studio has facilitated the design and production of over 32 million products including apparel, accessories and promotional items. The business is initially focused on the fashion manufacturing industry and plans to expand into furniture and consumer electronics. The company raised $11M in a Series A to support its growth and operations.

Participated · Equity · Nov 2017

Ink builds hardware and software to simplify campus printing, offering a touchscreen SmartStation that pairs with HP printers and an inkTouch product that works with existing printers while providing cloud-based services. Students authenticate with their campus ID card, access Dropbox, Google Drive and other cloud services, and Ink stores a keychain on the ID card to streamline future logins. The platform also supports AirPrint, lets users scan and sign documents on the touchscreen, and enables quick photo editing and emailing from the device. Ink says its system reduces the typical ~10-minute campus printing process to under a minute. The company has two pricing models: it will deploy machines for free and charge about $0.09 per page, or lease machines to schools so they handle student payments. Ink plans to be live in about 30 schools by the end of the year, including Stanford, UCLA and SUNY, and has raised a total of $15 million to date.

Participated · Seed · Jul 2017

AdQuick operates an online marketplace that connects buyers with owners of out-of-home (OOH) ad inventory and takes a commission on purchases rather than owning the ad space. The company injects web-style ad analytics and uses de-identified device location data to estimate impressions and help buyers evaluate ROI and discover higher-return locations. CEO Matt O'Connor says demand for OOH is rising as brands look to spend offline earlier due to high online ad costs. AdQuick estimates 30–35% of U.S. OOH ad space went unused last year and is targeting that supply. The company explicitly is not pursuing non-OOH digital ad markets. Financially, AdQuick has raised $9.4M to date, including a recent $6M Series A. AdQuick has built a service that has mapped billboard advertising options across the U.S. and lets advertisers digitally distribute creative and book inventory. The company aggregates inventory from hundreds of vendors, bringing transparency and replacing a market that largely operates via phone calls and emails. CEO Matthew O’Connor and much of the team came from Instacart and applied that experience to dragging a traditional business online. AdQuick’s stated goal is to make billboard advertising programmatic by applying modern technologies to the outdoor-ad channel. The CEO estimates the market at $33 billion globally and $8 billion in the U.S. The company recently secured new funding to continue scaling its product and vendor aggregation. AdQuick offers a technology-first online platform that aggregates billboard and other outdoor advertising inventory from multiple vendors to give buyers a comprehensive view of options in a given geography. Buyers can use a single interface to purchase ads from different vendors and target campaigns by demographics. On the analytics side, AdQuick measures effectiveness using campaign-specific shortcodes, integrations with Google Analytics and Google AdWords, geotargeted surveys, and social-media image recognition. Founder Matthew O’Connor developed the product after repeatedly encountering the opaque, email- and spreadsheet-driven billboard buying process while working at startups including Instacart. The company positions itself as more technology-focused than competitors such as ADstruc and AdSemble and counts advertisers including Lyft, H&R Block, Orange Theory Fitness, and Instacart. AdQuick recently raised seed funding to further develop and expand its online tools for outdoor advertising.

Led · Seed · Apr 2017

Ink Labs offers the Ink Smart Station, an advanced printing solution that leverages the Internet of Things to serve as a Smart Campus Hub. The product enables students to print, share and send files from anywhere, anytime. The company piloted the Ink Smart Station at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in August 2016 and has since expanded to 12 additional institutions. Led by CEO Jonathan Manzi, Ink targets higher-education campuses with streamlined printing capabilities. The company announced a $6.65M seed funding round to support growth. Ink intends to use the funds to expand operations and launch several higher-ed partnerships by fall 2017.

Participated · Series B · Apr 2016

Mizzen+Main is a Dallas-based, digitally native designer, wholesaler and retailer of American-made, performance-focused menswear founded in 2012. Its product range includes dress and sport shirts, chinos, polos, henleys, sweaters and pullovers made from high-tech materials that are machine washable with stretch and moisture-wicking capabilities. The company sells online and through nearly 300 retail locations across the U.S. and abroad. Mizzen+Main received a growth investment from L Catterton to support expansion. The funding will be used to expand the brand’s product offering and omni-channel presence. The amount of the investment was not disclosed. Mizzen+Main is a Dallas, TX-based maker of men's apparel and accessories. Founded in 2012 by CEO Kevin Lavelle, the company sources and manufactures its products in the United States. Its products are sold through over 150 retailers nationwide. The company has raised $4.25 million to date following a recent $3 million financing. It will use the new funds to continue to grow and expand operations. Mizzen+Main also donates a percentage of profits to its "Shirt for a Start" program for veterans transitioning to the private sector or startup culture. Mizzen+Main is a Dallas, TX-based menswear brand founded in 2012 by CEO Kevin Lavelle. The company offers dress shirts designed to blend class and comfort for the active professional and also manufactures and retails performance henleys, blazers and denim. It sources and manufactures all products in the United States. Mizzen+Main donates a portion of all shirt sales to support veterans and their families through its “A Shirt for A Start” program, which provides transition support to veterans moving to the private sector. As of the article, the company raised $1.2M in Series A financing.