“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

The investment will enhance CES program offerings to eliminate barriers to K-12 learning and the teaching profession 

BALTIMORE, Oct. 5, 2023 — Today, Concentric Educational Solutions (CES), the leading Black-owned education support system that partners with schools to offer resources to address barriers impacting students, families, and staff, announced $5 million in Series A funding from New Markets Venture Partners (New Markets), one of the nation’s leading education and workforce investors. In total, Black founders have received less than 1 percent of venture capital (2021). With this funding, the company will hire and accelerate growth and build out its suite of services and philanthropic foundation to support students in their homes and in schools. 

According to a recent study, the number of chronically absent students has as much as doubled nationwide since the COVID-19 pandemic, and schools have struggled to help students and families rebuild consistent attendance habits. Furthermore, earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Education announced its redoubling efforts and redeploying resources to combat chronic absenteeism.

In order to improve regular school attendance among low-income and minority students, CES has established a proven reputation in schools by effectively combating chronic absenteeism during the pandemic. The unique, evidence-driven approach is centered on student home visits, and mentoring and tutoring within a child-centered framework. Student progress is shared through CES’ mobile app with real-time data and information with parents, educators, and administrators to support the student.

To date, CES has partnered with over 200 schools and districts such as Baltimore City Public Schools, Anne Arundel County Public Schools, and Wayne RESA (MI). The impact has yielded remarkable improvements in attendance and students’ academic outcomes including 59,500 tutoring sessions, 24,800 mentoring sessions, and close to 400,000 home visits with almost 200,000 students served.

“We’ve witnessed transformative changes in the lives of students, teachers, and superintendents who have entrusted us as their partner in enhancing student engagement,” said Dr. David Heiber, CEO of Concentric Educational Solutions. “The financing from New Markets Venture Partners will broaden the reach of our work including home visits, tutoring, and mentoring programs, along with coaching for teachers and staff and mental health support services to address the whole child. We are proud to double down on our commitment to address one of the most critical challenges in education today—student absenteeism. Our aim is to ensure that students not only attend school regularly but also feel a sense of belonging and thrive academically, regardless of the barriers they may face.” 

Praised by school principals and superintendents for their successful turnaround model, which prioritizes meeting students where they are, whether at home or in school, CES fosters a sense of belonging, agency, and self-belief in students.

“Concentric Educational Solutions firmly believes in the potential for every student to succeed,” said Dr. Daryl Kennedy, Regional Assistant Superintendent, Anne Arundel County Public Schools. “Their comprehensive framework which revolves around the students themselves, has had an immeasurable impact on both our students and their families. The emphasis on home visits and a deep understanding of each student’s background establishes a support network, addressing both their well-being and academic needs.”

Furthermore, in a commitment to ongoing research and efficacy, CES partnered with the Center for Research and Reform in Education (CRRE) at Johns Hopkins University to conduct comprehensive ESSA Level III studies within the Baltimore City Public Schools system to meet federal compliance. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) outlines four levels of evidence and mandates districts and states to use federal funding and stimulus dollars for “evidence-based interventions.” The research team compared the academic achievement, attendance rates, and behavioral outcomes of students enrolled in these programs with a carefully selected comparison group of students who were not enrolled. The research concluded that CES demonstrates “Promising” evidence for improving student outcomes.

“Concentric Educational Solutions’ mission aligns perfectly with New Markets Venture Partners and we are excited to be working with David and his expanded leadership team so that they can scale their proven interventions and improve student outcomes,” said Mark Grovic, Co-Founder and General Partner of New Markets Venture Partners who will also join CES’ board of directors. “Since their inception, Concentric Educational Solutions has consistently proved their model through decreased chronic absenteeism, behavioral incidents, and out-of-school suspensions, as well as increased student re-engagement and improved mental health. New Markets’ investment will allow Concentric to continue to deliver their impactful solutions while expanding their team, scale, breadth, and efficacy of their offerings to empower educators and drive student success.”

For more information about Concentric Educational Services, please visit www.concentriced.org.

ABOUT CONCENTRIC EDUCATIONAL SOLUTIONS
Concentric Educational Solutions (CES) was founded with the mission to support students, families, and schools by identifying barriers that negatively impact education and provide resources and services to improve student outcomes. Currently, Concentric Educational Solutions provides home visits, mentoring, tutoring, professional development, school culture and climate, student support services, technical assistance, the multi-tier system of support (MTSS), as well as social and emotional learning.

CES partners with schools and school districts to assess the situation and determine a course of action for implementing sustainable change. Addressing the four components (Organizational and Leadership Development, School Culture and Climate, Student Support Services, and Special Education Support) with a focus on student achievement, Concentric applies a structured process for tracking and evaluating improvements quickly while leveraging the existing supports within an organization at every level.

Founded and led by Dr. David Heiber, Concentric Educational Solutions was one of the first Black American-led organizations to receive funding from NewSchools Venture Fund. Under Dr. Heiber’s leadership, CES has been recognized for its innovative approach that places support of the whole student at the center of the educational experience. Dr. Heiber and his team have partnered with over 300 schools in 20 states. For more information, visit www.concentriced.org. 

ABOUT NEW MARKETS VENTURE PARTNERS
New Markets Venture Partners is one of the nation’s leading impact venture capital firms, investing in and actively assisting early- and growth-stage education and workforce technology companies. New Markets has decades of experience supporting evidence-based, high-growth companies that improve economic and social mobility by leveraging deep relationships with centers of education, workforce, and human capital innovation. New Markets prides itself on adding value to its portfolio companies before, during, and after the investment process, with the ultimate goals of delivering superior risk-adjusted returns to its investors and improving both individual outcomes and America’s education and workforce system as a whole. 

Media Contact:
Stacey Finkel
[email protected]
703-304-1377

SOURCE Concentric Educational Services

NEW YORK, Oct. 5, 2023 — Firmament, a provider of customized debt solutions to both sponsor and non-sponsor backed middle market businesses, announced today an investment in LightRidge Solutions Holdings LLC (“LightRidge” or the “Company”). LightRidge is one of the leading providers of space technologies and defense mission solutions primarily for the U.S. national security community.

Trident represents the third acquisition for the LightRidge platform, which was formed in 2021 with a mission to fulfill the growing need for technology-forward, high-performance yet cost-effective national security solutions. LightRidge’s existing portfolio includes GEOST, one of the leading providers of advanced space payloads acquired in 2021, and Ophir Corporation, a provider of advanced laser sensing solutions primarily to the stealth aircraft market, which was acquired in 2022.

Trident is highly complementary with LightRidge’s portfolio and is well known for its reliable, resilient, and open-architecture space electronics encompassing multi-function, radio-frequency processors, software-defined radios, on-board processors, and data storage solutions for demanding military space missions. The company has also been a trusted and long-term partner for innovative, affordable C4ISR solutions that address mission-critical needs across the air, land, and sea domains.

LightRidge will continue to build on Trident’s track record of innovation and investment in new solutions, leveraging an expanded base of engineering and science talent, and will further increase Trident’s production capacity. As part of LightRidge, Trident will be able to offer a broader range of high performance, affordable sensing and computing solutions and support the development of automated mission solutions.

About LightRidge Solutions
LightRidge provides advanced sensing, data processing, and autonomy solutions for demanding missions at an order of magnitude lower cost than traditional systems. Its high-performance space payloads and electronics in small form factors enable the proliferation of resilient and affordable space architectures for the U.S. military and intelligence communities, as well as selected commercial and international customers. Dedicated to the rapidly evolving needs of our U.S. government and industry partners, LightRidge is transforming mission autonomy, resiliency, and survivability, ISR, and multi-domain connectivity solutions for some of the nation’s most challenging missions.

About Firmament
Firmament (www.firmament.com) provides structured equity and credit capital solutions to small- and medium-sized enterprises. Firmament is a value-added partner to entrepreneurs, management teams and business owners and curates solutions by deploying versatile capital in a user-friendly way. Firmament concentrates on software and services businesses with significant scaling potential in the healthcare, logistics and environmental sectors. With offices across the United States and in the United Kingdom, Firmament is focused on turning small business into big business.

Media Contact:
Allie Reitman
media@firmament.com

SOURCE Firmament

YOKNE’AM ILLIT, Israel, Oct. 5, 2023 — After hitting fundamental milestones since the last financing round, Phytolon secures additional funding to support its commercial activities toward the first launch of its natural food colors (made by fermentation) in the food and beverage markets.

The investors include Nextgen Nutrition Investment Partners (NGN) supported by Dunedain Ventures. NGN is led by James Cali and Andrew Towle who bring vast experience in the global CPG industry. Two of the company’s shareholders also invested: EIT Food, a major entity that promotes and accelerates innovation in the food systems, and Phytolon’s Chairman Mr. Steve Dubin who has been guiding the company since its early stages.

Since closing Round A in the summer of 2022, Phytolon recorded significant progress in its path to commercialization and signed a commercial deal with DSM-Firmenich to distribute its wide range of natural food colors. Further, Phytolon extended its supply capabilities and has put in place a manufacturing agreement at an industrial scale with a CMO that ensures resilient supply to clients. Phytolon has also commenced an in-house facility for production and supply at a pilot scale and enriched its in-house capabilities for developing and scaling natural ingredients by fermentation.

Phytolon’s CEO, Halim Jubran, commented on the transaction: “Due to the progress that we have made in the last two years, we are gaining more and more trust from top players in the global F&B industry, now perfectly demonstrated by the latest investments. We are excited to welcome our new partners, NGN, and strengthen our partnership with EIT Food and Mr. Steve Dubin, who have played crucial roles in the company’s growth and success.”

NGN’s James Cali, said: “We believe Phytolon is perfectly positioned to create significant value in the food colors space with their advantaged, proprietary technology, and wide range of color options which address rapidly growing requirements for natural,  free-from ingredients by consumers and industry. This is especially important with the movements in regulations related to food colors in California.”

Matthias de Kock, Senior Investment Manager at EIT Food added: “EIT Food recognized Phytolon’s potential from the outset and invested early on. Today, we’re excited to witness this game-changing innovation in natural food colors unfold and we look forward to supporting Phytolon in its future stages of growth and innovation.”

About Phytolon:

Phytolon is a biotechnology company that offers natural food colors via fermentation-based technologies. Leveraging its unique IP and capabilities, Phytolon provides to the industry natural food colors at their best shape, complying with the consumers’ demand for clean label, healthy, and sustainable food systems. Phytolon has been based in Israel since 2018 and is supported by world-class business partners and investors.

About NGN:

NextGen Nutrition Investment Partners is an emerging investment manager focused on Technologies and Products that offer Disruptive Superior Nutrition to the Global Food Industry. They focus on three main parts of the enormous food sector: food technology, functionally superior ingredients and healthy branded products. Andrew Towle and James Cali are experienced executives with over 60+ years of managerial and operational experience in the food and beverage industry at firms such as Kraft/Mondelez, Kellogg’s, P&G, Heinz, and Cadbury’s. They are widely regarded as knowledgeable operating partners that understand the fundamentals of operating food & beverage companies both in the LIS and internationally, and the requirements needed to help young companies bring their products to the next level in the market.

About EIT Food:

EIT Food is the world’s largest and most dynamic food innovation community. We accelerate innovation to build a future-fit food system that produces healthy and sustainable food for all. Supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, we invest in projects, organizations, and individuals that share our goals for a healthy and sustainable food system. We unlock innovation potential in businesses and universities and create and scale agrifood startups to bring new technologies and products to market. We equip entrepreneurs and professionals with the skills needed to transform the food system and put consumers at the heart of our work, helping build trust by reconnecting them to the origins of their food.

www.phytolon.com 

Email: [email protected] 

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2238438/Phytolon.jpg

SOURCE Phytolon

RALEIGH, N.C., Oct. 5, 2023 — 10 Federal, a prominent and innovative leader in the self-storage sector, proudly announces a highly successful capital infusion of $21 million in equity during the third quarter for their Fourth Self Storage offering. This achievement has propelled 10 Federal’s total capital raised for its fourth offering to an impressive $80 million, approaching the company’s ambitious $100 million year-end target.

“We are excited to share that we have successfully secured an additional $20 million in equity funding during the third quarter, bringing our total capital raise to $80 million within just nine months since the inception of this offering,” stated Brad Minsley, Co-Founder of 10 Federal. “This substantial capital infusion empowers us to continue executing our growth strategy and expanding our presence and economies of scale in highly sought-after markets.”

Aligned with 10 Federal’s strategic expansion goals, the offering currently boasts 12 assets, including a recent acquisition of a prime development opportunity in Georgetown, TX, one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities. This strategic move reaffirms the company’s unwavering commitment to meeting the surging demand for self-storage solutions in dynamic markets.

“We are thrilled about acquiring this development opportunity,” said Andrew Capranos, President of 10 Federal Storage. “This addition further solidifies our presence in the state of Texas and enables us to deliver top-quality self-storage solutions to address the growing demand in Georgetown and its neighboring areas.”

Moreover, 10 Federal is pleased to report robust performance across its portfolio. The Fund 4 seeded assets in Georgia and Texas have experienced remarkable success this year, increasing market rates by over 44% since taking over these assets. Furthermore, the offering has seen a substantial 20% boost in total property revenue since assuming control of these sites in March 2023. This remarkable growth underscores 10 Federal’s commitment to optimizing asset value and delivering exceptional returns to investors.

As 10 Federal continues to expand its portfolio, the company remains steadfast in its commitment to delivering innovative storage solutions and providing frictionless customer experiences.

About 10 Federal:
10 Federal is a leading high-tech operator of self-storage facilities, specializing in fully automated properties. With a portfolio spanning 12 states and over 75 properties, 10 Federal leverages innovative technology and data-driven insights to provide exceptional self-storage experiences while delivering superior investor returns.

Website: www.10Federal.com

SOURCE 10 Federal