The Series B Funding brings Stoke’s Total Investment to $175 million.
Investment to Fund Further Development of its Fully Reusable Rocket and New Construction at Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla.

DALLAS, Oct. 5, 2023 — Stoke Space, the rocket company building the world’s most efficient fully and rapidly reusable rocket, announced today $100 million in new Series B investment to drive continued growth and innovation. This investment more than doubles the company’s total funding, which now sits at $175 million. The company also announced the official name of its first rocket: Nova.

The funding round was led by Industrious Ventures with participation from the University of Michigan, Sparta Group, Long Journey, and others. Existing investors Breakthrough Energy, YCombinator, Point72 Ventures, NFX, MaC Ventures, Toyota Ventures, and In-Q-Tel also participated. This latest funding round is evidence of strong demand for Stoke’s services, its growing success, and the confidence of investors in its future. As part of this round of fundraising Steve Angel, Chairman of the Board, Linde plc, will join Stoke’s Board of Directors. Angel is also the former CEO of Linde and a member of the Board of Directors of GE.  “Stoke Space has a track record that speaks for itself,” Angel said. “I look forward to working alongside the team in order to support the development of a new space economy.”

Stoke intends to use the funding to finance the development of its first stage rocket engine and structure, the orbital version of its reusable second stage, and new construction at the historic Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla. Launch Complex 14 is most well known as the launch site of NASA’s Mercury-Atlas 6 flight in 1962, piloted by NASA Astronaut John Glenn as part of NASA’s Project Mercury. Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth. Stoke has been granted dedicated use of Launch Complex 14 by the US Space Force for its orbital flights.

“With our unique second stage design, our team at Stoke is attempting to build the most robust fully reusable rocket in the world – one that turns around in 24 hours throughout a long service life,” said Andy Lapsa, CEO and Co-Founder, Stoke Space. “This new round of funding is a huge vote of confidence in our team and the progress we’ve made,” Lapsa added. “We will now continue moving through our development program by increasing focus on our reusable first stage.”

In addition to announcing new funding in Stoke, Lapsa revealed the name of the company’s rocket: Nova. The term “nova” refers to an astronomical event in which a new star is born from the combination of remnants of old stars, “Our vehicle designs build on the ideas and achievements of prior generations. The name Nova is a way to honor that past heritage while looking ahead to a very exciting future,” Lapsa explained.

Lapsa made today’s announcements during remarks delivered at the UP.Summit in Dallas, an invitation-only gathering of 250 of the world’s most innovative minds rethinking the future of transportation. Investors in attendance represent over $1T worth of investable capital.

The investment comes on the heels of the company’s successful vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL) developmental test flight of its reusable second stage conducted Sept. 17 at Stoke’s testing facility in Moses Lake, Wash. The test successfully demonstrated Stoke’s novel hydrogen/oxygen engine, regeneratively cooled heat shield, and differential throttle thrust vector control system, as well as its avionics, software, and ground systems.

About Stoke Space

Stoke is scaling the space economy by providing low-cost, on-demand transport to, through, and from space. It’s developing fully and rapidly reusable rockets and space vehicles designed to operate with aircraft-like frequency. Stoke’s technology development has been funded by the U.S. Space Force, NASA, the National Science Foundation, and other government and private partners.

About UP.Summit

UP.Summit is an annual, invitation-only gathering of the world’s most innovative minds rethinking the future of transportation. Some of the most impactful investors, entrepreneurs, and leaders in policy, defense, transportation and mobility companies gather at the summit each year with the goal of moving people and goods in cleaner, faster, safer, and at lower-cost ways – on the ground, in the air, on the sea, and in space. UP.Summit was founded in 2017 and is jointly organized by UP.Partners, Tom and Steuart Walton, and Ross Perot Jr.

SOURCE Stoke Space Technologies, Inc.

Raises $4 Million in New Equity Funding

ALBSTADT, Germany, Oct. 5, 2023 — Inovedis GmbH, a medical technology start-up dedicated to offering innovative solutions that contribute both to optimized patient care as well as minimizing the complexity of surgical interventions, announced the successful close of a Series A funding round totaling $4 million. This funding was supported by participation from all of Inovedis’s initial seed round investors including High-Tech Gründerfonds, MBG Mittelständische Beteiligungsgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg, Volksbank Albstadt ChancenKapital, Start-UP BW Innovation Fonds, angel investors, and an initial investment by Renolit SE, the current manufacturer of the SINEFIX implant.   

Inovedis will use the recent funding to support the commercial launch of the SINEFIX® implant system in the United States where there are over 1 million rotator cuff surgeries each year. The funding will also go towards sponsoring a clinical study taking place in Germany to generate data needed in support of CE marking and expansion of sales into Europe.

SINEFIX allows refixation of the rotator cuff tendon to bone with a simplified surgical technique optimized for minimally invasive surgery. The new technique requires minimal instrumentation, and removes the complexity of suture management and knot tying which is time-consuming, and requires an extensive range of instruments.

According to Prof. Dr. Philip Kasten, orthopedic surgeon and lead investigator in the SINEFIX CE mark clinical study, “Approximately 70% of all patients have a partial thickness rotator cuff tear, while only 28% have a full thickness tear. SINEFIX offers an effective treatment solution for small and partial thickness tears. In contrast to current treatment options, there is no need to detach the tendon completely prior to reattachment and fills an important gap in treating rotator cuff patients.”

“The SINEFIX surgical technique will shorten the procedure time and potentially improve the tendon to bone fixation while using less implants,” says Dr. Stefan Welte, inventor of SINEFIX and co-founder. “This is due to the higher pull-out forces than double row fixation with suture anchors allowing the implant to be used in porous bones. This simplified technique is designed to reduce the risk of complications due to surgical errors and significantly shortens surgery time, contributing to time and cost savings in clinical surgeries.”

“The new funding brings significant financial capital to accelerate the launch of SINEFIX and innovations that promote improvements in the way rotator cuff tears are treated today,” says Lukas Flöss, Founder and CEO. “We are looking forward to starting a limited market release in the U.S. to begin gathering experience around SINEFIX and working on future product generations.”

ABOUT INOVEDIS

Inovedis GmbH is a medical technology start-up dedicated to offering innovative solutions that contribute both to optimized patient care as well as minimizing the complexity of surgical interventions.  Since its founding in 2019, Inovedis has been developing SINEFIX™ to simplify rotator cuff tear surgery and improve patient outcomes. SINEFIX received FDA clearance in 2023.

SINEFIX is not approved for sale outside the U.S.

To learn more, visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Lukas Flöss, Founder and CEO
[email protected]
Phone: +49 (0) 7432 – 13099 20

Logo –  https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2148161/4324657/Inovedis_GmbH_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Inovedis GmbH

HOUSTON, Oct. 5, 2023 — Konect.ai, a pioneering SaaS company at the forefront of conversational AI technology for the automotive retail industry, is thrilled to announce a $5.5 million seed investment from Silverton Partners, a prominent venture capital firm based in Austin, Texas. This investment will fuel Konect.ai’s mission to transform the way auto dealerships and auto tech companies engage with their customers through advanced AI-driven communication.

This investment marks a significant milestone for Konect.ai, enabling the company to further its mission of revolutionizing the way auto dealerships and auto tech companies interact with their customers. With features like acquisition lead management, outbound SMS campaigns, and after-hours support, Konect.ai is committed to enhancing the customer experience and helping clients achieve their sales goals.

Cole Kutschinski, President/CEO of Konect.ai, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “This investment from Silverton Partners is a strong validation of our vision and the hard work of our talented team. With this support, we are poised to accelerate our growth and continue to innovate, bringing the most advanced conversational AI products to the automotive retail industry.”

Rob Taylor, Operating Partner at Silverton Partners, also shared his thoughts on the investment, saying, “We at Silverton are excited to partner with and support the Konect.ai team as they accelerate their growth. We were drawn not just to the incredible business they have already built, but also to their forward vision of utilizing machine intelligence innovation to create delightful experiences for all parties across the automotive retail ecosystem.”

The funds raised will be used to expand Konect.ai’s product offerings, enhance research and development, and grow the company’s presence in key markets. This investment solidifies Konect.ai’s position as a leader in the automotive retail technology sector and sets the stage for continued success.

For more information about Konect.ai and its innovative solutions, please visit www.konect.ai.

About Konect.ai

Konect.ai, a forward-thinking SaaS provider, provides an AI-powered communication platform tailored for the automotive retail sector. Utilizing advanced natural language processing, Konect.ai significantly boosts contact rates with automotive customers via immediate lead responses, persistent follow-ups, and 24/7 appointment scheduling. Aimed at elevating the customer experience and aiding clients in meeting sales targets, Konect.ai features include adept inbound lead engagement, targeted outbound SMS campaigns, and reliable after-hours support, setting a new benchmark in automotive client interactions.

About Silverton Partners

Silverton Partners invests in entrepreneurs who are dedicated to tackling growth markets and building lasting companies. In partnering with Silverton, companies benefit from its vast network and expertise from decades of growing and investing in successful businesses. Silverton Partners is based in Austin, TX, and was the initial institutional investor for AlertMedia, Apprentice, Billie, Convio, SailPoint, Silicon Labs, Storable, Self Financial, SpyCloud, TrendKite, TurnKey Vacation Rentals, Wheel, WP Engine and The Zebra among others. Silverton Partners is Texas’s most active early-stage investment group with seven funds and over $668 million assets under management.

Media Contact:
Laurie Halter
Charisma! Communications
503-816-2474
[email protected]

SOURCE Konect.ai

Velostics’ cloud based solution helps shippers reduce costs and increase efficiency

HOUSTON, Oct. 5, 2023 — Velostics, Inc., a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company specializing in unified scheduling, has announced it raised $1.95 million in a seed+ round to expand its platform and reach even further with shippers across the supply chain. The company defines unified scheduling as the orchestration of inbound and outbound truck scheduling for shippers across their supply chain from vendors to end customers.

Unified scheduling is important as research shows manual scheduling costs brokers up to $15 per shipment and shippers up to $50,000 per facility due to detention costs, labor inefficiencies, and increased freight costs. There are 800 million shipments nationwide – most are scheduled manually. 

Gaurav Khandelwal, Founder and CEO of Velostics said: “Scheduling is a major headache for all parties focused on reducing cost and delivering on high customer expectations – our solution is designed to go live in 1 day with no apps required”. He further added they are excited about partnering with carriers, brokers and freight forwarders providing them unified inbound/outbound scheduling from manufacturing floor to distribution center through final warehouse for all parties involved.

Mark Barineau, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Starboard Star Venture Capital said: “We are delighted with the continued success Velostics has shown in terms of growth and the impact it is having on its existing client base”.

The round was led by current investors Starboard Star with participation from Flyover Capital, Small Ventures USA and new investor Capital Mazapil. Velostics will use these funds to grow their network of shippers and their brokers, freight forwarders and 3PL providers.

Keith Molzer, founding partner at Flyover Capital added, “At a time where costs are increasing, Velostics has a proven solution that brings real cost savings and more importantly, increased capacity to manufacturing facilities, warehouses and fuel terminals.”

To learn more, visit www.velostics.com.

About Velostics
Velostics is a logistics Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company specializing in unified scheduling of appointments, dock and yard management and digitizing the gate in/out process for shippers, brokers, freight forwarders and end customers. Their platform automates communication between carriers and shippers’ warehouse and plant systems and logistics teams to schedule, check-in, and load vehicles faster and error-free. Velostics solutions have a proven track record of minimizing manual tasks, errors, delays and demurrage, and increasing operational efficiency and throughput.

CONTACT: Tara Gallagher, [email protected] 

SOURCE Velostics

“AI will have a huge impact on both our clients and the professional services industry,” said Crowe CEO Mark Baer. “Over the course of our firm’s 80-year history, we’ve proven that innovation and purpose-driven evolution are core parts of our DNA. Our legacy has been built on trust, and we’ve earned that trust by creating and finding a powerful harmony where disruptive technologies, like AI, and our traditional services intersect to reimagine and redefine how we deliver value to our clients.”

Baer added, “this is all about enhancing client value and helping our clients be future-ready as new technologies disrupt their business models.”

Throughout the intensive deep dive and market analysis program, Crowe and High Alpha Innovation will collaborate to identify and prioritize AI-enabled opportunities as well as potential risks. Given its deep industry specialization, Crowe is uniquely positioned to decipher and filter the most impactful and viable applications related to accounting and consulting services to clients in financial services and private equity. As a result of this collaboration, the firm will refine its product roadmap, including potential venture capital partners, start-up investments and alliances, and acceleration of time-to-market to get valuable tools deployed and adopted by clients.

“Joining forces with an innovator like High Alpha Innovation will allow us to quickly separate hype from real opportunities as we explore the practical applications in which we could deploy AI-enabled services in two industries where we have deep expertise and a significant footprint,” said Brenda Torres, Crowe Chief Operating Officer. “AI is a powerful tool that will impact everything we do, and we look forward to defining the ways in which we can disrupt and evolve our own business.”

Elliott Parker, CEO of High Alpha Innovation, said, “We’re excited to collaborate with Crowe, a firm that shares our enthusiasm and passion for fostering innovation. Like Crowe, we measure our results in terms of what we build and the opportunity we create. This project will focus on leveraging AI to build solutions that matter to Crowe’s clients and employees.”

About Crowe
Crowe LLP is a public accounting, consulting, and technology firm with offices around the world. Crowe uses its deep industry expertise to provide audit services to public and private entities. The firm and its subsidiaries also help clients make smart decisions that lead to lasting value with its tax, advisory and consulting services, helping businesses uncover hidden opportunities in the market – no matter what challenges the markets present. Crowe is recognized by many organizations as one of the best places to work in the U.S. As an independent member of Crowe Global, one of the largest global accounting networks in the world, Crowe serves clients worldwide. The network consists of more than 200 independent accounting and advisory services firms in more than 130 countries around the world.

About High Alpha Innovation
High Alpha Innovation is an Indianapolis-based venture builder that partners with corporations, universities, and world-class entrepreneurs to build advantaged startups. Its dedicated team of company builders, strategists, and designers apply a proven venture studio playbook to help the world’s leading organizations innovate through systematic startup creation. Learn about High Alpha Innovation at highalphainno.com.

SOURCE Crowe LLP

Funding round led by Town Hall Ventures

PHOENIX, Oct. 5, 2023 — Connections Health Solutions, the leading innovator in immediate-access behavioral health crisis care, today announced the closing of a $28 million growth financing raise led by Town Hall Ventures, a firm that invests in healthcare solutions for underserved communities, with participation from existing investor, Heritage Group. The Company will use the funds to accelerate new market entry, meeting community demand for value-based mental health crisis services.

“In recent years, federal, state, and local governments have committed billions of dollars to enhancing the country’s behavioral health crisis response system,” said Colin LeClair, chief executive officer at Connections Health Solutions. “Instead of the emergency department or jail serving as the only option for individuals in crisis, communities are demanding funds and focus be put toward a solution that provides immediate access to urgent and emergent mental healthcare, and providers that are prepared to take accountability for successful patient outcomes. In the communities we serve, Connections has led the transformation of the crisis care system and delivered better care, improved outcomes, and renewed hope of recovery for each person in need. We are grateful for Town Hall Ventures and Heritage Group’s partnership that will enable us to support the 20+ opportunities we are currently prioritizing and increase access to behavioral health crisis care nationwide.”

Connections is nationally recognized and sought after for its expertise in architecting and operating value-based crisis care systems. Its crisis response centers include a walk-in behavioral health urgent care, a 23-hour emergency psychiatric unit, a crisis stabilization unit, and an outpatient treatment and support program. Every Connections crisis response center accepts 100% of individuals in need of care, regardless of insurance status or acuity, with a goal to resolve and stabilize their crisis in the safest and least restrictive setting. Connections has proven that its model decreases unnecessary hospitalizations, increases access to high quality outpatient care, produces superior outcomes for patients and their families, and reduces operational and financial strain on both the healthcare and judicial systems.

“Care for individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis is a massive gap in our healthcare system,” said David Whelan, co-founder and general partner at Town Hall Ventures. “We’ve heard from a number of leaders across health plans and state and federal government that closing this gap is a near-term priority. Connections is a proven leader and we believe they will continue to shape the crisis care landscape into one that is accountable to deliver the best outcomes and the highest quality of care. We look forward to helping Colin and the Connections team expand their care model to counties across the country.”

The past 15 months have included several key milestones for the Company:

• Connections expanded its footprint beyond Arizona to Montana, serving as the mobile crisis response provider for Gallatin County.
• The Company was selected by Prince William County in Virginia to operate its crisis response center, serving both youth and adults.
• Connections announced expansion into Washington state, partnering with members of the North King County Coalition to design, build, and operate King County’s first crisis response center.
• Connections enters its 15^th year serving Arizona communities.

Connections will also use the funds to invest in the development of new services and technology that will improve access to crisis care and extend the reach of the care team once an individual’s crisis has been stabilized.

ABOUT CONNECTIONS HEALTH SOLUTIONS

For over 15 years, Connections Health Solutions has been helping communities architect and operate behavioral health crisis care systems that provide help to people when they need it most. As the leading innovator in immediate-access behavioral health crisis care, Connections strives to make behavioral health work better, delivering improved quality of care and cost savings across all behavioral health populations. Throughout the United States, Connections’ crisis response centers and mobile crisis units serve as the hub of the crisis system, offering services to all individuals in need in the safest and least restrictive setting. The Connections Model, recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Council for Mental Wellbeing as best practice, combines both medical and recovery-oriented treatment designed to get people connected to resources and back to their lives faster. For more information and crisis resources visit connectionshs.com.

ABOUT TOWN HALL VENTURES

Founded in 2018, Town Hall Ventures invests and participates in building companies that fundamentally improve healthcare for medically vulnerable and underserved populations. Select portfolio companies include Cityblock Health, Curana Health, Eleanor Health, Equality Health, Landmark Health, Signify Health, Somatus, Spark Pediatrics, Strive Health, Thyme Care, Unite Us, VillageMD, and others. Learn more at www.townhallventures.com.

Connections Health Solutions Contact:
Marissa Lawson
SVP, Marketing and Communications
[email protected]

SOURCE Connections Health Solutions

• Housing + health innovator’s strategic partnerships with largest D.C. Medicaid MCO and national affordable housing provider address health disparities faced by low-income residents through on-site care coordination
• With millions losing access to critical health benefits during Medicaid redeterminations, Ounce helps enroll eligible individuals and families in health insurance and vital government assistance programs
• Medicaid is suffering from a lack of innovation; investment in Ounce represents a significant step towards introducing transformative solutions that improve outcomes and achieve health equity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5, 2023 — Ounce, a company bridging the gap between health and housing, today announced it has raised $5.2 million in seed funding and partnered with AmeriHealth Caritas D.C. and National Housing Trust to bring care coordination and wraparound services to over 2,000 residents of affordable housing across 9 properties in D.C. The funding round was co-led by Meridian Street Capital and Flare Capital, with participation from: Chelsea Clinton’s Metrodora Ventures, Wilshire Lane Capital, Chris Nassetta (Hilton CEO), Taylor Justice (Unite Us cofounder), and others.

Today, more than 300,000 D.C. residents are enrolled in Medicaid and approximately 27,000 low-income D.C. households face housing hardship. Making matters worse, as of June 21 this year, Medicaid redeterminations have resulted in 3,000 D.C. residents losing access to critical health coverage. Access to health insurance and a safe and affordable place to call home is fundamental to many areas of life, including school performance, job retention, physical and mental health, and economic security. Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) are committed to improving health outcomes for this population, but struggle to engage them due to factors such as invalid or frequently changing contact information, lack of trust in the healthcare system, limited access to transportation, low health literacy, and inadequate childcare support.

To address these issues, Ounce embeds its team of trained Community Health Workers (CHWs) within affordable housing properties where they directly connect and regularly engage with residents, building trusted relationships over time. The CHW model is widely recognized as playing a crucial role for Medicaid beneficiaries by providing personalized support, education, and guidance that empowers individuals to navigate complex healthcare systems, adhere to treatment plans, and address social drivers of health, ultimately leading to improved health outcomes.

Ounce CHWs evaluate residents for gaps in care, host onsite health clinics and screenings, enroll residents in public benefits like Medicaid, SNAP and disability, and connect residents to healthcare and social services, including scheduling primary care and pediatric appointments or helping residents apply for rental assistance. This approach benefits not only residents and Medicaid MCOs, but also property owners, who choose to work with Ounce because it’s a scalable solution that can help them demonstrate positive health and social impact from their property services.

“There is an enormous gap between health plans and where their members spend over 70 percent of their time – their homes. Our highly trained team leverages technology to conveniently engage people where they are, deliver impactful services, and lower healthcare costs for residents and insurers,” said Rachel Munsie, co-founder and CEO, Ounce. “Our success is largely due to the trusted relationships we’re uniquely able to build with residents and the convenience of our services, all delivered within the existing community infrastructure. Our integration with the properties and our proximity to residents gives us the opportunity to quickly intervene with support when we see red flags like eviction notices or other indicators for housing instability, which has clear links to healthcare outcomes.”

Ounce chose to launch its services in Southeast D.C. before expanding to the rest of the city. Southeast D.C., which is predominantly Black, has higher rates of poverty and gun violence due to chronic underinvestment and has been identified as both a food and healthcare desert. Despite these challenges, Ounce was able to engage and enroll over 30 percent of residents into its program just months after launching, immediately expanding access to care and critical benefits where it’s needed most. Ounce has since maintained engagement rates that are significantly higher than the single-digit rates typical of traditional care models. As a result of this high level of direct engagement, residents who get support from Ounce receive, on average, multiple services at a time. High engagement rates can also be attributed to Ounce’s practice of recruiting CHWs who are from or deeply familiar with the communities they serve.

“We are proud about our partnership with Ounce to better engage and serve our enrollees right where they live,” said Karen Dale, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer and President & CEO, AmeriHealth Caritas D.C. “Through their community-based presence, Ounce is significantly extending our reach, closing gaps in care, and driving improvements in health equity. We are also appreciative of the work Ounce is doing to educate residents about Medicaid redeterminations and support them in navigating the process.”

In addition to its close partnership with AmeriHealth Caritas D.C., Ounce has partnered with the National Housing Trust, a nonprofit organization that focuses on preserving and improving affordable homes for low-income families. “By combining our expertise in affordable housing preservation with Ounce’s innovative approach to resident services, we are creating a transformative impact on the well-being of our communities, ensuring that quality housing and comprehensive health support go hand-in-hand,” said Priya Jayachandran, CEO of the National Housing Trust.

Ounce also works closely with D.C.-based providers such as C3Cares and Urgent Wellness, along with several local community organizations including: Bread for the City, Capital Area Food Bank, Giant Healthy Living, Latin American Youth Center, Martha’s Table, So Others Might Eat, UPO Workforce Institute, and many more.

Investor Comments
“Safe, stable housing should mean more than just a roof over your head. It should also mean a healthy and health-promoting environment. Ounce, through their vision of affordable housing with wraparound services, directly addresses and strengthens the link between housing and residents’ health and well-being. We couldn’t be prouder to support Ounce as they play a real role in the work to move us closer to a more equitable, healthy and just society.”

–  Chelsea Clinton, Co-founder, Metrodora Ventures

“Ounce represents a paradigm shift in how we address the interconnected challenges of health and housing. Recognizing the profound impact of social drivers of health on individual well-being, Ounce’s model brilliantly converges healthcare and housing solutions. We believe that by investing in Ounce, we’re backing a pioneering approach that can redefine health for underserved communities like those living in affordable housing. Their innovative vision aligns with our commitment to transformative solutions that have both social and economic impact.”

–  Scott Law, General Partner, Meridian Street Capital

“While healthcare advancements continue at a rapid pace, addressing foundational needs like housing has often been overlooked. With Ounce, we see a groundbreaking synergy between housing and health, ensuring residents not only have a place to call home but also access to comprehensive health resources. At Flare Capital Partners, we’re always in search of disruptive solutions that challenge the status quo. Ounce’s approach does just that, filling a critical gap in the healthcare ecosystem, and we’re excited to be part of this transformative journey.”

–  Vic Lanio, Partner, Flare Capital Partners

About Ounce

Ounce is on a mission to empower healthy and thriving communities by building bridges between housing and health. Ounce provides on-site care coordination and wraparound services to 2,000 residents of affordable housing across 9 properties in D.C. Learn more at: www.ounceofcare.com

Media contact:
[email protected]

SOURCE Ounce

The round, led by Emergence Capital, will accelerate growth for the first and only product that brings real, customizable data into live demos

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 5, 2023 — Saleo, creator of the first and only live demo automation platform, announced today that it has raised $13 million from Emergence Capital and Tech Square Ventures to help revenue teams create unprecedented demo experiences with real data that are so personalized for prospects, they’ve been shown to cut sales cycles in half.

Saleo Live^™ transforms any SaaS demo environment to create tailored, data-complete live demos that harness the authentic product without creating a clone or copy. This ensures full functionality of the native app while creating the most compelling demo experience possible. What used to require days or weeks of data creation, design, personalization, and demo maintenance can now be created in moments – and be adjusted by sales in real-time to tell the strongest, most up-to-date story and close more deals.

Saleo Live – Introductory Video

These dynamic live demos are made possible by Saleo’s generative AI-driven modeling engine, which syncs with the existing native software product to populate, create, and update realistic data inside the existing demo environment. With no code required, sales teams can modify any piece of data to personalize a demo, and have the entire interface and demo flow accurately, reflecting the change.

Leading SaaS companies like Outreach, Drift, Clari, Zuora, and Salesloft are harnessing Saleo Live^™ to revolutionize their GTM motions, minimize demo prep time, reduce engineering costs to support their sales teams, and maximize the value of their product offerings.

Saleo-powered demos have proven to be dramatically more effective than the status quo, cutting both sales cycles and demo prep time by 50%, increasing pre-sales NPS 2x, and boosting deal win rates by 74% on average. Before implementing Saleo, sales engineers at customer companies were spending 3.5 hours a week on demo maintenance – a figure that went to zero after. These efficiency gains couldn’t be more vital in an economic atmosphere that has hit SaaS revenue hard.

“With Saleo, we’ve reduced our weekly demo maintenance time by 100%,” said Ryan Splain, Principal Demo Solutions Engineer at Salesloft. “NPS for our global presales team jumped from 4.5 to 9/10, and the Salesloft product has never looked more relevant, data complete, or valuable – something we couldn’t have done without Saleo.”

The Saleo team is excited to expand the platform in the near future, bringing the deep technical work it invested in building its live demo product to solve more pre-sale needs. As the AI engine progressively learns from new data, on which the modeling engine is built, new capabilities will emerge and Saleo’s moat is poised to grow.

“This team has invested an incredible amount of time engineering something extremely complex and difficult to achieve, while making it simple and accessible for users,” said Joe Floyd, General Partner at Emergence Capital, who led the deal for the firm. “As a result, each of Saleo’s customers can harness the power of personalized live demos that are always current and tailored. This technical advantage gives Saleo a huge head start, and already positions it as a leader in the demo automation category.”

Saleo was started in 2021 by Co-founder & CEO Justin McDonald, Co-founder & CPO Daniel Hellerman, and Co-Founder & Lead Engineer Alexey Svetliakov – all of whom have years of experience at leading sales-oriented SaaS companies and deep empathy for the biggest challenges facing modern sales and marketing teams.

“We’ve worked for years to perfect our AI modeling engine so that it represents a true breakthrough in how demos work — from how they’re created and maintained, to the impact they make on sales and revenue,” says Saleo Co-founder & CEO Justin McDonald. “This has helped us attract some of the biggest brands in SaaS as customers, and with this round, we’re excited to be solving this deeply felt GTM problem for many more teams.”

The team plans to use this new round of funding to expand its product and engineering output, build up its go-to-market organization, and accelerate fast to reach customers everywhere with both its Saleo Live^™ and Capture^™ products.

About Saleo

Saleo is the first live sales demo experience platform helping software companies create incredible demos that are data-complete, directly within their live SaaS products. We help revenue teams shorten their sales cycle, increase win rates and close more deals by removing the burden of missing data, outdated demo environments, and time-consuming demo prep.  Leading SaaS companies like Salesloft, Zuora, Outreach, Clari, and Drift depend on Saleo to elevate their sales demos and to drive pipeline. Saleo is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, visit www.saleo.io.

SOURCE Saleo

Norwest Venture Partners-Led Series B Funding Will Support Expansion of Collaborative Care Model to Help Health Systems Deliver Patient-Centric Care and Sustained Operational Growth

NEW YORK, Oct. 5, 2023 — Diana Health, a network of modern women’s health practices that partner with hospitals to reimagine the way women’s healthcare is delivered, today announced that it has closed $34 million in Series B financing led by Norwest Venture Partners.  Existing investors .406 Ventures, LRVHealth and AlleyCorp joined the round, bringing the total raised to $46 million. The company will use the new capital to bring its individualized, comprehensive care model to new communities across the U.S. and expand its digital platform and program offerings.

The U.S. is facing a maternal health crisis. Despite spending $111 billion on maternity care annually, mortality rates in the U.S. are two times those of other developed countries and the patient experience is inadequate. In addition, access to labor and delivery (L&D) services is waning. More than 400 hospitals have closed their L&D units between 2016-2020. Putting even more pressure on an already-strained system, a growing shortage of obstetricians and gynecologists is expected to reach 22,000 by 2050, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Diana Health provides an evidence-based care model that directly addresses these challenges. Diana Health partners with hospital and health system leadership to restructure their women’s health programs with a clinical redesign of labor and delivery. The model delivers a tech-enabled, holistic care experience for women and families, deploying integrated care teams of Certified Nurse Midwives, OB/GYNs, mental health and wellness providers. Diana Health’s approach helps hospitals improve health outcomes, lowering rates of cesarean section and neonatal intensive care unit admissions; while also addressing the operational and financial challenges hospitals grapple with each day.

“We know that women want individualized, comprehensive care that puts them in the driver’s seat of their own health and improves outcomes. It is also how most providers want to practice,” said Kate Condliffe, co-founder and CEO of Diana Health. “Health systems that partner with Diana Health are redesigning their existing practice structure and their workforce to align with these principles. This sets their programs up for growth and sustainability, earning the loyalty of patients by delivering better care.”

Diana Health currently operates three sites in Tennessee in partnership with HCA TriStar StoneCrest Medical Center, HCA TriStar NorthCrest Medical Center and Cookeville Regional Medical Center. The company will open three new sites in Florida in the next six months. 

“Diana Health has developed a solution that aligns interests across stakeholders, delivering value for women, payers, providers and health systems. Its unique approach restructures the core healthcare delivery model, giving hospitals a competitive advantage that earns patient loyalty through better experiences and outcomes, and helps lower costs and risks attributed to inadequate care and unnecessary medical procedures,” said Irem Rami, principal at Norwest Venture Partners and board member at Diana Health. “The team at Diana Health has made tremendous progress to date. We look forward to bringing their solution to more communities as Diana Health expands nationwide and provides greater high-quality access to maternal and gynecological care.”

About Diana Health
Diana Health is a network of modern women’s health practices working in partnership with hospitals to reimagine the way maternity and women’s healthcare is delivered. With personalized, wellness-focused care programs, Diana Health puts women at the center of decision-making and empowers them with the information and support they need to achieve their health and wellness goals. Diana Health goes beyond the traditional approach to healthcare through smart technology, collaborative teams, and a thoughtfully designed experience that is beneficial for both women and clinicians. The company has raised a total of $46 million, including the latest Series B round led by Norwest Venture Partners and joined by .406 Ventures, LRVHealth and AlleyCorp. For more information, visit heydianahealth.com.

SOURCE Diana Health