Round includes Amity Ventures, Tokio Marine Future Fund, S3 Ventures, GTM Fund, Alpha Square Group and FJ Labs

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 29, 2023 — ControlRooms.ai, the leading provider of AI-assisted troubleshooting for heavy industry, today announced that it has closed an oversubscribed $10 million Series Acontrfinancing round. The round was led by Origin Ventures, with participation from Amity Ventures, Tokio Marine Future Fund, S3 Ventures, GTM Fund, Alpha Square Group, and FJ Labs among others.

The funding will be used to accelerate ControlRooms.ai’s product development and go-to-market in the chemical, energy, and materials segments of heavy industry. ControlRooms.ai is live at industry leaders such as OCI Global and Ardagh Group.

With the ControlRooms AI-assisted troubleshooting application, teams enhance productivity, minimize downtime, and optimize resource allocation. ControlRooms.ai does not rely on pre-programmed, static rules to identify operational problems. Instead, its AI dynamically learns plant behavior on its own and surfaces issues before humans or alarms can detect them.

ControlRooms.ai is quick to set up and easy to use. Manufacturers can start seeing the value of its turnkey troubleshooting platform within a week–without changes to their current systems or lengthy consulting engagements.

“We are pleased to announce this significant funding round, which will help us make heavy industry safer, cleaner, and more productive,” said Monte Zweben, CEO of ControlRooms.ai. “We look forward to working with our new investors to execute on this mission.”

“ControlRooms.ai is a pioneering solution for heavy industry operators who have historically relied on archaic systems and processes that depend on human intuition, leading to higher-than-necessary expensive downtime and flaring,” said Prashant Shukla, partner at Origin Ventures. “We are excited to partner with Monte and Omar as they bring AI sophistication to the heavy industry software stack.”

“Troubleshooting is an all-day, every-day task for manufacturers, yet remains nearly as manual and laborious today as it was in 1980,” said Omar A. Talib, President of ControlRooms.ai. “ControlRooms.ai offers a game-changing solution that can help heavy industry reduce surprise events, minimize emissions and maximize efficiency.”

“We are excited to partner with ControlRooms.ai,” said Yuto Nash Nakanishi, Corporate Venturing Partner at Tokio Marine Future Fund. “We believe that ControlRooms.ai has the potential to revolutionize the way that energy producers operate and mitigate risk.”

“As an Austin-based fund, we’re excited to help ControlRooms.ai expand its team and customer base in Texas and the surrounding area,” said Eric Engineer, Partner at S3 Ventures.

For more information, please contact: [email protected] 

About ControlRooms.ai:
Detect Sooner, Troubleshoot Faster. ControlRooms is the AI Troubleshooting company. Our SaaS application is the first AI-assisted troubleshooting platform for heavy industry. With ControlRooms, operators and engineers can improve troubleshooting and see around corners. ControlRooms uses advanced AI to shine a light on the trends that matter and identify anomalies across plant systems. ControlRooms is headquartered in Austin, TX. Learn more at controlrooms.ai.

SOURCE ControlRooms.ai, Inc.

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 29, 2023 — Ballistic Ventures, the venture capital firm dedicated exclusively to funding and incubating entrepreneurs and innovations in cybersecurity, today announced it was named Investor of the Year in the 2023 SC Media Awards.

The SC Awards recognize leaders in cybersecurity, with the Investor of the Year category spotlighting VC firms that demonstrate unwavering support for product development and growth, steadfast commitment to the market, and deep understanding of gaps in existing technologies and services. SC Media noted the Ballistic Ventures team as “industry veterans who have a combined experience of over 40 years in the cybersecurity VC industry and have founded, funded, and operated more than 90 successful cybersecurity firms.”

Led by Founding Partners Kevin Mandia, Barmak Meftah, Ted Schlein, Jake Seid, and Roger Thornton, Ballistic Ventures announced the close of its inaugural fund in May 2022, which was capped at $300M. The firm has invested in innovative companies that challenge traditional categories of cybersecurity, including Aembit, Alethea, ArmorCode, Concentric AI, Nudge Security, Oligo Security, Pangea, Perygee, SpecterOps, Talon Cyber Security, and Veza.

“This recognition reinforces our passion for building an enduring firm that safeguards businesses and national security, while also empowering portfolio founders in realizing their ambitions,” said Ted Schlein, Co-founder and General Partner of the firm. “And we’re just getting started, which makes this recognition all the more exciting for our plans ahead.”

Portfolio Testimonials:

Lisa Kaplan, Founder and CEO of Alethea: “Ballistic has been a true partner in helping Alethea mature to provide scalable technology across a variety of sectors. The next set of threats security professionals will have to worry about is not from those who are attacking to get inside of a company’s systems, but from those who are weaponizing information to break into customer, investor, and stakeholder minds. Ballistic understands that security is more than just a firewall, and has supported Alethea’s growth through being a trusted advisor, leveraging its network to help us get our solution into the hands of clients, and helping us make sure we have the best possible team to solve one of the world’s biggest challenges.”

Oliver Friedrichs, Co-founder and CEO of Pangea: “Ballistic’s strength comes from the deep cybersecurity roots that the partners possess. Coming from a blend of both operational and experienced venture backgrounds, the team has touched almost every major innovation in the cybersecurity field over the past three decades. It’s hard to find a comparable set of investors in our space.”

Tarun Thakur, Co-founder and CEO of Veza: “Going with Ballistic will lead to a massive winning combo for any founder. Coupled with their high work ethics, the Ballistic partners and team have a founder’s mindset and are there for us every step of the way. They’ve been operators themselves, so they understand what it takes to build a company. Their depth of the cybersecurity industry cannot be beat. They also have a huge network with experienced leaders who act as coaches to founders, CEOs and their teams.”

To learn more about Ballistic Ventures, visit www.ballisticventures.com.

About Ballistic Ventures

Ballistic Ventures is a venture capital firm solely dedicated to early-stage cybersecurity and cyber-related companies. The partners have spent their entire careers defending against every cyber threat conceivable. Members of the firm have founded, operated, and funded over 90 successful cybersecurity firms – including Abnormal Security, AlienVault, Arbitrum (Offchain Labs), ArcSight, Arkose Labs, Fortify, Interos, ISS, Mandiant, and Shape Security – led over 10,000 security professionals globally, and have 40+ years of experience in venture capital. The Ballistic portfolio includes Aembit, Alethea, ArmorCode, Concentric AI, Nudge Security, Oligo Security, Pangea, Perygee, SpecterOps, Talon Cyber Security, and Veza. Our experience provides entrepreneurs impactful support from people focused on the same mission. Our networks and relationships open doors for our founders. Learn more at ballisticventures.com.

SOURCE Ballistic Ventures

UT Austin’s Discovery to Impact Program invests in Group1, a company developing advanced cathode materials that enable critical mineral-free, domestically sourced Potassium-ion batteries.

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 29, 2023 — Discovery to Impact at The University of Texas at Austin has invested $250,000 in Group1, a UT Austin-affiliated startup aiming to revolutionize the energy industry by developing Potassium-ion battery (KIB) technology. The investment will help Group1 increase its workforce, expand production capacity of their product potassium cathode material, Kristonite^™, to pilot-scale, and forge business partnerships with Tier1 cell and automotive manufacturers that wish to establish a domestic, “lithium alternative” solution.

This is the fourth investment made by UT Austin’s $10 million Seed Fund, which is managed by Discovery to Impact, the University’s research commercialization team. The fund invests in the most promising new startups built on university-owned intellectual property emerging from UT Austin’s $845 million research enterprise. It invested in Group1, an Austin-based technology company born out of the late 2019 Nobel laureate Professor John Goodenough’s lab, because of its commitment to commercialization of ground-breaking research and belief that KIBs are a credible, sustainable, and cost-effective alternative to Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).

“This investment in Group1 is a testament to the University’s dedication to expanding research commercialization across campus and leveraging the immense and growing intellectual talent of UT Austin and its affiliates,” said Christine Dixon Thiesing, Associate Vice President of Discovery to Impact. “We are a world class university located in the heart of Austin, Texas—a booming technology and innovation hub and a vibrant and dynamic city—at the forefront of the 21st century’s emerging knowledge-based economy. We are excited about our partnership with Group1, and wish the Group1 team continued success.”  

Group1 will commercially produce KIBs, an energy storage solution free of critical minerals such as Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel, and Copper, while facilitating domestic manufacturing and further strengthening U.S. energy security. Its product, Kristonite^™, a 4V cathode material — Potassium Prussian White (KPW) — enables KIBs that can deliver faster charging with enhanced safety and higher energy density when compared to Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP)-based LIBs or Sodium-ion batteries (NIB), making them the future of the energy industry. To date, Group1 has raised $7.5 million to bring KIB technology to market and is currently in the early phases of engagement with leading supply-chain partners and several of the largest and most reputable cell manufacturers, domestic and globally.

“Group1 is pleased with UT Austin’s investment into Group1. It will enable the commercialization of ground-breaking battery technology that reduces U.S. reliance on critical minerals that are chiefly sourced from conflict regions or countries suffering geopolitical unrest,” said Alex Girau, CEO and Co-founder of Group1 and an Energy Transition Fellow at the Energy Institute. “We are proud to be based in the battery capital of the world, Austin, Texas, and to further strengthen our ties with world renowned institution such as UT Austin.”

Group1 employs several UT Austin alumni and affiliates – including employees who worked at Professor John Goodenough’s famed lab, where many of today’s LIB innovations, such as LFP, were invented. Leigang Xue, Group1 Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder, invented the core KPW technology during his time at UT Austin as a Postdoctoral researcher in the Goodenough lab. In addition, he is also a Visiting Scholar at the Texas Material Institute. Group1 has further developed KIB core technology and has established a world leading IP position, which includes exclusive license from UT Austin.

“As an investor in Group1 and having been a member of the Board of Directors of the University of Texas/Texas A&M Investment Management Company (UTIMCO) for ten years, I believe deeply in this partnership’s potential to transform the U.S battery supply-chain and help solve the looming Lithium shortage,” said Kyle Bass, Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Hayman Capital. “UT has long been a world leader in developing battery technology and I am excited that Group1 will commercialize this technology in Texas.” 

For more information about Group1, visit www.group1.ai. For more information about Discovery to Impact, visit https://discoveries.utexas.edu/.

About Group1

Founded in 2021 and based in Austin, TX, Group1 is the world’s first engineered materials company focusing on the rapid commercialization of Potassium-ion batteries. The company is revolutionizing the energy industry by enabling sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective energy storage — expanding beyond the limitations of Lithium-ion batteries while building on the best of Lithium-ion technologies.

About Discovery at Impact and The UT Austin Seed Fund

Discovery to Impact at The University of Texas at Austin brings research discoveries to the marketplace to impact the world. Working with world-class inventors, investors, creators, and entrepreneurs, the Discovery to Impact team launches startups and collaborates with established businesses to accelerate new products, services, solutions, and cures. The $10 million UT Austin Seed Fund is managed by Discovery to Impact. The fund invests in the most promising new startups built on university-owned intellectual property emerging from UT Austin’s $845 million research enterprise.

Media Contact:
Helen McCarthy
[email protected]
202.420.8449

SOURCE Group1

CH4 Global will meet growing global demand for enteric methane mitigation solutions in animal agriculture.

HENDERSON, Nev., Aug. 29, 2023 — CH4 Global, Inc., a climate tech company on the path to radically reducing GHG emissions in animal agriculture, today announced it has raised US$29 million in Series B funding. The company will use the funds to build and validate the CH4 Global EcoPark™, an aquaculture and production facility that will make CH4 Global’s signature product, Methane Tamer™, at scale. 

This round, led by DCVC, DCVC Bio, and Cleveland Avenue – with participation from other investors with a strong interest in climate change – brings the total raised to date to nearly US$47 million. It also underscores market demand for safe, viable solutions to vastly reduce enteric methane from ruminant livestock.

When added to cattle feed, Methane Tamer—which uses a red seaweed (Asparagopsis)—reduces the animals’ methane emissions by up to 90% while also reducing the feed energy lost to methane emissions. With the development of its CH4 Global EcoPark, the company is poised for expansion in key markets and with key partners throughout all six inhabitable continents.

This is a key development in the fight against climate change. The 1.5 billion cows on the planet produce more than 150 million tons of methane annually — the largest single source of methane globally. At more than 12 billion tons CO₂-e per year (at an average of 100 kg methane/cow), this is a larger GHG output than from the US, the EU, and India combined. Moreover, the UN cites methane as over 80 times more impactful than CO₂ on global warming over the next 20 years. 

“We are receiving massive interest from governments, food producers and farmers of all sizes, fueling our sense of urgency that we must act now to avoid a climate tipping point. The pressure is on with new regulations and the desire to produce at a measurably lower impact. What we’ve developed at CH4 Global is what we call a CH4 Global EcoPark, which enables low-cost growth and processing of Asparagopsis,” said Steve Meller, PhD, co-founder and CEO, CH4 Global. “We are formulating our unique feed supplement products, Methane Tamer, to meet the specific needs of each cattle market segment, starting with feedlot operations, beef and dairy, as well as for grazing dairies. Eventually, we will also formulate for remote and generally unattended cattle around the world.”

“CH4 Global’s secret sauce is its product, plain and simple: the feed additive it has expertly formulated stands apart from other seaweed-based offerings,” said John Hamer PhD, Managing Partner at DCVC Bio and a member of the CH4 Global board of directors. “DCVC Bio is thrilled to back Steve and his exceptional team: they are ready to scale up a critical solution to climate change.”

“CH4 is exactly the kind of deep tech company the world urgently needs,” said Zachary Bogue, DCVC Co-founder and Managing Partner. “Their natural and proprietary solution to the vexing global problem of methane from cattle can have a material environmental impact quickly and at scale.” 

As part of this funding round, Cleveland Avenue, LLC will join the CH4 Global Board of Directors. “We are excited about the opportunity that CH4 Global represents in addressing the major global problem of methane gas emissions. Cleveland Avenue looks forward to supporting CH4 Global’s world-class team in this endeavor,” said Randall Lewis, Managing Partner at Cleveland Avenue, LLC.

Over 150 countries have signed the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to reduce methane emissions by 30%. This followed the IPCC’s May 2021 report that stated that “methane is the single biggest lever for climate change impact in the next 25 years.” According to the IPCC, methane emissions must be reduced by 45% by 2030 relative to projected levels in order to put the world on a path consistent with the Paris Agreement 1.5˚C target.

About DCVC and DCVC Bio (https://www.dcvc.com)

DCVC backs entrepreneurs using deep tech to solve problems and multiply the benefits of capitalism for everyone while reducing its cost. DCVC Bio invests in early-stage life science companies driven by deep-tech approaches.

About Cleveland Avenue (https://www.clevelandavenue.com)

Founded by Don Thompson, the former President & CEO of McDonald’s Corporation, Cleveland Avenue is a Chicago-based venture capital firm that invests in lifestyle consumer brands and technology companies that positively disrupt large and growing markets. To learn more, visit www.clevelandavenue.com.

About CH4 Global (https://www.ch4global.com)

CH4 Global, founded in 2018, is on an urgent mission to bend the climate curve, through collaboration with strategic partners worldwide. Led by a world-class team of senior business builders, scientists and entrepreneurs, the company delivers market-disruptive products that enable the food industry value chain to radically reduce GHG emissions. The company’s first innovation, Methane Tamer™ feed additives for feedlot cattle, harnesses the power of Asparagopsis seaweed to reduce enteric methane emissions by up to 90%. CH4 Global is headquartered in Henderson, NV, with current subsidiaries in Australia and New Zealand. Learn more about CH4 Global and our recent news.

Media Contacts – CH4 Global, Inc.
For press inquiries in North America, Latin America, and Europe
Charlene Moore, Public Relations Officer, and Communications Counsel
[email protected] | P: +1 725 272 5732 | M: +1 831 331 5332

For press inquiries in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand
Verity Edwards, Hughes Public Relations and Communication Counsel
[email protected] | P: 08 8412 4100 | M: 0412 678 942

SOURCE CH4 Global, Inc.

New investment, led by BIP Ventures, will accelerate product innovation to address the unique needs of large complex organizations

CHICAGO, Aug. 29, 2023 — Mediafly, the revenue enablement company, today announced an $80 million investment led by BIP Ventures with support from Boathouse Capital and Mediafly insiders. The funding will advance Mediafly’s strategy to deliver the most comprehensive revenue enablement platform, intentionally designed for large enterprises. Mediafly is used daily by top B2B go-to-market teams to engage buyers, prepare sellers, quantify value, and continuously optimize sales force performance.

Over the past 18 months Mediafly grew its customer base 164% and added new capabilities through organic innovation and the acquisition and integration of five revenue technology vendors. Mediafly is now the only provider to effectively combine enablement (content management and coaching) and intelligence (conversation and revenue) in a unified platform. The company’s platform is trusted by a vast network of sales, marketing, customer success, enablement, and operations professionals at global organizations including Nestle, ADP, Honeywell, TransUnion, Heineken, Adobe, Sealed Air and Moen.

“In this environment companies have to clear a high bar to raise money. Our investment is a resounding statement about how critical revenue enablement is and how well-positioned Mediafly is to lead the sector,” said Mark Buffington, Managing Partner of BIP Ventures. “They are the only company that has combined revenue enablement and intelligence — a game-changer for complex enterprise companies.”

Over the last five years, enterprise B2B selling has experienced significant transformation: buyers digitally self-educate, buying groups have grown, and everyone is inundated by content. This shift requires a modern approach to enablement, with personalized, immersive experiences that stand out.

Mediafly makes it easy to create and share content and is designed to scale across tens of thousands of sellers and buyers. The platform features enterprise functionality including robust user management and permissioning, stringent brand governance, effortless personalization, seamless data integration, and reliable security.

“Our mission is to help revenue teams succeed with their buyers and to positively progress the pre- and post-meeting relationship through content experiences that build trust and confidence,” said Carson Conant, Mediafly Founder and co-CEO. “We’re seeing strong demand from the enterprise segment reaffirming the need for unique solutions that address the challenges global go-to-market teams face. With this funding, we’re poised to unveil new capabilities and enriched services, equipping our customers with what they need to strengthen business relationships and increase revenue growth.”

“The days of companies putting together a pastiche of best of breed tools are well behind us,” said Mary Shea, Mediafly co-CEO. “Mediafly’s platform allows business leaders to consolidate their enablement tools by uniting content management, digital sales rooms, revenue and conversation intelligence, and value selling tools. My research shows that 75% of go-to-market leaders strongly prioritize providers that offer multiple products. Companies are tired of balancing siloed data and disconnected technologies that are expensive, difficult to maintain and result in poor user adoption.”

To learn more about bringing enterprise revenue enablement to your organization, visit Mediafly.com.

Union Square Advisors LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor to Mediafly in its financing.

About Mediafly:
Mediafly is the revenue enablement company market-facing teams rely on to plan, predict, coach, and engage at the highest levels. Our platform empowers sellers to lead with value, managers to coach at scale, leaders to forecast with confidence — and buyers to interact with personalized and dynamic content. In today’s complex, unpredictable market, top revenue teams worldwide, including Nestle, ADP, Honeywell, TransUnion, Heineken, Adobe, Sealed Air and Moen, turn to Mediafly to accelerate pipeline growth and close more deals faster. To learn more, visit www.mediafly.com.

About BIP Ventures:
BIP Ventures, the North American-focused venture capital division of BIP Capital, is one of the Southeast’s largest and most active VC firms. BIP Ventures partners with extraordinary founders to drive exceptional outcomes. Since 2007, BIP Capital has invested in the success of B2B software and tech-enabled service businesses at all stages of maturity. In addition to capital, it supports entrepreneurs with access to infrastructure, acumen, and talent that results in category-leading companies. A distinct multi-stage investment platform drives consistent top-quartile returns. For more information, visit bipventures.vc or follow BIP Ventures on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter @bipventures.

SOURCE Mediafly

NEW YORK, Aug. 29, 2023 — CobiCure Medical Technologies, a non-profit pediatric initiative, part of the Advancium Health Network, announced today its continued commitment to solving the unmet needs in pediatric medical technologies with a grant of strategic support, resources, and $2 million in funding to PolyVascular, a Houston,TX based medical device company, developing a transformative, first of its kind, non-surgical heart valve for young children suffering from congenital heart disease.

The strategic support, resources, and funding provided by CobiCure MedTech will be used to further advance the development of PolyVascular’s novel polymer heart valve towards becoming the first of its kind to demonstrate human clinical readiness. This strategic collaboration aims to accelerate this life-saving technology for children born with congenital heart defects, which affect nearly 40,000 births per year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“CobiCure’s mission, strategic ecosystem, and critical resources are a perfect match for helping PolyVascular realize their goal of eliminating invasive surgeries in children with congenital heart disease,” said Emma Moran, PhD, Director of Strategy & Development at CobiCure MedTech. “Our commitment to supporting life-changing medical devices like PolyVascular’s will fill gaps in pediatric MedTech and we look forward to the positive impact it could have on children’s lives.”

The resource and funding grant provided by CobiCure MedTech adds to the $3.5 million in grants previously secured from sources including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I and Phase II, as well as $750,000 from private funding.

“This investment from CobiCure MedTech is a testament to the progress our team has made and acknowledges the need for better solutions for children with congenital heart disease,” said founder and pediatric cardiologist, Henri Justino, MD. “We’re grateful for the trust placed in our team by CobiCure. With their support, we are one step closer to reaching this vulnerable population to improve their quality of life and offer parents greater peace of mind.”

CobiCure MedTech provides an expedited pathway to sustainable commercialization that is often out of reach for many pediatric innovators and their medical devices. The lack of investment in the field places operational, developmental, and commercial constraints on innovators, further deepening the gaps for pediatrics, thereby limiting the number of approved pediatric medical devices. The current landscape leaves the medical community with few options, ultimately placing the burden on families and hindering the child’s quality of life.

The CobiCure non-profit model is supported by strategic business and scientific advisors with world-leading commercial expertise, who are motivated to transform the industry by removing Return on Investment (ROI) as a motivator and instead prioritizing impact and immediacy. CobiCure MedTech applies deep industry knowledge and strategic expertise at any stage of the product lifecycle to support pediatric innovation from ideation, through development and regulatory affairs, to commercial execution. CobiCure MedTech is reimagining the pediatric medical device landscape to ensure that pediatric medicine has access to tools and technology that can transform the industry and positively impact children’s lives.

About PolyVascular

PolyVascular is developing a next-generation heart valve replacement for children suffering from congenital heart disease. The company’s pioneering non-surgical valve uses a novel polymer to replace faulty heart valves, reducing the need for multiple surgeries and significantly improving patients’ quality of life. For more information, visit https://polyvascular.com.

About CobiCure MedTech

CobiCure MedTech is a non-profit pediatric organization, part of the Advancium Health Network, focused on reimagining pediatric medical technology through its strategic ecosystem, critical resources, leadership and funding, ensuring that return on investment is not a determinant for bringing life-changing pediatric medical technologies to children.
For more information on how CobiCure is reimagining the pediatric technology landscape to transform lives, visit: https://advanciumhealth.org/cobicure.html

Media Contact

Kaitlyn Tuson
[email protected]

SOURCE Advancium Health Network

TORRANCE, Calif., Aug. 29, 2023 — GITAI USA Inc. and GITAI Japan Inc. (GITAI), the world’s leading space robotics startup company, has raised an additional US$15 million for the Series B Extension round. Combined with the US$30 million funding announced in May of this year, the total amount of the Series B Extension round is now US$45 million.

The additional funds raised in this round will be primarily used to achieve the following objectives:

• Business expansion in the U.S.
• Partial coverage of the lunar surface demonstration

In this round, GITAI raised funds through a third-party allotment from the following companies and funds:

Green Co-Invest Investment Limited Partnership

• Pacific Bays Fund 1 & 1A Investment Limited Partnerships (Pacific Bays Capital)
• MSIVC 2021V Venture Capital Investment Limited Partnership (MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE Venture Capital Co., Ltd.)

Additionally, GITAI secured funds through a loan from the following company:

• MUFG Bank, Ltd.

About GITAI:
GITAI is the world’s leading space robotics startup, aiming to provide safe and affordable labor in space and reduce operational costs by 100 times. GITAI is developing highly capable, safe, and reliable robots to help build and maintain satellites, space stations, lunar bases, and cities on Mars.

Company: GITAI USA Inc. (Los Angeles), GITAI Japan, Inc. (Tokyo)
CEO: Sho Nakanose
URL: https://gitai.tech/
Contact Us: [email protected]
Phone: 424-587-1787

< Press Kit >

SOURCE GITAI USA Inc.

Led by thesis-driven healthcare investor NewSpring

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Aug. 29, 2023 — AeroSafe Global (AeroSafe), the industry-leading cold chain solution provider, announced today the closure of a $43M funding round led by NewSpring, via NewSpring Health Capital, the Firm’s dedicated healthcare fund. Existing blue chip healthcare investors, including Peloton Equity, Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, Hamilton Lane, Flexstone Capital, Wave Equity Partners, and Escalate Capital, also participated in the round.  This growth capital will be used to support continued customer growth with innovative product development and increased operational capacities. 

As AeroSafe continues its quest to ensure safe, sustainable deliveries of therapeutics, so does its positive impact on the healthcare industry. More than 45 biopharma companies trust AeroSafe to help them deliver millions of shipments to hundreds of thousands of patients, providers, pharmacies, and hospital systems in 85 countries.  AeroSafe is transforming the pharma supply chain for a more reliable, sustainable future.

“We are thrilled to welcome NewSpring to the AeroSafe team,” said Jay McHarg, CEO of AeroSafe.  “With their depth of knowledge, extensive experience, and outstanding team, NewSpring is the ideal partner for AeroSafe at this time of explosive growth in existing and expanding markets.”

As part of the transaction, Pete Buzy and Kapila Ratnam, Ph.D., are joining the AeroSafe Board of Directors. Buzy is the former Chairman of Gene Therapy at Catalent, Inc., and currently serves as an Advisory Partner for NewSpring’s dedicated healthcare funds. Ratnam is a Partner of NewSpring and the Firm’s dedicated healthcare funds with over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry.

“As demand for biologics and the timely, safe delivery of temperature-sensitive therapeutics continues to skyrocket, AeroSafe is redefining cold chain solutions by increasing visibility and responsiveness to avoid costly failures that result in lost drug inventory,” said Dr. Ratnam. “Jay and his team have done a tremendous job developing a technology-enabled service to one of the pharmaceutical industry’s largest problems, and we’re thrilled to work alongside their entire team as we expand access to these critical services and take the business to new levels of growth.”

Baird acted as the exclusive placement agent and Foley Hoag acted as the legal advisor to AeroSafe.

About AeroSafe Global
AeroSafe Global is the leader in biopharmaceutical cold chain solutions, providing ‘Cold Chain as a Service’ (CCaaS) to ensure the safe, sustainable delivery and effective use of pharmaceuticals. Its comprehensive service offering includes high-tech reusable thermal packaging, outsourced supply chain services, and a temperature monitoring control tower, all part of a pay-per-turn hassle-free program.  AeroSafe Global delivers outstanding reliability with significant sustainability benefits through its industry-leading reuse program that reduces carbon usage and landfill by 65% and 90%, respectively, compared to traditional Styrofoam containers.  For additional information, please visit www.AerosafeGlobal.com. 

About NewSpring
NewSpring partners with the innovators, makers, and operators of high-performing companies in dynamic industries to catalyze new growth and seize compelling opportunities. The Firm manages over $3.0 billion across five distinct strategies covering the spectrum from growth equity and control buyouts to mezzanine debt. Having invested in over 200 companies, NewSpring brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and resources to take growing companies to the next level and beyond. Partnering with management teams to help develop their businesses into market leaders, NewSpring identifies opportunities and builds relationships using its network of industry leaders and influencers across a wide array of operational areas and industries. To learn more, visit www.newspringcapital.com.

SOURCE NewSpring

With 9x annual recurring revenue growth since 2021, Apollo.io becomes the first sales technology unicorn minted in 2023 and one of the fastest growing companies in SaaS

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 29, 2023 — Apollo.io, the leading go-to-market (GTM) solution for sales and marketing teams, announced today that it has raised $100M in Series D funding led by Bain Capital Ventures (BCV), with participation from existing investors Sequoia Capital, Tribe Capital, and Nexus Venture Partners. Following the company’s Series C in March 2022, this investment brings the company’s total funding to approximately $250 million while nearly doubling the valuation of the company at $1.6 billion.

The company has grown revenue 9x over the last two years and currently serves over three million GTM professionals at over 500,000 companies from startups to global enterprises including Qualtrics, Customer.io, and Census. This cash injection will allow it to more than double employee count to continue building the next generation of GTM.

Sales today is more challenging than ever before. The traditional go-to-market tech stack includes disparate tools that are complex to set up, difficult to integrate, cost-prohibitive to most businesses, and most importantly, offer no intelligent end-to-end GTM guidance. According to Salesforce’s 2022 State of Sales Report, sales teams use an average of 10 tools to close deals and reps say they’re only spending 28 percent of their week actually selling, with the majority of their time consumed by other tasks like deal management and data entry.

By building sales intelligence, engagement, and execution workflows on top of Apollo’s proprietary B2B buyer database, Apollo enables sales and marketing teams to operationalize their go-to-market strategy, generate pipeline, win deals, and improve team performance with AI-driven GTM guidance — all in one streamlined platform.

“In line with our mission to make world-class go-to-market solutions simple and accessible to all, we have experienced unprecedented product-led growth during a time of economic uncertainty,” said Tim Zheng, Co-Founder and CEO at Apollo. “Our investors, led by Bain Capital Ventures, bring a new level of sophistication to the table that will accelerate Apollo.io’s journey from startup to scaleup. We look forward to expanding our offering for sales professionals to effectively target, engage, and convert buyers into long-lasting customers.”

Some of the world’s largest and most influential enterprise organizations trust Apollo.io to connect and convert quickly and efficiently with key decision-makers to unlock more revenue. Apollo.io is now the No. 1 ranked Sales Intelligence and Sales Engagement solution on G2, empowering sellers to find and prioritize prospects who are actively looking to buy.

“Tim and the Apollo team have built a remarkable B2B platform that we believe will redefine the next generation of go-to-market sales,” said Merritt Hummer, Partner at Bain Capital Ventures. “Once companies experience Apollo’s buyer database coupled with powerful automation tools for lead generation and beyond, they’re hooked. We see the company providing the foundation for GTM teams everywhere in the future, driving direct sales at an unprecedented scale.”

Apollo.io’s success and position in the market has led to an influx of world-class tech talent, recently adding Leandra Fishman as Chief Revenue Officer from Intercom and SendGrid/Twilio, Dzmitry Markovich as SVP of Engineering from Dapper Labs and Dropbox, and Shek Viswanathan as a Chief Product Officer from Qualtrics. Having more than doubled headcount in 2023, Apollo.io plans to grow to 1,000 team members by 2025 across engineering, marketing and sales, design, product, legal, and people operations — an increase of 122 percent. The company is remote-first, employing 450 team members who are fully distributed across 30 countries globally. Apply to join the Apollo.io team today.

• “Apollo.io has built the ideal unified GTM platform — from data to engagement to deal execution to forecasting — and is in a fabulous position to combine Generative AI with their B2B buyer database to optimize and ultimately re-invent sales software.” Sonya Huang, Partner at Sequoia Capital
• “It has been a privilege for us to be part of Apollo.io’s journey since inception and see them disrupt the sales-tech space. Apollo.io is democratizing access to intelligent go-to-market software globally. It’s becoming one of the most ubiquitously used platforms across categories. Apollo.io’s intuitive self-serve product along with user-friendly pricing has helped expand its reach beyond sales professionals and tech businesses. We love the Apollo.io team’s obsession with delighting users and maximizing consumer surplus. The new round will help the company further invest in R&D and make its product even more powerful.” – Abhishek Sharma, Managing Director at Nexus Venture Partners

Sign up for free at www.apollo.io.

About Apollo.io
Apollo.io is the leading go-to-market solution for revenue teams, trusted by over 500,000 companies and millions of users globally, from rapidly growing startups to some of the world’s largest enterprises. Apollo.io provides sales and marketing teams with easy access to verified contact data for over 270 million B2B contacts, along with tools to engage and convert these contacts in one unified platform. By helping revenue professionals find the most accurate contact information and automating the outreach process, Apollo.io turns prospects into customers.

About Bain Capital Ventures
Bain Capital Ventures (BCV) is a multi-stage VC firm investing across four core domains—fintech, application software, infrastructure, and commerce-tech. Leveraging the unique resources of Bain Capital, we deploy targeted support at every stage of the company-building journey. For over 20 years, BCV has helped launch and commercialize more than 400 companies including Attentive, Bloomreach, Docker, DocuSign, Flywire, LinkedIn, Mirakl, and Redis. You can follow us on Twitter @BainCapVC.

SOURCE Apollo.io