Family-owned SixSibs Capital provides funding to meet the need for innovative talent during pivotal time in industry

FORT LEE, N.J. and LONDON, March 5, 2024 — Stevenson Search Partners, a global life sciences executive search firm, announced today that it received a significant long-term investment from SixSibs Capital, a Milwaukee-based family-owned private investment company, to advance its expansion into a total talent solution company for the global life sciences market.

Stevenson Search Partners is an established and trusted executive search advisor servicing the global biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical technology, contract research organization (CRO) and contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) sectors.

“Stevenson’s long-term focus on quality, culture, diversity and partnership has been our driving force in providing leading-edge talent and services to our partners across the globe,” said Adam Bloom, President, Stevenson Search Partners. “We are thrilled with the opportunity to build on our foundation and grow our business with the support and collaboration of SixSibs Capital. Our ability to scale our capabilities is an important next step in our commitment to supporting the remarkable life science professionals who are dedicated to advancing medicines and improving lives.”

This new partnership comes during an important time as the life sciences industry faces an emergence of tech bio, precision medicine and digital developments with a rising demand for advancements in science technology and biopharma innovation. This increased need coupled with an aging population and a shortage of innovative, experienced life science executives is propelling the urgency to find and develop the best and brightest leaders.

“Our investment in Stevenson is timely and strategic, driven by the pressing call for innovation in the biopharma industry,” said SixSibs Capital President and CEO Jack Wigdale. “With long-term healthcare spending on the rise and a need for skilled human resources, Stevenson’s expertise in life sciences talent acquisition, combined with their deep network, positions them perfectly to meet this challenge. By providing additional investment in its people, process and technology, we aim to accelerate Stevenson’s growth in executive search, empowering them to leverage advancements and meet the evolving needs of the industry.”

With this investment and momentum, Stevenson Search Partners is positioned to grow in the U.S., United Kingdom and Europe. While maintaining its core values, the company aims to expand its services in talent development to continue to foster innovation and growth in the life sciences sector. 

About Stevenson Search Partners
With more 40 years of experience, Stevenson Search Partners is a trusted executive search advisor servicing the global biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical technology, health technology and CRO/CDMO sectors, with offices in the U.S. and the U.K. Dedicated to finding executive talent who will drive innovation across the life sciences industry, Stevenson’s expertise includes C-Suite, Research, Clinical, Development, Commercial Manufacturing and Corporate functions, and working with companies ranging from start-ups and academic spinouts to large pharma clients. Stevenson provides a unique collaborative, long-term approach to its clients with a global network and strategic talent mapping and pipelining, and competitive analysis services. Stevenson Search Partners is committed to actively supporting, strengthening and promoting diversity — to its clients, in its own organization, and across the life sciences ecosystem. For more information, visit stevensonsearch.com.

About SixSibs Capital
SixSibs Capital is a family-owned private investment company based in Milwaukee, WI. SixSibs focuses on buy-and-hold investment opportunities, leveraging its patient capital base to partner with management teams to execute their long-term growth plans. The team manages a diverse portfolio, including Private Equity, Venture Capital and Real Estate investments, to create long-term value for its investors and management teams.

Media Contact:
Robin Traum
[email protected]

SOURCE Stevenson Search Partners

“We are deeply appreciative of the trust and support received from such a high–quality investor base. We’re particularly proud that the vast majority of our long-term Limited Partners re-upped with us and were joined by a who’s who of new LPs,” said Carter Weiss, Partner of Silas Capital.

With Fund II, Silas Capital will continue to focus on $3 million to $15+ million investments in high-growth, and typically profitable, consumer brands between $5 million and $50+ million in revenue. This “emerging growth” strategy resides uniquely between venture capital and private equity, which has proven to be an ever-inefficient segment of the market within the consumer space.

Brian Thorne, Partner, said, “Frank, Carter and I have unique, complementary backgrounds that together bring expertise across e-commerce, wholesale, and retail that differentiates our partnership. We’ve seen great success focusing on brands with distinctive propositions, authentic founder stories and unfair advantages that allow for more efficient customer acquisition – especially when across an omni-channel distribution strategy.”

Drawing upon its extensive experience as an active, lead investor in minority transactions, and as former entrepreneurs themselves, the Silas team helps stand-out brands accelerate growth, execute operationally and recruit talent. This fund will continue to attract unique and proprietary investments in beauty, personal care, wellness, apparel, home, and food & beverage… Silas Capital portfolio companies include ILIA Beauty (sold to Famille C), Boll & Branch (sold to L Catterton), Lord Jones (sold to Cronos), Bare Snacks (sold to PepsiCo), Makeup by Mario, Hello Cake, Vacation, Wonderbelly, Sakara Life, Bellroy, HATCH, Herbivore Botanicals and many others.

“In addition to our extensive network to support our portfolio, what sets Silas Capital apart is our deep consumer expertise and a record of successfully investing across multiple economic cycles,” said Frank Lin, Partner. “Many of the shifting consumer behaviors we’ve seen through the pandemic will continue to endure, including the convergence of e-commerce with physical retail, growth in health and wellness, and conscious consumption.”

Morrison Cohen serves as legal counsel for the Fund. Silas Capital did not use a placement agent.

About Silas Capital:

We’ve been there too — Silas Capital is a consumer growth equity and venture capital firm formed in 2012 by founders and principal investors with a long record of success across e-commerce, wholesale, and retail.

The firm’s flagship funds, Silas Capital I & II, specialize in partnering with growth stage consumer businesses between $5 and $50+ million in revenue that are capital efficient and on a clear path to profitably as lead investor with check sizes of $3 to $15+ million. Silas is one of the few experienced firms specializing in “emerging” growth stage consumer businesses, having pioneered the segment.

Additionally, Silas looks to invest up to 10% of its capital into seed and early-stage brands with smaller passive checks under $500K through Silas Ventures, the firm’s early-stage venture platform comprised of two micro funds, Silas Ventures I & II.

For more information visit www.silascapital.com

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Silas Capital
Frank Lin
info@silascapital.com

SOURCE Silas Capital

GP Investment Represents Daraja’s First Following Launch of Seeding Platform in 2023

NEW YORK, March 5, 2024 — Daraja Capital (“Daraja”), an investment and advisory firm providing seed capital to new, diversely owned, private fund managers and independent sponsors, today announced that it has made a strategic investment in Serac Ventures (“Serac”), an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in U.S.-based technology companies. This transaction will provide Serac with the capital to launch its first fund vehicle and accelerate the firm’s growth.

Serac is led by Kevin Moore, who serves as the Founder and General Partner. Based in Oklahoma City, Serac plans to invest in the future of work (SaaS), financial services (fintech) and commerce enablement sectors within the technology industry. Daraja will provide strategic capital and counsel to Serac while ensuring support across business leadership and management, branding and marketing, team development and operations.

The investment is Daraja’s first GP investment since launching its seeding platform in 2023 and is reflective of the firm’s mission to bridge the gaps in capital and connections that exist for diverse entrepreneurs and fund managers raising funds for the first time.

“Our decision to invest in a strategic partnership with Serac is multifaceted. Kevin embodies the qualities we seek in a general partner – he is a person of integrity, possesses a distinctive perspective, has a strong conviction in and passion for his markets and has a long-term orientation,” said Raudline Etienne, Founder and CEO of Daraja Capital. “His investment thesis and vision for leading his firm are compelling, and our partnership enables us to position Serac for accelerated growth at a pivotal moment in venture investing.”

“Working with Daraja Capital provides Serac Ventures with a high degree of credibility in the marketplace that would ordinarily take years to build,” said Kevin Moore, Founder and Managing Partner of Serac. “Raudline brings a wealth of investment experience and connections in the private markets industry, and we are super excited to start our partnership with her and the entire Daraja team.”

Moore has 18 years of experience in finance and private market investing. Prior to Serac, Moore was a Partner at Spur Capital Partners where he led investments in top-tier, early-stage technology and life science venture capital fund managers and select co-investment/direct investments. He also served on the investment committee, where he led (or co-led) the deployment of $129 million in investment commitments. Prior to Spur, Moore was the Director of Angel Investments and Venture Advisor at i2E, a seed-stage investment firm, where he sourced and led investments in early-stage companies in the biotech, materials, consumer, and SaaS sectors. He has served on the advisory boards of prominent venture capital funds, and successfully raised capital from institutional investors globally.

About Daraja Capital
Daraja Capital is a private investment and advisory firm providing seed capital to new, diversely owned, private fund managers and independent sponsors. Launched in 2023 by Raudline Etienne, Daraja focuses on bridging access and knowledge gaps and celebrating the brilliance, creativity and talent that is often overlooked across private markets. Daraja aims to provide flexible capital and takes a bespoke, aligned partnership approach to driving successful outcomes for its managers and investors. To learn more, visit: www.darajacapital.com.

About Serac Ventures
Serac Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm backing founders building the next generation of global technology companies. Serac targets companies at the seed stage, generally writing checks between $500K – $750K. Core verticals include fintech, SaaS, commerce enablement, and emerging sectors like the future of work and the creator economy. Learn more at www.seracventures.vc.

Media Contacts:
Prosek Partners 
Pro-DarajaCapital@prosek.com 

SOURCE Daraja Capital

With this Series C funding, Overjet will expand its AI platform
to create the first unified standard for dental providers and payers — allowing them
to give patients the best possible care.

BOSTON, March 5, 2024 — Overjet, the world-leader in dental AI, today announced a $53.2 million Series C round: the largest investment ever in artificial intelligence for dentistry. The historic round was led by March Capital, with participation from General Catalyst, Insight Partners, E14 Fund, Crosslink Capital, Spring Rock Capital, Liquid 2 Ventures, and Harmonic Growth Partners, as well as the American Dental Association. It brings Overjet’s total funding to approximately $133 million, and increases the company’s valuation to $550 million.

This funding will fuel Overjet’s mission to make dentistry patient-centric — by providing dental professionals with the AI tools they need to operate efficiently and give patients exceptional care. Founded in 2018, Overjet has already raised the standard for diagnosing diseases in X-rays, educating patients about their oral health, and reviewing dental insurance claims. Its platform is the only technology cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to detect, outline, and quantify instances of oral disease, with millimeter-level precision.

“I founded Overjet to elevate the standard of care in dentistry and enhance patient outcomes through AI,” said Wardah Inam, Overjet’s CEO. “Overjet’s platform empowers dental organizations by enabling precise clinical decisions, enhancing patient communication, and reducing administrative overhead. This funding will help us further accelerate our mission to improve patient outcomes — by making dental AI ubiquitous.”

This Series C funding follows a period of rapid growth for Overjet’s business. The company now serves thousands of dentists, across both private practices and the largest dental support organizations (DSOs) in North America. It also partners with payers that collectively cover more than 120 million members, including the majority of the 10 biggest U.S. dental insurers. Overjet’s impact has garnered recognition beyond the dental sector, including the Forbes AI 50, Fast Company‘s World’s Most Innovative Companies, and Built In’s Best Places to Work.

“At March Capital, we believe that AI has the potential to revolutionize patient care and Overjet is leading the way with its innovative solutions, starting in dental. Automating workflows for both payers and providers to improve the efficiency and quality of dental care at the forefront of the industry, Overjet has experienced explosive growth since its inception and has become the market leader in the dental AI category,” said Solomon Hailu, Partner at March Capital. “We are proud to support its mission to create a new, AI-enabled standard of care for the industry and help catalyze its continued expansion.”

Without Overjet, different experts often reach different interpretations of the same dental X-ray, which can cause communication to break down between doctors, insurers, and patients. Patients decline about 50% of treatments that dentists recommend — both because they don’t understand the diagnosis, and because they aren’t sure whether insurance will pay for it.

Now, dentists, insurers, and patients all have the same source of truth: Overjet. The company trains its advanced artificial intelligence on millions of cases, and continually verifies its accuracy with a team of top clinical specialists. Across multiple FDA studies, almost every general dentist was more accurate in detecting cavities and calculus when using Overjet.

“Overjet’s AI is already a game-changer from a clinical perspective,” said Mark Sivers, DMD, Chief Clinical Officer at Aligned Dental Partners. “What really excites me is Overjet’s ability to create a common language between providers and payers, so our business can move much faster. We’ve seen our average reimbursement period drop dramatically, and that’s just the beginning of what AI can do.”

Overjet has become an essential tool for clinicians, dental executives, administrators, and insurers. Trained professionals use Overjet to diagnose, recommend care, review claims, and efficiently run their businesses. Its AI serves to augment human judgment — not replace it. All treatment and benefits decisions continue to be made by accredited professionals.

With the Series C funding, Overjet will continue to build first-to-market AI capabilities that eliminate friction and uncertainty for patients, at every step. Ultimately, it will establish the first unified standard that connects the entire dental care ecosystem, from providers to payers to dental schools.

To fuel Overjet’s continued growth, the company has added several key go-to-market executive leaders, supplementing its already best-in-class clinical and technology teams. These include Mike Lemire, VP of Customer Success for Practice, Mario Paganini, SVP of Marketing, and most recently, Matthew Ewing, SVP of Revenue.

“Our platform is already trusted throughout the dental sector,” Inam said. “The next step is to seamlessly connect the process of diagnosing and treating pathologies with the process of reviewing and approving claims. Soon, doctors and patients will be able to get benefits decisions in real time — while insurers will be able to dramatically improve their member experience. The promise of AI is to be a true operating system that lets every dental organization put patients first.”

About Overjet
Overjet is the world-leader in dental AI. Founded by experts from MIT and Harvard University, Overjet builds artificial intelligence that helps dental organizations give patients the highest quality of care. Our FDA-cleared technology is the first objective standard for making oral health decisions — so that dentists can detect pathologies with precision and educate patients with confidence. To learn more, visit: overjet.ai.

Press Contact
Logan Goldberg
Director of Communications, Overjet
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Overjet

RapidSOS’ Intelligent Safety Platform fuses artificial and human intelligence to proactively manage emergency response, save lives, and protect property

NEW YORK, March 5, 2024 — RapidSOS, the intelligent safety company, today announced an additional $75 million raise led by funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, which closes the company’s latest round at $150M. 

RapidSOS connects life-saving data from 540+ million devices in our nation’s homes, schools, trains, cars, buildings, and personal devices to 16,000+ public safety agencies and nearly 1 million first responders, leading to a faster and more accurate emergency response that saves lives and reduces the cost of recovery.

In 2023, RapidSOS’ Intelligent Safety platform processed over 3 billion data feeds used by highly trained operational teams and first responders to manage 171 million emergencies, covering over 99 percent of the US population. Over 200 companies, including leading technology, consumer, transportation, logistics, and education companies, are now part of the RapidSOS ecosystem, allowing the technology we use every day to keep us safe and secure, working in harmony with each other and first responders to protect hundreds of millions of users.

“In today’s highly complex and uncertain world, industries are spending billions of dollars in the name of safety and security. However, in the moments when it matters most, during an emergency, we still rely on a phone call to 911 for help, as much of today’s digital emergency data still isn’t available to first responders,” said Matt Singer, Managing Director at BlackRock. “RapidSOS has built a powerful and deep data platform that now makes it possible for organizations to connect and work with public safety to detect, respond to, and resolve emergencies more efficiently,” added Singer. “The value of the RapidSOS network continues to grow as more enterprises, devices, and data come together with first responders to transform emergency response.”

A Decade and Quarter Billion Invested in R&D

RapidSOS has spent over a decade and a quarter billion dollars on safety, security, and health response research and development.  Thousands of first responder agencies contributed to that work, guiding how to fuse artificial and human intelligence to manage safety and response.

Intelligence inside the RapidSOS platform supports predictive incident awareness and modeling, weapons detection, crowd estimation, geocoding services, language translation, automatic response recommendations, incident verification, and sentiment analysis.

Today, RapidSOS employees hold a cumulative 600+ years of public safety experience and train hundreds of thousands of first responders annually on how to leverage the data provided by large enterprise companies in emergency response.

“RapidSOS worked backward in the response chain, starting with 911, field responders, and healthcare providers to deeply understand how technology could change safety, security, and healthcare,” said RapidSOS Founder and CEO Michael Martin. “None of this would have been possible without the support, guidance, and co-development with thousands of public safety agencies, leading public safety software vendors, and major tech companies. I’m excited to bring BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager with $10T under management, to this mission of transforming safety and emergency response.”

Also participating in the round included NightDragon, BAM Elevate, the private investment division of Balyasny Asset Management, Manhattan Venture Partners, Acrew Capital, and Harmonic Growth Partners.

Record-Breaking Year for the Use of Data in Emergencies

2023 was a record-breaking year with over 240 million 911 calls and over 1 million emergency-related fatalities. From major weather events and natural disasters to over 630 mass shootings and increasing violent crime, RapidSOS supported tech companies and first responders in protecting an unprecedented number of people in emergencies.

On average, this life-saving work supports over 325 emergencies per minute that are being managed by the heroic work of 911 telecommunicators and responders on the RapidSOS platform. 

For more information about RapidSOS, please visit www.rapidsos.com.

About RapidSOS
RapidSOS is an intelligent safety company that harnesses artificial and human intelligence to fuse life-saving data from 540M+ connected devices, apps, and sensors from 200+ global technology companies to over 16,000 field responder agencies. Whether there’s an unsafe moment or an emergency, RapidSOS Ready devices, vehicles, homes, or buildings deliver essential data to the right place when it matters most.

Media Contact
Maria Larrazabal
Ted Miller Group for RapidSOS
M: 786-897-3259
[email protected]

SOURCE RapidSOS

SHANGHAI, March 5, 2024 — 

The9 Limited (Nasdaq: NCTY) (“The9”), an established Internet company, today announced that it signed a legally binding term sheet (the “Term Sheet”) with Shenma Limited (“Shenma”) to purchase 51% shares of Shenma by cash and issuance of The9’s restricted shares. Pursuant to the Term Sheet, The9 will pay cash consideration of US$1 million and will issue restricted Class A ordinary shares to Shenma or its shareholders with the value of US$14.3 million. The value of each share will be determined by the average closing price of The9‘s American depositary shares (“ADS”), each representing 300 Class A ordinary shares of The9, for a period of 20 trading days prior to the signing of the definitive agreement. The restricted Class A ordinary shares to be issued to Shenma will be subject to lock-up conditions and will only be released according to the following schedule: (i) when the market capitalization of The9 reaches US$200 million, 33,938,400 Class A ordinary shares (equivalent to 113,128 ADSs) of The9 will be released from the lock-up; (ii) when the market capitalization of The9 reaches US$500 million, 13,575,300 Class A ordinary shares (equivalent to 45,251 ADSs) of The9 will be released from the lock-up, and (iii) when the market capitalization of The9 reaches US$1 billion, 6,787,800 Class A Ordinary shares (equivalent to 22,626 ADSs) of The9 will be released from the lock-up. The rest of the restricted Class A ordinary shares will be released from the lock-up when Shenma completes a qualified IPO and its shares owned by The9 become freely tradable in the open market.

Shenma developed and operates Shenma.io, a leading digital human SaaS platform driven by artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC). The platform has 350,000 registered users, 150,000 short video scripts model library, 9,000 digital human creators and different brand customers. Using Shenma’s proprietary cloning technology, users can create 1:1 digital human clone character with image and voice. Together with different contents supported by AIGC, each user can manage a large number of accounts efficiently. The digital human creators using Shenma platform can monetize their products on different social platforms 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with much lower cost compared to real people. Shenma platform also offers video, audio and text automatic replies to enhance the monetization of products.

“With the continuous breakthroughs in technology, AI generates content and digital humans express content. The combination of these two new technologies will become a new form of media interaction in the future. Traditional advertising industries will be disrupted by these two new technologies and social media. We have already obtained multiple intellectual properties in China. Our proprietary digital human SaaS platform can assist our users in many application scenarios including digital human key opinion leader creation, live streaming, information flow advertising, training courses, etc. Users just need to enter text or import audio, and then we can quickly generate digital human broadcast video with precise mouth shapes and rich expressions,” said Mr. Jianjun Ma, founder of Shenma.

“While we are continuing our cryptocurrency mining business and benefiting from the recent increase in value of the 300 Bitcoins that we hold as of today, we believe AIGC will bring revolutionary changes to almost every industry. In 2023, China’s AIGC market exceeded RMB10 billion. After the proposed investment in a leading AI SaaS legal service platform 365LAWHELP.COM, this time we plan to directly acquire a leading AIGC driven digital human SaaS platform ShenMa. We will continue to participate in the explosive growth of AI application opportunities through investments and acquisitions in specific industries and markets,” said Mr. George Lai, CFO and Director of The9.

Safe Harbor Statement

This current report contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar statements. Such statements are based upon management’s current expectations and current market and operating conditions and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond The9’s control. The9 may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about The9’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: The9’s goal and strategies; The9’s expansion plans; The9’s future business development, financial condition and results of operations; The9’s expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, its products and services; The9’s expectations regarding keeping and strengthening its relationships with business partners it collaborates with; general economic and business conditions; and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in The9’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this announcement is as of the date hereof, and The9 does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

The9 Limited
17 Floor,
No. 130, Wu Song Road,
Hong Kou District,
Shanghai 200080, PRC

About The9 Limited 

The9 Limited (The9) is an Internet company listed on Nasdaq in 2004. The9 aims to become a global diversified high-tech Internet company, and is engaged in blockchain business including the operation of cryptocurrency mining. The9 is also stepping into AI application business in different industries.

SOURCE The9 Limited

New After-school and Summer Camp Programs Offer STEM, Arts, and Sports Enrichment Nationwide With New Funding

SAN FRANCISCO, March 5, 2024 — Today marks the launch of enrichment provider Brains & Motion Education (BAM!), a tech-enabled company unlocking the potential of students year-round through after-school, structured recess, and summer camp with STEM, arts, and sports programs. As the only nationwide provider with a focus on whole-child development, BAM! aims to stimulate young minds while keeping growing bodies joyfully active. 

In an ideal world, formal education inspires students and prepares them for the future in ways that build social and emotional skills, confidence, and subject matter expertise through a wide variety of hands-on, project-based activities. In reality, too much of the formal school day is boring for students due to constraints caused by standardized testing, teacher shortages, and how difficult it is for teachers to provide differentiated instruction to large groups of students. Additionally, more than 25 million students have no place to go after school and lack access to structured opportunities to develop skills outside of the school day.¹ 

“Many schools would love to teach students how to play chess, program robots, develop computational thinking skills, create sophisticated digital artwork, become strong creative writers, and provide students with meaningful exposure to artificial intelligence systems through project-based learning,” said Bart Epstein, BAM!’s CEO. “There just isn’t enough time in the school day. These types of enrichment activities can and should be available to every student, regardless of their zip code.” 

Epstein, an education industry veteran, was brought in to launch the company from the assets of an enrichment company. An entrepreneur with decades of experience, Epstein’s work has impacted over twenty million students through his leadership at companies including Tutor.com, The Jefferson Education Accelerator, The Princeton Review, ASCD, ISTE, and as the first general manager of a Department of Defense education program that supports U.S. military families worldwide. During his years as a professor at the University of Virginia School of Education, Epstein founded and ran a national nonprofit that helps schools learn how to effectively implement complex STEM programs. 

Epstein credits much of his success in life to the teachers who sparked his curiosity and confidence through an after-school aviation and rocketry enrichment program. Twenty years later, he became a commercial pilot and civilian test pilot for NASA, and then an educator and entrepreneur.

The BAM! leadership team features other executives with extensive experience driving growth, scale, and successful implementations, including COO Kristopher Kasper, CMO Christina Yu, VP of Sales Lori Todd, VP of Product Jody Nova, and CFO Jennifer Thresher.

Due in part to the success of its after-school programs, BAM! has received extraordinary interest in its summer 2024 camp programs that include RoboKids, GameCraft, and MakersQuest which reflect new career exploration curriculum and new interdisciplinary STEAM programs, including animation, game design, creative writing, and machine learning. 

For schools, offering high-quality enrichment that includes a mix of physical activity and inspirational hands-on learning addresses an array of challenges in an easy, practical, and cost-effective way. “Providing our families with access to enrichment activities after 3 pm and during dedicated break times throughout the academic day helps us with some of the biggest problems in education at a fraction of the cost of formal education and at a small percentage more than basic after-care,” said Lesem Puerto, Community School Partnership Manager at the Children’s Institute. “Students who attend inspiring project-based enrichment programs during recess and lunch, and beyond, are more engaged during the school day. That’s something that we all love to see.”

The company currently has a presence in ten key regions – notably San Francisco, San Diego, New York, Chicago, Boston, Denver, and Seattle – and intends to scale its after-school, summer camp, and structured recess programs nationwide.

BAM! is supported by institutional investors including New Markets Venture Partners, LearnStart, Sand Hill Angels, Women’s Venture Capital Fund, JFFVentures, and Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, whose collective investments in the venture now total more than $18 million.

The company’s Board includes Gerard Robinson (former Secretary of Education in Virginia and Commissioner of Education in Florida), Juan Zavala (New Markets Venture Partners), Mark Chernis (Princeton Review, SchoolNet, Pearson), and Rob Cohen (2U, Princeton Review, Oasis).

“We believe there is strong demand for BAM!’s products and are excited to support the company in driving improved academic outcomes and equitable access to enrichment beyond the school day for students across the country”, said Juan Zavala, Principal at New Markets Venture Partners, the lead investor in BAM!. “Bart and his leadership team have deep industry expertise and experience in scaling solutions for student success. Their mission is perfectly aligned with New Markets Venture Partners’ double-bottom line investment goals.”

“In after-school and summer programs, students are given the chance to discover their strengths, explore their interests, and connect the dots between disciplines in a safe, supportive, and fun environment,” said Gerard Robinson, now professor of practice at the UVA Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, and former Virginia Secretary of Education. 

About: Brains & Motion Education (BAM!) is a tech-enabled company unlocking the potential of students year-round through summer camp, after-school, and structured recess enrichment programs. By empowering the next generation with world-class STEM, Arts, and Sports programs, BAM fosters a lifelong love for learning, shaping well-rounded individuals who are not just ready for tomorrow but thriving in the present.  

Media contact: Christina Yu, [email protected]

¹ According to Afterschool Alliance

SOURCE Brains & Motion Education

ABU DHABI, UAE, March 5, 2024 — RemotePass, an HR and fintech platform that helps companies onboard, manage, pay, and retain remote workers, has secured $5.5 million in Series A funding.

The round was led by 212 VC with participation from investors in the US, Europe, and the Middle East, including Endeavor Catalyst, Khwarizmi Ventures, Oraseya Capital, Flyer One Ventures, Access Bridge Ventures, A15, and Swiss Founders Fund.

With this funding, RemotePass’s total capital raised has surpassed $10 million, adding to previous investments from BECO Capital, Wamda Capital, Plug & Play, and Flat6Labs.

“Witnessing RemotePass’s remarkable product growth and stellar customer service since early 2023 has solidified our belief in their visionary team and business model,” says Ali Hikmet Karabey, managing director at 212 VC, the round’s lead investor.

“By addressing today’s workforce challenges like talent mobility and remote work, RemotePass stands out as a key enabler,” he says. “It connects companies seeking a broader talent pool with emerging market talents who previously lacked access to global financial solutions and processes.”

Founded by Kamal Reggad and Karim Nadi, RemotePass serves a range of clients, from startups to large enterprises like Spotify, Logitech, Paymentology. It helps them onboard, manage, and pay their talent base in countries where they don’t have a local legal presence. RemotePass’s clients can hire full-time employees and contractors in over 150 countries.

“Our platform helps democratize access to global opportunities, leveling the playing field for skilled individuals and enabling them to compete in a global job marketplace,” says Kamal Reggad, CEO and co-founder at RemotePass. “This funding fuels our mission to empower countless lives and help global teams succeed.”

The RemotePass app offers access to a range of financial services and benefits tailored to the needs of remote workers, including multiple payout options, a USD debit card, as well as perks like health insurance. Apart from an end-to-end contractor management platform, RemotePass provides businesses with EoR services and relocation support.

“This oversubscribed funding round is a testament to the company’s robust financials, strong team, and high growth potential,” says Wamda Capital founder Fadi Ghandour. “What impressed us most at Wamda, and what confirmed our decision to back Reggad and his team since inception, is his entrepreneurial capability, which he demonstrated during the difficult days of the pandemic when he pivoted the company and subsequently built a great startup.”

SOURCE RemotePass

Collaboration offers innovative supplemental healthcare solutions for the evolving workforce

DENVER, March 4, 2024 — Relief for healthcare coverage challenges is coming to workers through a collaboration designed to bring innovative supplemental healthcare solutions to individuals and employers.

Three organizations are teaming up to offer affordable and flexible healthcare coverage and address workers’ evolving insurance needs: Dallas-based Hooray Health, a leading provider of innovative healthcare solutions; GigSmart, a Denver-based workforce management platform that seamlessly connects workers with businesses for short and long-term jobs across all industries; and Schaumburg, Ill.-based Zurich North America, one of the largest providers of insurance solutions and services to businesses and individuals.

The collaboration is working to address one of the top healthcare pain points forworkers: high annual deductibles for major medical coverage.

“This alliance leverages the strengths of all three organizations to develop tailored insurance solutions specifically designed for the individual worker and evolving workforce,” said Shane Foss, CEO of Hooray Health. “Too often workers only have limited options for healthcare. Our plans supplement the online exchange plans very well, giving workers access to major medical coverage at a lower price point and the ability to use Hooray Health for non-emergencies.”

“More than one million workers on the GigSmart platform will now have access to comprehensive insurance resources to help support their success and overall well-being,” said Mitch Catino, co-founder and COO at GigSmart.

The collaboration also focuses on educating workers about the value of insurance and the coverage options available to them. Dedicated customer support and educational resources will be provided to ensure workers have the information they need to make informed decisions about their healthcare coverage.

“This collaboration signifies a long-term commitment to solving the growing financial burden of healthcare for individuals,” said David Fike, Head of Life, Accident & Health for Zurich North America. “Managing medical spending and debt is a real challenge for many Americans. And it’s something that Zurich, Hooray Health, and GigSmart are passionate about solving.”

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SOURCE GigSmart