Creating a new standard for SaaS metrics, SaaSGrid helps companies identify, calculate and track the most important metrics

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 6, 2023 — Today SaaSGrid, the data and analysis platform for SaaS metrics, announced a $3.3M seed round led by Craft Ventures. SaaSGrid is the first dashboarding tool built specifically for SaaS companies: users simply connect their data sources and get perfect, real-time charts displaying the metrics every SaaS business should be tracking. The need for a tool like SaaSGrid has never been more critical as companies strive for efficient growth amidst a difficult fundraising environment. The company is formally launching on stage at SaaStr Annual today.

Despite broad agreement on which metrics are most important for SaaS businesses, there are no dashboarding or business intelligence tools that calculate them automatically. Creating charts is a manual, time-intensive, and error-prone process that involves pulling data into warehouses and CSVs, cleaning up messy data, and writing SQL queries and Excel formulas. The process is so burdensome that SaaS metrics are often reserved only for quarterly board meetings, even though a real-time view would be incredibly helpful to founders seeking to understand their business.

“The need for a SaaS-specific dashboarding tool was so acute, yet nothing existed in the market. So we built it,” said David Sacks, co-founder of SaaSGrid and co-founder and partner at Craft Ventures. “SaaSGrid provides a way for companies to standardize their reporting and ensure they’re tracking the most important metrics, calculated correctly.”

SaaSGrid has identified and standardized the calculations for more than 70 essential metrics, including mission-critical calculations such as MRR, ARR, Net Dollar Retention, CAC Payback, Burn Multiple, and Runway. Using SaaSGrid is simple. After connecting data sources including Salesforce, Hubspot, Stripe, Quickbooks, and spreadsheets, SaaS teams have instant access to real-time dashboards and insights – including metrics they might not have known they should be tracking. This gives SaaS leaders access to all the information they need to run their companies day-to-day, report to their board, or engage in fundraising rounds.

SaaSGrid CEO and co-founder Ethan Ruby developed an early prototype of SaaSGrid to help the investment team at Craft Ventures run metrics for prospective investments. Once founders saw these dashboards, they wanted access to the tool, not just to help with fundraising but for their internal KPI dashboards. With this $3.3 million in seed funding, SaaSGrid officially launches independently of Craft and is available to SaaS startups worldwide. The funds will be used to further develop the product, including pipeline metrics and benchmarking.

“I’ve spent countless hours wrangling data and writing SQL queries and Excel formulas to make SaaS metrics dashboards – both as an operator and as an investor.” said Ethan Ruby. “The process is painful, and I found myself wishing there was a tool that could help. In talking to SaaS founders and operators, I realized I wasn’t alone: everyone struggles to pull data from their systems, clean up edge cases, and get the accurate reporting necessary to run their business. SaaSGrid is the tool SaaS leaders have been wanting for.”

SaaSGrid is already the source of truth for KPIs for hundreds of SaaS companies and is SOC 2 compliant so customers know their data is safe and confidential.

“Before SaaSGrid, we had to manually download Salesforce reports every quarter and spend days modifying, calculating, and verifying the data to ensure it was up-to-date. Since implementing SaaSGrid, we are able to monitor sales and renewal progress in real-time, and generating board reports takes minutes instead of days,” said Diane Garcia, Director of Operations at Scratchpad.

About SaaSGrid

SaaSGrid is the dashboarding tool built specifically for SaaS companies, setting the standard for how SaaS metrics are calculated, analyzed, and reported. Founded by David Sacks, Ethan Ruby, and Teddy Ruby, SaaSGrid is based in San Francisco and New York City and backed by Craft Ventures. Visit SaaSGrid.com to get the insights needed to make the most important decisions for any SaaS business.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE SaaSGrid

Led by investors including the Reno Seed Fund and AZ-VC, former PayPal executive Jack Selby’s venture firm, this seed round fuels MessageDesk’s growth and market expansion

RENO, Nev., Sept. 6, 2023 — MessageDesk, a text messaging software for small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs), announced today its successful $1.6M million Seed investment. Led by the Reno Seed Fund and with new investments from AZ-VC, Acadian Capital Ventures, Arizona Tech Investors, and Desert Angels; along with support from the Sierra Innovations Entrepreneur Fund of the Sierra Angels.

This new capital furthers MessageDesk’s mission of routing business communications to the right people and places at the right time. The company aims to hit $1M+ in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) in 2023 and anticipates reaching 1000 SMB customers by the end of Q1 2024 while also expanding its mid-market customer base.

“Savvy investors are increasing their investments in companies like MessageDesk because they deliver on strong use cases and they have shown very early on that they are able to generate sustainable, recurring revenue,” explained Gene Wong, Managing Partner of The Reno Seed Fund. “Proven and successful SaaS startups like MessageDesk are hard to find.”

“Healthcare staffing agencies, logistics providers, school administrators, and many other professionals already use MessageDesk’s inbox and broadcast features to route their text conversations and reach everyone on their contact lists,” said Clint Vernon, Co-Founder and CEO of MessageDesk. “We’ve established product-market fit with over 600 SMB and mid-market customers. These new funds will enable us to scale our marketing, sales, and customer success operations while continuing to evolve our platform and expand it to include features like AI-driven sentiment analysis, team chatbots, and voice-to-text.”

“Our investment in MessageDesk is a testament to the potential we see in their innovative solution and business model, especially considering the fluctuating economic conditions and shift to not only more mobile work but mobile work that demands greater efficiency and coordination to deliver services when and where they are most needed,” said Ben Brockwell, Partner at AZ-VC. “MessageDesk’s focus on streamlining the user experience and its strategic growth plans align well with our investment philosophy.”

MessageDesk is a tech company solving real-world problems. It is a great example of the emerging startup ecosystem in Reno, Nevada. MessageDesk’s initial local and regional angel investment and new out-of-state venture funding, reiterate its commitment to serving small and medium-sized businesses and aligns well with the investment theses of the contributing funds.

For more information about MessageDesk, please visit www.messagedesk.com.

About MessageDesk

MessageDesk is a communications software company that helps businesses and organizations text-enable their business phone lines, send mass text message broadcasts, get optimal text message delivery rates, and route, assign, and automatically manage text message conversations across their entire organization. MessageDesk was founded and is based in Reno, Nevada. Please visit www.messagedesk.com

SOURCE MessageDesk

Six early-stage startups provide solutions to challenges in real estate development, mobility, and energy management

BROOKLYN, N.Y., Sept. 6, 2023 — URBAN-X, the leading urban technology startup platform by MINI, today announced its thirteenth cohort of early-stage startups dedicated to advancing climate technology solutions. Run in collaboration with leading venture capital firm JVP, this new cohort represents a number of startups from across the country. Selected from a pool of over 160 applicants, the six startups are working on solutions in real estate development, mobility, and energy & carbon management to create more interconnected cities that improve quality of life for all.

The launch of this cohort coincides with the end of a record-breaking summer, where extreme heat waves, wildfires, and floods have underscored the urgent need to reshape our climate trajectory. Recognizing the significance of this challenge, URBAN-X is committed to fostering more sustainable, livable, and resilient cities by nurturing startups that offer impactful solutions.

“It’s clear, now more than ever, that the work climate tech founders and startups are doing is critical to the continued prosperity of cities in the midst of a climate crisis,” said Mike Peyton, President of MINI Business Innovations LLC, and Vice President of MINI of the Americas. “MINI is committed to driving positive change in urban environments, and we see no better way forward than through the work of the emerging startups URBAN-X is supporting.”

These six startups join a growing list of over 100 companies that have graduated from the URBAN-X program. More than 87 percent of startups raise their next round during or right after the program. Over the course of the four-month program, the startups will benefit from hands-on mentorship in areas such as customer engagement, product development, talent acquisition, and brand strategy. Each team will also have access to URBAN-X’s expansive network of world-class design, engineering, and branding experts from MINI, as well as office space in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

“We are excited by the companies in Cohort 13 because they build on work we’ve supported in the past in new and innovative ways,” said Johan Schwind, Managing Director of URBAN-X. “These solutions will drive us towards a better, more resilient future, and we are dedicated to helping scale them just as climate innovations are needed most in cities in the U.S. and across the globe.”

The complete list of URBAN-X Cohort 13 companies includes:

• Algoma: Partnering with real estate developers to automate the repeatable delivery of zero-carbon buildings by leveraging AI
• HubOn: Offering the cheapest and most eco-friendly transport for goods by partnering with retail shops serving as drop-off and pickup locations
• Blip Energy: Unlocking energy equity by building a new category of smart, affordable energy storage to add millions of homes to the smart grid
• Upward: Collecting, storing, and analyzing building energy data to drive operational success and automate compliance
• Enspi: Bringing efficiency, sustainability, and profitability to modern energy management with a proprietary platform
• Vy-Carb: Performing real-time, autonomous removal, storage, and verification of CO2 in water with a fully-measured carbon management system

To celebrate climate innovation, URBAN-X will host a discussion about the future of mobility on September 18th as part of Climate Week NYC. For more details and to RSVP, please visit the event site.

About URBAN-X
URBAN-X is the platform for founders reimagining city life. Built by MINI in 2016, URBAN-X partners with startups to build bold technology solutions for a sustainable planet. Breaking from traditional startup program molds, URBAN-X provides Pre-Seed and Seed-Stage entrepreneurs with individualized and tailored support that accelerates growth and builds successful businesses for the next generation of climate- and city-focused innovators. Core to its platform, URBAN-X offers world-class engineering and design resources, industry-leading investment capital from our venture partner JVP, a global network of investors, policymakers, corporate strategies and end-customers, and premier educational content for a global network of founders. Find URBAN-X on Twitter & Instagram at @urbanxtech and on Facebook at facebook.com/urbanxtech.

About MINI in the US
MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC, located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and includes the marketing and sales organizations for the MINI brand. The MINI USA sales organization is represented by a network of 104 MINI passenger car dealers located throughout the US. MINI USA began selling vehicles in the U.S. in 2002 with the introduction of the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtops. Since then, the MINI Brand in the U.S. has grown to encompass a model range of five unique vehicles.

Journalist note: Media information about MINI and its products is available to journalists on-line at www.miniusanews.com.

About JVP
JVP, is an internationally renowned venture capital fund based in Israel. Established in 1993 by Dr. Erel Margalit, JVP has raised to date $1.6 billion across 10 funds, and has been listed numerous times by Preqin, and other rankings, as one of the top-ten consistently performing VC firms worldwide. JVP has built over 160 companies, leveraging a broad network of partners and market expertise to help companies become global market leaders. Among the pioneering firms of the Israeli venture capital industry, JVP has been instrumental in building some of the largest companies out of Israel, facilitating 12 Initial Public Offerings on NASDAQ including CyberArk Software ($3.6 billion mkt. cap.), QLIK Technologies (then $2.5 billion mkt. cap.) and Cogent Communications ($2.3 billion mkt. cap.). https://www.jvpvc.com/

Media Contacts
Ella Snyder
BerlinRosen
[email protected] 

Andrew Cutler
Head of Corporate Communications, MINI USA
201.307.3784
Andrew.Cutler@miniusa.com

SOURCE URBAN-X; MINI USA

Equity Investment Expands Solar and Battery Land and Lease Financing Access for Developers and Landowners

VIENNA, Va., Sept. 6, 2023 — SolaREIT™, a solar real estate investment fund, and funds managed by AB CarVal, a global alternative investment manager, have completed the close of an investment, initially $100 million with up to $250 million in additional capital, to turbocharge growth of SolaREIT’s renewable land, lease and loan financing solutions. SolaREIT, which launched in late 2020, provides an innovative model for financing solar real estate and offers options to compensate landowners for utilizing their land to host solar farms and battery storage projects. Since its founding, SolaREIT has partnered with developers and landowners across the country to support the development of hundreds of megawatts of renewable energy deployment.

“Solar development is capital intensive, and we believe this investment will deliver innovative technologies and projects that are supporting the energy transition while offering solid, long-term return potential,” said Jerry Keefe, principal with AB CarVal. “This partnership with SolaREIT scales solar and battery storage growth by delivering a full suite of financing solutions for developers, project owners and landowners.”

“AB CarVal’s deep experience in clean energy made them the perfect partner for this important work. We’re just at the beginning of the solar growth curve, and financing needs to expand to meet the need,” said Gautam Chandra, founder and managing director of SolaREIT. “We’re excited to work together with them to expand solar financing options and solutions to developers and project owners across the country.”

“We’re looking forward to partnering with AB CarVal to expand access to solar and battery storage financing at this important time. Developers and asset owners are facing a number of challenges in the current financial environment, and need access to capital and other financial solutions that are flexible and nimble,” said Laura Pagliarulo, founder and president of SolaREIT. “Our deep experience in this sector helps us understand these needs and deliver the right solution.”

The United Nations estimates that $4 trillion* must be invested annually to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Solar development is particularly land and capital intensive. Since 2017, AB CarVal has deployed over $4 billion in clean energy investments, including solar and storage hard assets, private financings, solar loans and solar asset-backed securities (ABS). SolaREIT provides solar-focused financial options to developers and project owners that monetize land and lease value and free up capital or reduce lease costs. SolaREIT financing solutions are available to solar and battery storage developers across the country. 

About SolaREIT
SolaREIT, based in Vienna, Virginia, focuses on making investments in acquiring, developing and managing climate-friendly real estate assets that support solar and battery storage projects, furthering the transformation to a low-carbon economy. SolaREIT offers practical and streamlined financing options that deliver maximum flexibility to developers, project owners and landowners based on their individual needs and financial goals, Products include land purchases, lease purchases and mortgage loans, among other innovative solutions for clients. For more information, please visit www.solareit.com.

About AB CarVal
AB CarVal is an established global alternative investment manager and part of AllianceBernstein’s Private Alternatives business. Since 1987, AB CarVal’s team has navigated through ever-changing credit market cycles, opportunistically investing $144 billion in 5,680 transactions across 82 countries. Today, AB CarVal has approximately $17 billion* in assets under management in corporate securities, loan portfolios, structured credit and hard assets. Additional information about AB CarVal may be found at www.abcarval.com.

*Source: IEA Flagship report, May 2021

**As of June 30, 2023. AUM is comprised fee-earning AUM and fee-eligible AUM. Fee-earning AUM includes those assets currently qualified to generate management fees. Fee-eligible AUM includes capital that is committed to an AB CarVal Fund but is currently uncalled or recallable. The number represented here excludes assets under AB CarVal’s management that are not generating management fees due to the maturity of the Fund but includes amounts that do not generate management fees solely due to AB CarVal’s decision not to charge management fees.

SOURCE SolaREIT

NeuroFlow’s Behavioral Health Platform Bridges the Gap Between Payers, Providers, and Consumers

SUMMIT, N.J., Sept. 6, 2023 — Concord Health Partners (“Concord” or the “Firm”), a healthcare focused investment firm, today announced an investment in NeuroFlow (the “Company”), the market leading behavioral health SaaS platform. Concord’s investment will provide NeuroFlow with capital to continue to grow the company to match the increase in demand for its solutions from hospitals and health systems, as well as within the complex payor and government agency segments. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

NeuroFlow’s platform uniquely combines AI-driven analytics, care collaboration enablement, and enterprise consumer grade activation to reduce the risks of identifying, managing, and monitoring complex behavioral health and substance use populations. NeuroFlow’s customers are empowered to integrate behavioral health across populations, and by doing so reduce the risks associated with undiagnosed and misdiagnosed behavioral health conditions. The platform takes this population intelligence and makes it actionable for providers and care managers by integrating it into the delivery workflow and providing evidence-based decision support to ensure appropriate care. Consumers are engaged through the integrated workflow, which improves consumer adherence to treatment and provides a safety net of capabilities in between clinical and non-clinical interactions.

“Concord is dedicated to partnering with the most innovative healthcare companies to enhance operational efficiencies, improve patient outcomes, and intelligently expand access to care,” said James Olsen, Founder and Managing Partner at Concord. “The need for a strong behavioral health platform that pulls together point solutions to support patients across the country has never been greater, and we believe that this technology will drive further innovation as a key solution for the overall healthcare ecosystem. This investment in NeuroFlow is a continuation of our focus and activity in the space and a multiplier to our existing mental health investments. We are excited about NeuroFlow’s differentiated approach, providing an impactful technology solution to leading health system and care delivery organization partners. We look forward to working with Chris and his team to broaden the scope and reach of their offerings, providing efficient access to quality care and moving us closer to true health care affordability.”

“Across the federal government, providers and payers are experiencing an unprecedented rise in the risk of behavioral health populations and this is challenging the status quo approach to healthcare affordability,” said Chris Molaro, NeuroFlow CEO. “Our partnership with our customers, which now includes 16M+ members, was built through strategic collaboration, which allowed us to develop our platform that is purposefully designed to address the new behavioral health risks in market, consolidate point solutions to drive efficiency, and extend care beyond the traditional setting and programs to drive improved outcomes for complex behavioral health populations. We are excited that Concord recognizes this differentiated value and we’re looking forward to our partnership.”

This investment was made out of Concord Innovation Fund II, which closed in August 2022 with $150 million in commitments. This is the 8th investment made from the fund, which builds on the Firm’s focus to support growth stage companies with innovative technologies and solutions that advance healthcare, including behavioral health.

About Concord Health Partners
Concord Health Partners is a healthcare focused investment firm with a strategic model that optimizes the alignment of interests between investors and portfolio companies. Concord has developed a broad network of strategic relationships that contribute expertise and resources, and serve as potential commercial partners to portfolio companies. Concord is primarily focused on investing in healthcare companies that have the potential to enhance the value of care through products, services, technologies, and solutions that lower costs, improve quality, and expand access to care. For more information, visit www.concordhp.com.

About NeuroFlow
NeuroFlow assesses and triages people with behavioral health conditions to get them to the right level of care, providing high-tech and high-touch support for populations that would typically fall through the cracks in today’s healthcare system. Proven to drive better clinical and financial outcomes for hundreds of leading health systems, payors, and military organizations covering 16 million individuals, NeuroFlow’s platform combines consumer engagement with enterprise-level care management software to support behavioral health at scale. To learn more, visit http://www.neuroflow.com.

Media Contacts

For Concord Health Partners
Taylor Ingraham / Steve Bruce
[email protected] / [email protected]
(203) 992-1230

For NeuroFLow
Anthony Stipa
[email protected]
(610) 420-1724

SOURCE Concord Health Partners

The pioneering celebrity-favorite snack brand’s latest funding round includes investments from Amy Schumer, Mark Wahlberg, Becky G, Post Malone, Tan France, Odell Beckham Jr., and Frances Tiafoe, as distribution expands to include prominent retailers such as Costco and Publix.

SEATTLE, Sept. 6, 2023 — Today, SkinnyDipped, the groundbreaking brand synonymous with delicious, better-for-you and anxiety-free snacks, has raised $12,000,000 in a Series A round that closed in August, 2023. Led by the Miami-based entrepreneur David Grutman, the multi-pact partnership is set to propel the brand – founded by the mother-daughter duo of Breezy and Val Griffith – into a new era of expansion, innovation and success.

This Series A, which reached capacity earlier than expected, is unique in that it is composed of individual investors as opposed to being funded by a special purpose vehicle, which would see investors pooling into a single funding entity. Dozens of individual investors contributed, with globally recognized participants including Alesso, Kevin Durant, Kaskade, Steve Aoki, Marshmello, Sebastian Ingrosso, Shep Gordon, Mack Maine, Bruno Soares, Rebeca León, Two Friends, Isabela Grutman, Ryan Tedder, Loren Ridinger, Sal XO, Joel McHale, Gary Brecka, Charissa Davidovici, Guy Oseary, Rich Kleinman, Mo Shalizi, Zepito and others.

“Our journey to this milestone has been challenging, energizing and full of passion from all involved,” says Breezy Griffith, CEO and Founder, SkinnyDipped. “But the real gift has been my discovery of just how much consumer, industry and investor sentiment exists for SkinnyDipped, for which I’m so grateful and proud. Our eclectic and diverse portfolio of investors blows my mind – from A-list artists to uber-athletes – there’s just this crazy love for the brand across the board. And to work in partnership with SD superfan David Grutman, who brings his creativity, enthusiasm and unstoppable drive to SkinnyDipped, is a total joy.”

“I am really impressed by what Breezy and Val and the SkinnyDipped team have achieved,” says David Grutman, Entrepreneur. “What they’ve created is amazing. They make the best snacks ever, first of all, and they continue to impress me with all sides of the business. I’m excited to lead this round, and I’m even more excited for what these investors and I are about to do together.”

This strategic investment round not only underscores SkinnyDipped’s national success, but also arrives in tandem with extensions into new retailers such as Costco and Publix, on top of existing partners such as Target, Kroger and others. The funding will be used to continue ongoing retail expansion, support philanthropic efforts and drive innovation as the brand readies itself to move into new and exciting spaces over the coming months. Category disruption is a SkinnyDipped specialty, as the company was the first to bring thin-dipped nuts to market: they reimagined what it means to snack, by scaling back feelings of guilty indulgence and amping up a health-forward sentiment of happiness. SkinnyDipped’s proprietary and unique products – including game-changers like Lemon Bliss Almonds, Unicorn Birthday Cake Cashews and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups – have become popular go-to snacks on account of their combined lower sugar content and irresistible flavor.

SkinnyDipped, a proven favorite in the consumer packaged goods sector, now stands poised for an unprecedented rise in exposure, recognition, and broadened market share. Launched in 2016, SkinnyDipped is currently available in over 25,000 retail doors nationwide. SkinnyDipped has won numerous awards, including placement on the Inc. 5000 ranking for multiple years running and Val Griffith being named to Forbes’ 50 Over 50 List 2023 for her inventive and creative prowess (Val’s role within the company is Chief Innovation Officer – she’s the flavor specialist, affectionately referred to as “Mama Nut”).

For more information, please visit www.skinnydipped.com and follow @SkinnyDipped on Instagram and TikTok @SkinnyDipped.

About SkinnyDipped
Based in Seattle, WA, SkinnyDipped has evolved from its kitchen table origins to one of the fastest-growing female-founded companies in the U.S. Founded by the mother-daughter duo of Breezy and Val Griffith, SkinnyDipped is committed to creating delicious, better-for-you and anxiety-free snacks comprised of less sugar – and no dirty secrets. All products are made with non-GMO ingredients, are gluten-free and Kosher and contain no artificial sweeteners, colors or flavors. All their almonds are also sourced from certified bee-friendly farms. In addition to being better for you, SkinnyDipped is also committed to doing better around the world – the company will announce an alignment in late 2023 for an ongoing, permanent philanthropic program. Available nationwide at Target, Walmart. Kroger and many more retailers, SkinnyDipped is all about empowered snacking – and never having to choose between happy and healthy. Dive into snacks with no strings attached.

Contact: The Lede Company
[email protected] 

SOURCE SkinnyDipped

Pynt automates API security testing, minimizing exposure, and saving time & effort by bridging the gap between software development and security

TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 6, 2023 — Pynt today announced the general availability of its autopilot platform for API security used by thousands of developers and security experts, as well as $6 million in Seed funding led by Joule Ventures with the participation of Dallas VC and Honeystone VC.

The use of APIs is exploding, with 83% of internet traffic today related to API services. These software interfaces enable seamless integration, propelling businesses toward success. But reliance on them has created myriads of critical vulnerabilities. API security breaches can happen anywhere, as incidents at Twitter and LinkedIn exemplify, casting a worldwide shadow over cyber defenses.

Shockingly, more than half of all APIs remain hidden from the inquisitive eyes of security teams. With developers under pressure to deliver more software, faster, in an environment of ever-increasing complexity, more often than not API testing is low on the priority list, and is often overlooked. At the same time, cybersecurity talent is in short supply, with a whopping 3.5 million unfilled jobs projected for 2025. This explosive combination leaves critical business logic vulnerable to exploitation.

Pynt enables API security by bridging the gap between developers and security experts. Its platform takes on the role of a hacker, employing human logic to generate attacks and eliminate vulnerabilities before they become exposed. By seamlessly integrating with popular API development tools and CI/CD pipelines, Pynt offers a fully automated API security solution used by thousands of developers and security experts around the world.

“API security is top of mind for security professionals and business stakeholders alike, and for good reason. Putting up an API to your application and data is like opening up doors to your castle. These doors should be both secure by design and well-guarded with the ‘door makers’ and ‘guards’ sharing the responsibility”, said Pynt Co-Founder & CEO Tzvika Shneider.

“It’s the same thing for API security: developers and security experts should share the responsibility. The problem is, developers don’t know much about security, and security people can’t be involved in development. And both already have a lot on their plate. We solve that problem by elegantly shifting left API security, improving both productivity and security. That’s why thousands of developers and security experts have been working with our platform from the get-go”.

Shneider co-founded Pynt with CTO Ori Goldberg, CSO Golan Yosef and CPO Ofer Hakimi. Pynt’s founders are all veterans in both cybersecurity and software development, having spent years in the trenches responding to large-scale incidents. It’s the same team that built the world’s 1st automotive app security solution for developers at Harman (Samsung).

Pynt offers a freemium and an enterprise version, and is already in use at companies ranging from mid-market to Fortune 500. In addition to automating the identification of API vulnerabilities during development, Pynt delivers comprehensive reports and dashboards for developers and other stakeholders, as well as actionable recommendations for addressing security issues.

“Pynt’s unique approach to securing APIs pre-production is the next logical step for the growing number of enterprises looking to embrace ‘shift left’ best practices, said Brian Rosenzweig, founding partner at Joule Ventures. “This Pynt team has an exceptional combination of experience, technical acumen, and vision and is poised to make a significant dent in the API Security market.”

Pynt has been developed in collaboration with, and is supported by, a wide range of application development and security experts. Most notably, Pynt integrates with Postman, one of the most popular API development and testing tools. Abhinav Asthana, Postman’s CEO and co-founder, is an investor in Pynt, alongside other notable angel investors such as Tamir Carmel, Boaz Chalamish, Cyber Club London, Amos Stern and Noam Lanir.

About Pynt

Pynt is a rapidly growing API security platform provider that bridges the gap between developers and security experts. Headquartered in Israel, Pynt is funded by global investors, led by Joule Ventures. For more information, visit pynt.io.

Media Contact
Lazer Cohen
347-753-8256
[email protected]

SOURCE Pynt

Agetech company equipping community-based aging care and service providers with technology to remotely engage and address day-to-day needs of thousands of older adults monthly over 30 languages across text, voice calls, and emails

NEW YORK, Sept. 6, 2023 — Blooming Health, a digital engagement and referral solution enabling service providers to engage older adults and their family members, today announced the close of an oversubscribed $4.2 million seed round. Investors include Afore Capital and Crossbeam Venture Partners, with additional investment from Chelsea Clinton’s investment firm, Metrodora, and angel investor and DoorDash Cofounder, Evan Moore.

In addition to the funding, Blooming Health also announced that Andrew Parker, founder and CEO of Papa, a unicorn agetech company offering individuals and families access to vital companionship and care, will join the company’s advisory board.

Blooming Health is an inclusive solution to equip community-based aging care providers with the technology to remotely engage and address the social needs of tens of thousands of older adults and caregiver clients in a personalized way across text, voice calls, emails, and over 30 languages. The company was co-founded by Nima Roohi, Ph.D., Kavitha Gnanasambandan, Ph.D., and Naman Gupta.

“At Blooming Health’s core is a desire to change the way society ages by providing proactive access to holistic care in an equitable way,” said Nima Roohi, Co-Founder and CEO of Blooming Health. “With the support of our investors, we are thrilled to continue growing rapidly, making key hires, and further advancing in our mission to serve as a single touchpoint for all aging-in-place needs so older adults can receive the care they need, when they need it.”

Blooming Health’s user-friendly platform addresses the vital needs of older adults and the family caregiver population, including wellness check-ins and needs detection around nutrition access, transportation and mobility, emergency preparedness, and follow-ups on the outcome of services provided to thousands of individuals every day. The platform is utilizing AI, automation, and advanced data analytics that sit on top of the telecom infrastructures to engage older adults, detect needs, and facilitate service delivery in a personalized and proactive process. As a result, Blooming Health is extending the already human resource constrained care economy and helping older adults receive the day-to-day social, healthcare, and financial support and services they need to live healthier and more independently in their communities, reducing healthcare and long-term care costs significantly in the $1 trillion aging economy.

With operations across New York, Arizona, Texas, and California, care providers have seen a three-fold increase in clients’ social engagement, while saving 15 hours per week for staff using Blooming Health’s solution. Blooming Health is expanding operations to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan and targeting to reach 1 million older adults by the end of 2024.

“With an aging population and longer lifespans, technology will play a key role in preventing aging service providers and local government officials from being overwhelmed,” said Sakib Jamal, Vice President at Crossbeam Venture Partners. “The team has already shown increased utilization of social programs among their community and government clients, and we are optimistic this impact will scale nationwide.”

“As we navigate an era marked by an aging demographic, the fusion of technology and aging services emerges as a beacon of promise,” shared Gaurav Jain, Co-founder of Afore Capital. “What caught our attention with Blooming Health is their resolute commitment to reshaping the landscape of senior care. The company’s mission to help older adults live healthy, independent lives is one that we believe in deeply. We’re honored to stand behind their journey.”

“Blooming Health is transforming the way we meet the social and healthcare needs of older adults through its platform that both enhances access to vital services and creates a more connected ecosystem for stakeholders at every level,” said Chelsea Clinton, co-founder of Metrodora Ventures. “We are proud to support Blooming Health in its mission to build a future where aging is accompanied by dignity, support, and a thriving sense of community.”

Blooming Health’s growing list of partners includes community organizations like Catholic Charities, tens of Area Agencies for Aging (AAAs), NY State Office for Aging (NYSOFA), Oak Street Health, and the AARP Foundation. With the company’s collaboration with the AARP Foundation, over the past 6 months, Blooming Health has added access to close to $10 million worth of services for older adults. This includes over 350,000 meals, and over 200,000 programs across health and wellness, education and recreation, and transportation.

About Blooming Health
Blooming Health’s mission is to power healthy aging-in-place. Blooming Health’s inclusive platform equips community-based aging care providers with the technology to remotely engage and address the social needs of tens of thousands of older adults and caregiver clients in a personalized way across text, voice calls, emails, and over 30 languages. With operations across New York, Arizona, Texas, and California, Blooming Health’s platform is helping older adults receive the day-to-day social, healthcare, and financial support and services they need to live healthier and more independently in their own communities, reducing healthcare and long-term care costs significantly in the $1 trillion aging economy. For more information, visit https://gobloominghealth.com/

About Afore Capital
Afore Capital is a VC with $300 million in AUM co-founded by Anamitra Banerji & Gaurav Jain. We support product-oriented founders building software companies at the very earliest stages. At Afore, we believe that before there’s a company, before there’s a business, there’s a product-oriented founder leading by product. The products are often raw, sometimes just rough concepts requiring a lot of imagination. They are pre-traction and pre-obvious. But they come from founders with non-obvious insights and infectious ambitions. For more information, visit https://www.afore.vc/

About Crossbeam Venture Partners
Crossbeam Venture Partners (Crossbeam) is a venture capital firm that invests in Pre-Seed to Series A startups building tomorrow’s economy. Focused on the themes of platform economies, fintech, new forms of media, and alternative sources of income, Crossbeam is built to back companies of the next-generation economy utilizing unique structures, credit, or novel business models. For more information, visit https://crossbeam.vc

About Metrodora
Metrodora Ventures is an early-stage venture firm focused on health and learning businesses.

SOURCE Blooming Health

• Women-led TRLab partners with artist foundations, estates and institutions to conceive and launch education-focused digital art experiences
• Co-founders Xin Li-Cohen and Audrey Ou have leveraged their experience with auction houses and contemporary art museums to pioneer gamified cultural experiences as part of a product vision that goes beyond current Web3 trends
• The new capital will be used to expand the 2-year-old company’s market presence worldwide and to launch concurrent projects with a global roster of artists, foundations, and institutions

NEW YORK, Sept. 6, 2023 — Fine art-focused tech start-up TRLab announces it has raised US$5 million in seed round funding, led by two investment firms at the forefront of blockchain technology innovation: Hivemind Capital Partners and OKX Ventures. HashKey Capital, a digital asset and blockchain leader, also joined the round.

The successful close marks a second major fundraising round for the women-led company, co-founded by Xin Li-Cohen, a non-executive Deputy Chairman at Christie’s, and led by CEO and co-founder Audrey Ou. TRLab was incubated by Dragonfly Capital and launched in 2021, with early-stage support from major art collectors and tech entrepreneurs, including Pace Gallery, Animoca Brands, BAI Capital, and the founders of Artsy and Shanghai’s Rockbund Art Museum (RAM).

From its locations in New York and Hong Kong, TRLab works with artists, estates, and art institutions to conceive, produce and launch digital-first art experiences for new and established collectors. To date, TRLab’s platform has hosted projects in partnership with Vogue, the Calder Foundation, contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang, and Rhizome, the digital art-focused affiliate of New York’s New Museum. Underpinning each project is TRLab’s educational approach, which uses online learning, competitive challenges, and digital collectibles to make fine art and art history more accessible to digital-centric audiences. Using this ‘play-to-learn’ approach, TRLab has introduced participants from 60 different countries to the work of modern artist Alexander Calder, as part of a multi-chapter digital partnership with the Calder Foundation that continues into 2024.

The new capital will be used to on-board additional artists, foundations, and cultural institutions onto TRLab’s platform, expand the company’s market presence worldwide, and integrate new technologies that improve the digital art collecting experience. Several new digital art experiences with prominent artists and estates are slated for release over the next six months, along with TRLab’s first-ever immersive digital art exhibition in November.

Audrey Ou, TRLab Co-Founder and CEO, said: “We are proud to have the support and commitment of Hivemind and OKX Ventures as we pioneer a new way to conceptualize and collect fine art. TRLab has always occupied a unique space among digital art and Web3 platforms, and the success of our mission-driven approach shows there is ample demand for digital-centric art experiences that foster a deeper understanding of fine art and individual artists.”

Hivemind and OKX Ventures cited TRLab’s differentiated value proposition as a key factor in their investment decisions, and plan to offer strategic support to TRLab in key markets worldwide.

Matt Zhang, Founder and Managing Partner of Hivemind Capital Partners, said: “At Hivemind, we strongly believe in the potential of long-form generative art and see the broader digital native art as the next major art genre, all empowered by blockchain technology. With TRLab’s curated vision and exceptional partnerships, they are ideally positioned to spearhead the digital art renaissance, seamlessly blending world-renowned artistry with cutting-edge technology. We’re thrilled to support Audrey, Xin, and the entire TRLab team in their mission to shape the future of digital cultural heritage.”

Jeff Ren, Partner of OKX Ventures, said, “At OKX Ventures, we recognize the transformative power of Web3 in the world of fine art. TRLab isn’t just reshaping collecting, it is pioneering a new era where Web3 technology meets timeless expression. We’re thrilled to champion this convergence.”

TRLab: 
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SOURCE TRLab