PARIS, March 8, 2023 — Centurion Invest, the global ecosystem for financial and Payment solutions, has announced that GEM Digital Limited (GEM), a Bahamas-based digital asset investment firm that sources, structures and invests in utility tokens listed on over 30 CEXs and DEXs globally, has agreed to an investment commitment of US$25 million into the European-based company through a structured token subscription agreement. 

Centurion Invest has secured $25M in Token Subscription from the infamous NYC based Venture Capital, GEM Digital Limited, through its $CIX Token. $CIX is an ERC20 deflationary token which powers the overall CIEx ecosystem, with utilities and benefits across payments, financial services, loyalty rewards, referral bonuses, airdrops, staking, trading and fees reductions, priority launchpad access, cashbacks, merchant rebates, Visa crypto debit card, to name just a few.

This funding round will allow Centurion Invest to execute its global expansion plans by enhancing the products, services and invest in developing Web3 ecosystem, crypto and digital assets mass adoption to B2C and B2B users worldwide. The company will allocate a fair amount of the funding in onboarding industry experts and skilled talent in Europe, North America and strategic locations in southeast Asia.

This news comes also while Centurion is in the final stages of securing an acquisition to add other investment instruments such as Forex and Stocks, while pursuing its commitment to enhance the User Experience across all products and aligning with core vision to accelerate the transition from money to digital and financial inclusion. 

About Centurion Invest :

Centurion Invest is currently Headquartered in Estonia & Lithuania  with operations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and expansion plans to Canada, Southeast Asia and LATAM. At Centurion Invest, the core mission is to enable the mass adoption of Cryptocurrency & Blockchain. The Infrastructure supports an ecosystem consisting of but not limited to CI Exchange, CIX Crypto VISA Card, CI360 (Corp. solution), CI Academy, CI Launchpad, CI Earn, CI NFT, CI Pay, and coming soon CI Forex, CI Stocks, and CI eBanking.

Centurion has positioned itself through CI PAY and CI 360 ( Payment as a Service) as a cutting-edge blockchain based platform to provide specialized services, such as card issuing, payments clearing, cross-border payments, disbursements, and e-commerce gateways. A Global Multi asset Solution provider for retailers in the blockchain space. 

 Centurioninvest.com  – https://linktr.ee/centurion_invest

About GEM Digital Limited 

GEM Digital Limited is a digital asset investment firm. Based in The Bahamas, the firm actively sources, structures, and invests in utility tokens listed on over 30 CEXs and DEXs globally. Global Emerging Markets (“GEM”) is a $3.4 billion alternative investment group with offices in Paris, New York, and the Bahamas. GEM manages a diverse set of investment vehicles focused on emerging markets and has completed over 530 transactions in seventy-two countries. Each investment vehicle has a different degree of operational control, risk-adjusted return, and liquidity profile. The family of funds and investment vehicles provides GEM and its partners with exposure to Small-Mid Cap Management Buyouts, Private Investments in Public Equities, and select venture investments.

http://www.gemny.com

CONTACT: [email protected], +33176430365

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1926289/Centurion_Invest.jpg

SOURCE Centurion Invest

Seed-stage Portland and Virginia-based Venture Fund Run by Women of Color Leadership Team
Focused on Black Founders to Advance Economic Equity Across Multiple Verticals Within the United
States; Current Portfolio includes Start-ups from Serena Williams, Allyson Felix, and HBO’s ‘Insecure’

PORTLAND, Ore., March 8, 2023 — The BFM Fund (Black Founders Matter), a Portland-based, seed-stage venture fund focused on Black and innovative founders, is slated to receive investment from Bank of America. Led by a full women of color leadership team, The BFM Fund will allocate Bank of America’s investment into Black founders across various verticals within the United States. Current companies within The BFM Fund’s portfolio include Saysh, Allyson Felix’s footwear and apparel brand; Hued, a healthcare startup in partnership with Serena Williams and Glow Up Games, a mobile-game companion to HBO’s hit television series, “Insecure.” While the total investment amount is not disclosed, Bank of America became a significant investor in The BFM Fund’s first close.

“I’ve been so energized to work with such an outstanding team at Bank of America over the last few months,” said BFM Fund’s Managing Director, Himalaya Rao-Potlapally. “It’s been so encouraging to see global financial institutions like Bank of America having such passion and follow through in their commitment to creating economic equity within venture capital. I’m excited to see other financial institutions take Bank of America’s lead in supporting the next generation of diverse fund managers, who are more representative of the broad spectrum of startup founders that exist. When global organizations like Bank of America remain steadfast in their mission to create economic equity through capital redistribution and supporting diverse fund managers, other financial institutions, venture capital firms and potential investors will follow suit. That cannot be understated.”

“Bank of America’s equity investment in The BFM Fund underpins our commitment to scale positive change and drive economic opportunity by addressing pervasive funding gaps for minority-owned and led businesses, entrepreneurs and innovators,” said Roger Hinshaw, Bank of America Oregon and Southwest President. “By providing growth capital and support to diverse entrepreneurs, The BFM Fund will open new doors to greater economic growth and wealth creation within an underserved segment of the economy.”

The extensive process required a comprehensive review of BFM Fund’s legal, financial, thesis documentation and standing. The BFM Fund joins an impressive and growing roster of more than 100 BIPOC, women-owned and LGBTQ+ funds hand-selected by Bank of America since 2022.

“Funder representation is a critical piece to facilitating systemic change in capital allocation,” stated Rao-Potlapally. “We’re here to do the work that needs to be done and we’re grateful for Bank of America’s belief, support, and commitment to creating more equitable outcomes.”

About The Black Founders Matter Fund

The BFM Fund functions as a seed-stage venture investment fund, routinely investing in Black and innovative founders who create startups based in the United States. The fund is returns-focused and seeks scalable ventures across multiple verticals and industries between the Series Seed and Series A life-stage. Beyond capital, the BFM Fund partners with industry-specific lead firms in the Series Seed to Series C stage to help its portfolio companies scale efficiently.

To learn more about The BFM Fund, please visit www.bfm.fund or connect with us on Linkedin (@bfmfund). Any inquiries can be sent to [email protected].

About Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 67 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,900 retail financial centers, approximately 16,000 ATM and award-winning digital banking with approximately 56 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and approximately 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

SOURCE The BFM Fund (Black Founders Matter Fund)

NEW YORK, March 8, 2023 — GreenPoint Partners (“GreenPoint” or the “firm”), an alternatives firm investing at the intersection of real assets, technology and sustainability, today announced a strategic investment in Semi-Stow, an Austin, Texas based semi-truck parking and trailer storage operator, and the launch of GreenPoint’s dedicated $500 million truck and trailer industrial outdoor storage platform. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

GreenPoint’s investment – the third by its innovative real estate private equity platform – will provide both growth capital for Semi-Stow’s leading operating platform as the company continues to scale and bring its high-quality, customer-centric approach to more locations nationwide, as well as funding to acquire a portfolio of attractive semi-truck parking and trailer storage locations across the United States. With this platform, GreenPoint is targeting a $500+ million portfolio of high-quality assets, which would be operated by Semi-Stow and benefit from the company’s unique tech-enabled approach along with its commitment to security, quality and operational excellence.

The platform has already closed on its first two acquisitions, which provide collective storage capacity for over 1,000 semi-trucks and trailers in the Houston and Dallas Fort Worth markets respectively. Both assets are currently receiving significant capital expenditure upgrades to meet Semi-Stow’s brand standard and have monthly spaces available for lease.

Led by managing partners Trent Cameron and Dennis Nabors, Semi-Stow currently manages 30 sites comprising more than 5,500 truck and trailer spaces across the United States.

“Truck parking and trailer storage is a key component of the logistics and e-commerce value chain and a sector where innovation has historically been limited,” Chris Green, Founder and CEO of GreenPoint. “We see a tremendous opportunity to partner with Trent, Dennis and the entire Semi-Stow team to build a national portfolio of assets where new technologies can have an instant and significant impact in improving operations and the customer experience.”

“GreenPoint shares our commitment to our customers and our long-term vision to utilize innovative technology and best-in-class operational practices to institutionalize and better serve the logistics industry,” Trent Cameron, Managing Partner at Semi-Stow. “We see incredible opportunities to grow and scale our platform in today’s market and look forward to working with the talented and deeply experienced team at GreenPoint to execute on a shared vision and grow together.”

“By partnering with Semi-Stow and utilizing a tech-enabled, data-driven approach, we believe we can help address the national shortage of safe and secure parking locations for commercial trucks while improving and simplifying the overall experience for drivers and logistics providers alike,” said Alexander Çakir, Partner and Co-Head of Real Estate at GreenPoint. “We look forward to working with Trent, Dennis, and the rest of the Semi-Stow team to provide easy, safe and reliable solutions to the growing industrial outdoor storage industry.”

GCM Grosvenor is serving as GreenPoint’s lead investor for this strategy, including through funds managed on behalf of large US pension funds through its Emerging Manager programs. This represents the third GreenPoint-led real estate strategy for GCM Grosvenor, bringing total commitments on behalf of its investment products to over US$250 million. Funds managed by GCM Grosvenor are also invested in European EV van parking / charging and UK inner-city carpark strategies.

Peter Braffman, Managing Director and Head of Real Estate at GCM Grosvenor said, “We are excited to further expand our relationship with GreenPoint as a leading proponent of technology, innovation and sustainability in real estate. We believe we can generate alpha for our investors via GreenPoint’s OpCo / PropCo / TechCo strategy and are delighted to partner with high caliber operating partners such as Semi-Stow.”

About GreenPoint

GreenPoint is an alternatives investment firm that invests at the intersection of real assets, technology and sustainability. Founded in 2019 by Chris Green and headquartered in New York, the firm is deploying complementary strategies across technology investing and private equity to integrate the disparate worlds of real assets and technology. Green has 20 years of real assets experience, including 16 years at Macquarie Capital where he was the global head of real estate. The firm’s activities are supported by a team of investors and operating partners who bring decades of experience in technology, real estate investing and operations at top firms. GreenPoint’s investors include strategic real asset operators, pension funds, family offices and industry senior executives who collectively own/manage over $500 billion in global real assets with an additional $125 billion development pipeline. By combining tech venture capital investing real estate private equity, and sustainability solutions, GreenPoint can deliver unique and transformative insights into a rapidly changing industry. Visit us at www.greenpointpartners.com

About GCM Grosvenor

GCM Grosvenor (Nasdaq: GCMG) is a global alternative asset management solutions provider with approximately $74 billion in assets under management across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and absolute return investment strategies. The firm has specialized in alternatives for more than 50 years and is dedicated to delivering value for clients by leveraging its cross-asset class and flexible investment platform. GCM Grosvenor’s experienced team of approximately 530 professionals serves a global client base of institutional and high net worth investors. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, with offices in New York, Toronto, London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Seoul. For more information, visit: www.gcmgrosvenor.com.

About Semi-Stow

Semi-Stow is the leading provider of secure, strategically located, quality parking facilities for commercial vehicles across the US. With over 30 locations, we provide our customers with a vast network of parking solutions that allows them to scale across the country with an institutional operator. Learn more at www.semi-stow.com.

Contacts
Jon Keehner / Erik Carlson
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
212-355-4449
[email protected]

SOURCE GreenPoint Partners

Having previously invested in Tesla, Coinbase, Ethereum, Polygon and SpaceX, Draper has a proven track record in backing bonafide industry disruptors. Draper also joins EtherMail’s Advisory Board to provide strategic counsel to leadership team as company gears up for expansive growth pipeline.

SCHAAN, Liechtenstein, March 8, 2023 — EtherMail, the first Web3 Email Solution setting the standard for anonymous and encrypted wallet-to-wallet communication, has successfully raised $4 million USD in a pre-Series A funding round led by Tim Draper and Draper Associates, a global venture capital firm investing in industry transforming companies. The round also included participation from MS&AD Ventures.

The funding will be leveraged to drive recruitment and ongoing market expansion while expediting the roll out of the EtherMail SSO (Single Sign-on Solution) and the AMS (Advertising Marketplace Solution) together with a personalized protective layer for email users to filter spam and earn rewards for receiving inbound advertising emails.

Since closing a $3.3 million seed round in August 2022, EtherMail has experienced rapid growth in terms of user onboarding with more than 500,000 users and established partnerships with popular NFT projects such as Probably Nothing, Toxic Skulls Club, inBetweeners and Prime Planet. EtherMail’s Web3 email solution also facilitated Web3 voting for Decrypt Studios’ inaugural Crypties Awards 2022 with more than 10,000 participants – the crypto industry’s preeminent annual awards initiative. Most recently, EtherMail announced its integration with ENS (Ethereum Name Service) and Draper-backed Unstoppable Domains, extending the reach of its Web3 email solution to millions of registered UD and ENS users.

With four generations of investing expertise, Draper Associates has underscored its credentials as a leader in early-stage venture capital, having invested in a range of household name brands such as Hotmail, EtherScan, Skype, Coinbase, Baidu, Tesla, SpaceX and Twitch.

MS&AD Ventures invests in startups at the cutting edge of A.I., Big Data, Cybersecurity, Fintech, Insurtech, SaaS, Infrastructure and Digital Health, with a penchant for deploying ‘smart money’ towards next-gen solutions that tie in with evolving market trends and access to asian markets. MS&AD Ventures is backed by MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings, the fifth largest insurance conglomerate in the world and the leading player in Asia.

Shant Kevonian, CEO and Founder of EtherMail said: “Today’s announcement represents a significant seal of approval for our Web3 email solution from one of the world’s foremost tech investment visionaries. Draper Associates has an unrivaled track record when it comes to backing early-stage industry disruptors, and we’re proud to join the likes of Tesla, SpaceX and our partners Unstoppable Domains as Draper-backed innovators. Additionally, the support of MS&AD will be invaluable as we continue our Asian expansion, setting the standard for anonymous and encrypted wallet-to-wallet communication.”

Gerald Heydenreich, Founder of EtherMail said: “Securing funding from investors the caliber of Draper Associates and MS&AD is a huge moment for EtherMail, and follows a rich phase of early market validation from our growing list of top-tier industry partners. As our development roadmap switches into high gear, we will have ample financial runway to execute and expedite our global expansion prior to our planned token launch.”

Tim Draper, Founding Partner of Draper Associates said: “The EtherMail team has quickly established a dominant market position at the forefront of Web3 email innovation, underpinned by a firm understanding of evolving Web3 market dynamics. With an expanding partnership network, exciting set of integrations with prominent Web3 platforms, and comprehensive product roadmap on the horizon, the company is gearing up for a massive growth trajectory in 2023 and beyond.”

Jon Soberg, Managing Partner at MS&AD Ventures said: “EtherMail has developed a category-leading solution that is already providing significant value to Web3 companies across the industry spectrum. We are firmly aligned with the EtherMail vision to redefine the dynamics of email economics with its native utility token EMT, and see EtherMail playing an integral role in incentivizing Web2 users to join the Web3 space. We look forward to helping the team with its ongoing Asian expansion in the months ahead.”

Join the official EtherMail Telegram channel here: https://t.me/ethermail_official and follow the latest developments on twitter: https://twitter.com/ethermail_io

For more information on how EtherMail can help your project maintain a direct and secure line of communication with your asset holders, visit: https://ethermail.io/daos

About EtherMail

EtherMail is the first Web 3.0 Email Solution setting the standard for anonymous and encrypted wallet-to-wallet communication. With EtherMail, companies can send rich, relevant content directly to their asset holders based on blockchain-synced real time information. EtherMail also allows fully anonymous P2P communication and rewards its users for reading relevant content in their inbox.

About Draper Associates:

Founded in 1985 by Tim Draper, Draper Associates is the leader in early-stage venture capital that continues to invest in technology companies that show exceptional promise. The firm’s investments have included Coinbase, Baidu, Tesla, Skype, SpaceX, Twitch, Hotmail, Focus Media, Robinhood, Carta, and other industry unicorns at the early stage. Draper Associates has built a reputation for encouraging entrepreneurs to drive their businesses to greatness, to transform industries with new technologies, and to build platforms for extraordinary growth, jobs and wealth creation. Send plans to [email protected]. To learn more, visit www.draper.vc.

MS&AD Ventures, Inc.

Founded in 2018, MS&AD Ventures is a corporate venture capital firm of MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings based in Menlo Park, California. The firm invests in start-up companies worldwide, operating in the information technology sector such as A.I., big data, cybersecurity, fintech, insurtech, SaaS, mobility, and life and health. The CEO, Jon Soberg, and President, Takashi Sato, have been named to the “Top 100 Powerlist” of investors in the GCV Powerlist Award 2020, which is an award given by Global Corporate Venturing, a global media company related to corporate venture capital (CVC).

Media contact:
[email protected] or [email protected]

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2018532/EtherMail.jpg

SOURCE EtherMail

The SaaS provider more than doubled ARR and added 10 new enterprise customers in 2022

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2023 — FOUNT Global, Inc. (https://fount-ex.com) announced it has secured $8M in funding to help organizations identify what’s at the root of employee dissatisfaction and productivity, and prioritize what to fix in their work environment. The Series A round was led by Lavrock Ventures with participation from existing investors Osage Venture Partners and Grotech Ventures. FOUNT has raised $10.75M in total funding since it spun out of the employee experience (EX) consultancy, TI People, in January 2022.

“Post-pandemic shifts in employee expectations and CEOs prioritizing efficiency across their global organizations have put pressure on HR leaders looking for smarter ways to hang on to the people most important to their business and remove friction from their daily work,” said Daniel Hanks, General Partner at Lavrock Ventures and member of the FOUNT Board of Directors. “FOUNT has made significant traction in large enterprises by seizing on these trends and addressing a business issue that is both timely and timeless. We are thrilled to be partnered for the ride.”

Unmanaged friction costs $764M per annum per Fortune 500 company, through attrition, burnout, and wasted productivity^*. FOUNT’s origins in the EX space give the company a unique perspective into the complexity of measuring countless and cumulative points of friction that cause employees to disengage and leave. The company’s customer base represents some of the world’s leading organizations at the forefront of friction management including adidas, Siemens, Baloise, Northwell Health and TEKsystems.

David Gill, VP, Team Member Culture and Experience at Northwell Health added, “As one of the nation’s Best Places to Work, Northwell Health is committed to fostering a healthy workplace and improving individuals’ well-being. With FOUNT’s solution, we see an opportunity to dig deeper and expand our current listening methodology to build a consistent and sustainable experience for our team members. We’ve been very impressed with FOUNT’s capable and engaging Customer Success team and their commitment to further our goals.”

FOUNT’s customers say the SaaS solution complements their employee survey tools such as Glint, Qualtrics and Medallia by identifying solvable points of friction that are most important to employees. The additional funding will be used to launch new features targeting key talent segments and further advance the product and technology infrastructure.

FOUNT CEO Christophe Martel commented, “Our solution addresses a challenge shared by both HR and Business leaders – to reduce the headwinds people encounter at work. FOUNT data provides a level of insight that empowers our customers to know where to take specific action and realize a quantifiable ROI. We are fortunate to have such a supportive group of investors who share our vision to make work less of a drag.”   

*F500 companies employ 29M people with an average salary of $57k; Cost of disengagement is 18% of salary (Gallup). Cost of turnover is 50% of annual salary (SHRM). Average voluntary attrition rate of F500 companies is 10.2% (LinkedIn).

About FOUNT Global, Inc.
FOUNT helps companies identify what’s at the root of employee dissatisfaction and prioritize what to fix in their work environment. The company offers software-as-a-software (SaaS) solutions that remove friction from work and help increase productivity. Founded in 2022 as a spinout of the employee experience consultancy, TI People, FOUNT has headquarters in Washington D.C., London and Hamburg.

About Lavrock Ventures
Founded in 2016, Lavrock Ventures is a venture capital firm that seeks to invest in early-stage companies operating in the software, big data, deep tech, and national security sectors. Based in the greater Washington DC area, Lavrock partners with passionate entrepreneurs across North America and Europe who are working to solve some of the most critical problems facing major institutions in the private and public sectors.

About Osage Venture Partners
Osage Venture Partners (OVP) is a venture capital firm located just outside of Philadelphia, PA. It partners with exceptional entrepreneurs, building the next generation of leading B2B software and tech-enabled services companies. OVP has consistently focused on this strategy since its inception in 2005, making over sixty investments in early-stage B2B companies over that time.

About Grotech Ventures
Founded in 1984, Grotech is a leading venture capital firm focused on early-stage, high potential technology companies based outside of Silicon Valley. With more than $1.0 billion in committed capital, Grotech seeks innovative, early-stage investments across the software landscape and continues to invest and add value throughout the life cycle of each portfolio company.

Media Contact:
FOUNT Media
[email protected]
202-930-5630

SOURCE FOUNT Global, Inc.

GrubMarket acquires Custom Produce Sales, a California-based premier provider of fresh fruits and vegetables to hundreds of business customers across the United States, to expand on the West Coast and solidify its position in the global food supply chain industry.

SAN FRANCISCO, March 8, 2023 — GrubMarket announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Parlier, California-based Custom Produce Sales, a highly reputable and well-respected fresh produce company that provides the highest quality fruits and vegetables sourced from suppliers across the U.S., Mexico, Chile, and Peru. In addition to its Parlier location, Custom Produce Sales also has warehouse facilities in Yuma, Arizona and Salinas, California. The company currently has an expanding portfolio of over 80 commodities and successfully ships over 10 million packages of fruits and vegetables to hundreds of foodservice, retail, and wholesale customers across the U.S. annually.

Founded in 1989 by fresh produce veterans Marvin Farris and Ted Torosian, Custom Produce Sales started as a small service-oriented distribution company specializing in consolidation for the foodservice industry. Today, the company has grown into a premier wholesale distributor that is still run by Marvin Farris, who has spent almost 40 years in the industry. Custom Produce Sales has impressive cutting-edge warehouse facilities that span over 200,000 square feet in space, including a spacious 10,000 square feet repacking room that gives the company the ability to provide premium services such as private brand labeling, special packs, barcode lot identification, product split packs, and advanced tracking. Their state-of-the-art facilities and exclusive relationships with growers enable them to offer nearly year-round access to high demand products such as warm-season vegetables, melons, citrus, grapes, and tree fruit. Custom Produce Sales also sells a significant volume of organic fruits and vegetables and runs several private labels, including Fat Boy and Sweet Talkin’. Furthermore, Custom Produce Sales is committed to maintaining the highest food safety standards, having received a near-perfect 99% audit score from PrimusGFS as well as USDA GAP certification. After the acquisition, the business will continue to be managed by its current experienced and mission-driven leadership team.

“Though we started from humble beginnings, we have always taken pride in working hard and satisfying our customers’ needs. For over three decades, we have built a strong reputation as a business that provides the highest quality produce, offers exceptional customer service, and holds a deep commitment to supporting the produce industry. We are excited to join the GrubMarket team, who shares our ‘one-stop/one-pick’ philosophy and cares as much as we do about cultivating strong and lasting relationships with both growers and customers. We are also keen on leveraging GrubMarket’s impressive ecosystem of businesses and accessing their technological capabilities, to continue bringing more high quality produce to GrubMarket’s end customers,” said Marvin Farris, founder of Custom Produce Sales.

According to Mike Xu, CEO of GrubMarket: “Marvin and his team have built Custom Produce Sales into a highly regarded fresh produce business that is loved by their growers and customers alike. Many of their major customers have been with them since the 1980s and 90s, which is a testament to their strong business fundamentals and service-oriented approach to success. The company has also seen double-digit year-over-year revenue growth while maintaining a sterling reputation for food safety, having received several top industry certifications. This acquisition enables GrubMarket to strengthen our position in the global food supply chain, by offering more in-demand products 365 days a year and expanding our portfolio of high-value organic produce offerings. We are thrilled to welcome the Custom Produce Sales team to the GrubMarket family.”

As a part of GrubMarket’s portfolio, Custom Produce Sales will now utilize GrubMarket’s innovative and proprietary WholesaleWare software suite, the company’s software-as-a-service platform that provides food industry wholesalers and distributors with seamless financial management, powerful sales and online ordering features, precise inventory management, lot traceability, grower accounting, and automated routing and logistics, as well as Orders IO, GrubMarket’s custom branded mobile eCommerce solution.

About GrubMarket

Founded in 2014, GrubMarket is a San Francisco-based food technology company operating in the space of food supply chain eCommerce for both business customers and end consumers, as well as providing related software-as-a-service solutions to digitally transform the American and global food supply chain. Currently, GrubMarket operates in all 50 U.S. States; Ontario and British Columbia (Canada); Argentina, Chile, and Colombia (South America); India, Mexico, South Africa, and Spain, with plans to expand to the rest of the U.S., Canada, South America, and other parts of the world.

For Media Inquiries:

GrubMarket Media Team
[email protected]
(415) 986-0523

GrubMarket Inc.
1925 Jerrold Ave.
San Francisco, CA, 94124

SOURCE GrubMarket

Funding will support significant expansion for electronic trading solution provider

NEW YORK, March 8, 2023 — MultiLynq, a leading provider of electronic fixed income trading connectivity and integration solutions, has secured growth funding from Citadel Securities and Jane Street Capital, two of the world’s leading market makers.

The investment will allow MultiLynq to enhance the depth and range of services it provides to clients. Both Citadel Securities and Jane Street are current and active users of MultiLynq’s solutions and leaders in deploying cutting-edge technology for the benefit of their clients.

“By offering a single API to the most important trading venues, MultiLynq’s technology removes complexity and barriers to entry while providing us with smarter, more efficient access to electronic fixed income markets,” said Troy Kane, Global Head of Derivatives and FICC Development at Citadel Securities.

“We’re investing in MultiLynq because we’ve seen firsthand that their solutions have the potential to greatly streamline electronic trading,” said Matt Berger, Global Head of Fixed Income at Jane Street. “We look forward to growing alongside them, as their purpose-built fixed income offering uniquely positions them in this rapidly expanding industry.”

Citadel Securities and Jane Street are renowned financial services firms with track records of supporting emerging technology in fixed income.

“We’re incredibly grateful to have Citadel Securities and Jane Street as clients and now as investors,” said MultiLynq Co-Founders Patrick Scheideler and Scott Collins. “Their support will allow us to expand the reach of our clients and empower the broader fixed income community.”

MultiLynq is the only comprehensive service across the credit and municipal markets, providing solutions for any firm trading fixed income electronically, from broker-dealers to hedge funds and asset managers. MultiLynq expects to rapidly expand its presence across the trading community over the next few years as demand for advanced e-trading solutions accelerates.

About MultiLynq
MultiLynq is transforming and simplifying electronic trading by providing fixed income market participants access to more liquidity and transparency than ever before. Founded by a team of seasoned fixed income veterans, MultiLynq has developed a smarter, more efficient way to electronically trade fixed income. The Company provides some of the largest trading firms harmonized access to the US trading venues using a high-performance API supporting every trading protocol. MultiLynq is grounded by elite industry expertise and fast, flexible technology that is prepared to meet the demands of today’s evolving fixed income markets. Learn more about MultiLynq at www.multilynq.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

SOURCE MultiLynq

Series B investment will enable Revelstoke to enhance its Next Level SOAR platform, expand its team and position to meet aggressive market demand

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 8, 2023 — Revelstoke Security, (Revelstoke) creators of the first Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) platform built on a Unified Data Layer, announced that it has closed $20 million in Series B funding. The round was co-led by SYN Ventures and ClearSky Security, with contributions from Rally Ventures, and Crosslink Capital. Patrick Heim of SYN Ventures will join Revelstoke’s Board of Directors.

Revelstoke is the first cybersecurity automation company to build a SOAR solution using a common data language – the Unified Data Layer – which acts like a Rosetta Stone, enabling disparate data and systems to seamlessly integrate. This allows for faster, smarter, more efficient security operations, so that organizations can more effectively defend against cyber threats.

The investment comes at a time of rapid growth for Revelstoke. In the company’s first year, it has added a host of key enterprise customers including leading global financial services organizations, manufacturers, educational institutions, technology companies and managed services providers.

“With Revelstoke, we rethought security automation from the ground up to create the first next level SOAR platform,” stated Bob Kruse, Revelstoke CEO and Co-Founder. “It’s low code, high speed, and thanks to the Unified Data Layer you can integrate anything. That means analysts can automate everything, and finally focus on protecting their organizations from threats, instead of writing code. And, because we have case management built in, incident response is seamless, and organizations can easily prove compliance as new regulations emerge.”

“It’s self-evident that reliance on manual processes in the SOC is both unsustainable and increasingly ineffective. The first generation of SOAR products validated the demand for automation but were unfortunately difficult to implement as well as maintain. Analysts are ready for a next generation SOAR product, one that enables the quick implementation of ‘out of the box’ playbooks and workflows. Revelstoke is that product,” stated Patrick Heim, SYN Ventures Managing Partner. “It’s simple and intuitive on the front end with no-code playbooks and a sophisticated abstraction layer that frees playbook logic from being bound to specific tools. We believe Revelstoke is poised for significant growth.”

The $20M investment will enable Revelstoke to expand and enhance its Next Level SOAR platform, increase the number of out-of-the-box integrations, expand its team and deepen its presence to support global enterprises. In addition, Revelstoke will expand its channel partner program, building strong relationships with other leading security product companies and managed services providers.

About Revelstoke

Revelstoke is the only next-level Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) platform built on a Unified Data Layer that offers no-code automation and low-code customization. Revelstoke empowers CISOs and security analysts to automate analysis, eliminate software development needs, optimize workflows, prevent vendor lock, scale processes, and secure the enterprise. Learn more at www.revelstoke.io.

About SYN Ventures

SYN Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in disruptive, transformational solutions that reduce technology risk. Led by former CISOs of Fortune 500 companies and former executives of prominent cybersecurity companies, SYN manages $500m of AUM and it backs entrepreneurs operating in cybersecurity, industrial security, privacy, data governance and regulatory compliance. The firm’s dedicated security team has a proven track record with over 100 years of security investing and operational expertise.

About ClearSky

ClearSky is a venture capital/growth equity group that invests in innovative companies, with a special focus on (i) disruptive solutions for cybersecurity in information technology, industrial and critical infrastructure, and the defense industry, (ii) technologies driving the energy transition, climate related technologies, and sustainability, and (iii) the digital transformation of enterprise customers’ operations and communications.

SOURCE Revelstoke

Climatetech angel investor community activity grows 162% year-over-year and increases membership driven by rising interest in climate action, impact and returns

SEATTLE, March 8, 2023 — E8, an angel investor community specializing in early stage climatetech enterprises for both profit and ecological sustainability, announced 2022 investment activity of $8.79 million in 34 companies. Angel investments play a crucial role in allowing innovation to reach the market and achieve early growth, and over time these early investments have sparked more than $1.5B in follow-on funding by later stage and corporate investors. E8’s national and international membership has grown to more than 140 families and funds.

Since 2006, E8 has offered accredited investors access to emerging enterprises which share the group’s mission to accelerate the transition to a prosperous and sustainable world. Through investment pitches, collective due diligence and learning opportunities, E8’s network brings together interest, passion and expertise from across the US and internationally.

Several factors have driven E8’s record growth. Favorable policies and stimulus from the Inflation Reduction Act and at the state level are accelerating the adoption of decarbonizing technologies, from electric vehicles to heat pumps and hydrogen.

E8’s investment platform itself has also grown, making it easier for families and funds to invest in the climatetech deals they love. Further enhancing E8’s strong, collective due diligence process and analysis is an annual priority, supported by members and Fellows from the University of Washington and Washington State University. E8 also makes complementary investment options accessible, including using philanthropic capital to invest in these vital, cutting-edge technologies.

Most importantly, E8’s activity is powered by the passions and acumen of its members, who share the goal of both accelerating climatetech’s systemic impact and participating in the financial upside as the world’s economy transitions to new technologies.

“This is an extraordinary moment for climatetech and E8 is an extraordinary community for meeting it,” said KD Hallman, Co-chair of the Board. “E8 gives investors, philanthropists and others a very unique and rewarding way to participate personally in the special opportunities of today. Everyone shares a love for climate action, entrepreneurship and technology, and we find a lot of fun and inspiration as well as deals together.”

E8 also welcomed the Microsoft Corporation and J.P. Morgan Private Bank as sponsors. As CJ Voss, partner at longtime sponsor K&L Gates noted, “We have a shared interest and urgency in supporting game-changing innovation and scale in climatetech. E8 fills a clear niche for investors, giving them access to great deals and a chance to roll up their sleeves and learn and invest together. We’ve been partners since the beginning, lending our expertise to both investors and entrepreneurs.”

Highlights for the year include:

• 2022 investments of $8.79M in 26 companies: E8 members make direct investment in enterprises, as well as using other vehicles where useful such as special purpose vehicles.  The largest investments included UrbanX, Steelhead Composites, UbiQD, NVirovate and Recurrent.  Others include EnZinc, Clean Fiber, Embue, Global Neighbor, Terra.do, Symbrosia, PittMoss, Beta Hatch, Columbia Power Technology, Active Energy Systems, Noteworthy.ai, Clean Crop Technologies, C-Motive, Climate Robotics, Blue Ocean Gear, QD Solar, 60 Hertz, Rebellyous, Xeal, GroGuru, Pure Watercraft, ChargerHelp!, GoPowerEV, Tidal Vision, Harvest Thermal, Zilaworks, Spark Charge, Atmos and Vartega.
• Cumulative E8 community investments reach $57.3M: E8, previously named Element 8 and Northwest Energy Angels, estimates its total investment since 2006 at $57.3M. Investment numbers are self-reported by E8 members and likely doesn’t capture all activity.
• Supplementing direct investment with new funds and vehicles that make it easier for climatetech investors to participate. E8’s direct investment by members is supplemented by its annual Decarbon8 effort, which is both a thematic summer deal competition and a fund for investing in those companies easily with donor advised funds and other philanthropic capital.  The 2022 round, focused on agriculture, will be followed by this year’s theme, “the built environment.” Further, the affiliated E8 Ventures is nearing the first close of a venture fund that will further support E8 members and entrepreneurs; please inquire to learn more.
• Partners and the expansion of E8’s community and capacity: E8 is honored to support more than 140 member families, funds and companies, with high member satisfaction and growth in 2022. The E8 community would not be possible without the support of its sponsors: Microsoft, J.P. Morgan Private Bank, University of Washington’s Clean Energy Institute, Washington State University, K&L Gates, VertueLab, Craft3, Global Sustainable Future, the Cleantech Alliance and North Coast Digital. Additional support is provided by the Stolte Family Foundation.

About E8

E8 is an international, Seattle-based community whose mission is to accelerate the transition to a prosperous and cleaner world by investing in and fostering emerging cleantech enterprises. Our flexible, investor-centric platform supports different types of investors and asset classes, including direct angel for-profit investing, pooled investing in expertly managed VC funds such as E8 Ventures, donor advised fund impact investments, and a philanthropic fund for accelerating decarbonization. E8’s community and offerings are driven by a belief in the power of innovative enterprises and technologies to scale both positive returns and impact. (www.E8angels.com)

Media Contact
Dana Robinson, Board of Directors
[email protected]
2063958357

SOURCE E8