The additional financing supports the further development of its suite of advanced personalized health tests and expansion into key nationwide retailers such as CVS

BELLEVUE, Wash., Aug. 18, 2023 — Viome Life Sciences, a longevity company committed to translating scientific advancements into practical and individualized health solutions, today announced the successful closure of its $86.5 million oversubscribed Series C funding round. Major investors include Khosla Ventures, Bold Capital, WRG Ventures, and other existing ones as well as new ones. The raise brings Viome’s total to $175M and will be used to support research and development and retail expansion efforts.

Today also marks the launch of Viome’s groundbreaking Gut Intelligence Test into 200 CVS locations nationwide. It will be the first-ever gut test available in the national retail chain both online and in-store, underscoring the test’s strong consumer demand and the need for health optimization tools. This news comes off the heels of Viome’s Oral Health Solutions announcement last month which applied its holistic approach and proprietary RNA sequencing technology to usher in a new era of oral health with an emphasis on prevention and long-term care.

“In a world where healthcare has often been reactive, treating symptoms and targeting diseases only after they manifest, Viome is pioneering a transformative shift by harnessing the innate power of food and nutrition. Our mission is not just to prolong life but to enrich it, enabling everyone to thrive in health and vitality,” said Viome Founder & CEO Naveen Jain. “At Viome, we’re empowering our customers with an individualized nutrition strategy, cutting through the noise of temporary trends and one-size-fits-all advice. We’re on a journey to redefine aging itself, and we’re invigorated by the support of our investors and customers. Together, we’re building pathways to wellness that hold the potential to enhance the lives of billions of fellow humans across the globe.”

Viome’s unique perspective on health goes against a one-size-fits-all diet and uses science to compute the optimal outcome for each consumer based on their unique human and microbial gene expressions. Today’s nutritional practices do not account for our biochemical individuality and are contributing to the onset and progression of many chronic diseases. Viome’s data-driven approach is highly individualized and doesn’t rely on generic nutritional guidelines that treat all humans as similar. Utilizing AI and advanced algorithms to analyze the world’s largest gene expression data from over 600,000 samples, Viome has developed at-home tests and custom-made health products to provide each individual with precise nutrition their body needs. This includes a supplement formula made unique to every single individual as well as a personalized  biotic blend for gut health and personalized  oral biotic lozenges, for oral microbiome health.

“We made the strategic decision to invest in Viome, recognizing the groundbreaking fusion of its one-of-a-kind RNA technology with state-of-the-art AI. Coupled with an unparalleled repository of biological data, this synergy doesn’t just hint at a revolution; it marks the dawn of a new era in healthcare. The promise here is staggering: the very prevention of an epidemic wave of chronic diseases, spanning mental, metabolic, cognitive, and digestive health,” said Robbie Schwietzer, Partner at Khosla Ventures. “Our partnership with Viome isn’t just an investment; it’s a commitment to medical innovation. We’re not merely excited; we’re inspired and resolved to continue supporting Viome as they sculpt the future with revolutionary products that will redefine the paradigms of health, from early-stage cancer diagnostics to personalized nutrition solutions that respond to the individual’s unique biological signature.”

Viome was founded in 2016 and is backed by a team of world-class industry experts, translational scientists, nutritionists, researchers, doctors, and advisors focused on a single mission: to improve health by delivering scientific breakthroughs that address the root causes of chronic diseases, cancer, and aging. Viome believes that by further understanding the way the microbiome interacts uniquely with every individual, it can empower individuals with insights and actionable recommendations that are needed to live a long and healthy life.

The Series C funding round represents a significant milestone for Viome, showcasing its position as a leader in science-backed, personalized health solutions. For more information about Viome and its solutions, please visit www.viome.com.

About Viome
Viome is a pioneering longevity and preventative healthcare company committed to bridging the gap between scientific breakthroughs and their practical implementation as health solutions. Utilizing cutting-edge AI and the world’s largest gene expression database, Viome’s home-based tests offer individuals personalized nutritional guidance and innovative microbiome health products to enhance both lifespan and healthspan.

Viome has empowered over half a million users with its unique approach that marries groundbreaking proprietary RNA sequencing methods with AI technology. This combination analyzes epigenetic biomarkers, providing robust, AI-driven health insights that contribute significantly to promoting a healthy lifespan.

Together with its top-tier precision nutrition recommendations, Viome offers a comprehensive and personalized solution to aging – at its optimum. This is more than just health optimization, it’s a revolution in understanding how we age and enabling us to do so with vitality and wellness.

SOURCE Viome

BERKELEY, Calif., Aug. 18, 2023 — Venteur, the digital health startup helping companies provide personalized health insurance options to their employees, has closed a seed funding round at $7.6 million. The funding is led by GSR Ventures, with participation by Headwater VC, Revelry Venture Partners, Houghton Street Ventures, Plug and Play, Techstars, CRCM Ventures, and various strategic angels.

Venteur enables businesses to empower their employees with control over their own health care by offering an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA). Using Venteur’s platform, employers provide pre-tax dollars to buy health insurance. Employees receive a digital wallet and are invited to Venteur’s marketplace to shop for health insurance coverage. The marketplace is powered by proprietary AI decision support tools, which leverage 30 years of medical claims data to make personalized suggestions on the best health plans for each employee. 

“The ability to choose and keep our health insurance plan saved my dad’s life,” said Stacy Edgar, CEO and co-founder of Venteur. “Our goal is to bring this same health care decision-making control to all Americans. As we scale, the power of Venteur’s model is that it fundamentally re-aligns financial incentives, so that the whole health care system is aligned to serving consumers instead of intermediaries.”

Led by sibling co-founders Stacy and Tim Edgar, Venteur is building the health insurance system of the future. The sibling team was motivated to start the company after growing up amid their parents’ 30-year struggle with health insurance costs.

“Traditional group health insurance models entrust your employer as the fiduciary and guardian of your health,” said Tim Edgar, Venteur’s Chief Technology Officer. “You’re giving them permission to change what doctor you go to and what prescriptions you can afford. When you rely on specific doctors and specific prescriptions and specific support structures to keep you alive, why trust that to someone else?”

Venteur’s concierge-style ICHRA experience has been especially popular among larger employers, in addition to small businesses. Early customers emphasize how the staggering cost-savings from the ICHRA model have enabled them to avoid layoffs and save jobs. Venteur estimates that the ICHRA model can save more than 5,000 employers – representing a total workforce of 20 million employees — at least $250 per employee per month while at the same time allowing them to provide more robust health insurance coverage to their workforce.

“There’s been a shocking lack of innovation in the health insurance space alongside a need for a platform that offers the modern employee more control over their insurance coverage,” said Yuechen Zhao, partner at GSR Ventures.”Venteur is helping to transform how employers will provide health insurance to their employees in the future, and we’re are excited to help make that transformation happen.”

Matt Miller of Headwater VC and Managing Director of the United Healthcare Accelerator program echoed Zhao’s sentiment, saying, “The healthcare system should support every person and their unique situation, and platforms like Venteur are helping us move swiftly in that direction.”

About Venteur

Venteur helps companies offer their employees a selection of personalized, high-quality health benefits that work best for them. Since launching in 2021, Venteur has offered ICHRA solutions that give employees more say-so in their own health care options and give employers predictability in their benefits budget and control over costs. Venteur is building a better benefits system that provides the coverage employees want at a price point small businesses can afford. For more information, visit https://www.venteur.com/

SOURCE Venteur

• Investment from leading VC firms follows significant revenue growth from $10 million in January 2021 to over $400 million today.
• Teamshares has brought employee ownership to 84 small businesses, creating 2,100 new employee owners in 29 states and 42 industries.

NEW YORK, Aug. 18, 2023 — Teamshares Inc., the market leader for small business employee ownership, announced today it raised a cumulative $245M in previously unannounced equity from leading venture capital firms, including a recent $124 million Series D financing. The Series D round was led by Frank Rotman at QED Investors, with significant participation from existing investors Inspired Capital, Khosla Ventures, Slow Ventures, Spark Capital, and Union Square Ventures.

QED invested in back-to-back growth rounds as the company launched its neobank and began development on charge cards and insurance products for Teamshares’ network of employee-owned businesses. The Series D financing helps Teamshares further scale its model nationally and accelerate product development.

Teamshares is an employee ownership platform for small business, driven by proprietary software, education, and financial products. Its mission is to create $10 billion of new wealth for employees through stock ownership. The company buys traditional small businesses from retiring owners to make them 80% employee-owned within 20 years, and provides the companies with new leadership, financial education, equity management software, and financial products. The companies will be permanently owned by employee shareholders and Teamshares, and never need to be sold again.

“We founded Teamshares after a decade of hard-won experience running small businesses, delivering education at scale, and executing M&A transactions,” said Michael Sutherland Brown, Cofounder and CEO of Teamshares. “American small businesses rarely transition within a family anymore and face a 70% failure rate when trying to sell. Teamshares provides retiring owners with a financial exit and a legacy of employee ownership, while also preserving jobs and creating stock wealth for hard-working small business employees.”

“Teamshares is a unique company with a huge addressable market,” said Frank Rotman, Cofounder and Chief Investment Officer of QED Investors. “It combines an unmatched customer value prop and a compelling business model with an authentic social mission: employee ownership. Transitioning stock ownership from a single business owner into the hands of employees matches the shifting preferences of society. Employee ownership aligns the interests of all stakeholders and makes companies and people better off financially.”

Teamshares has grown from 4 companies with $10 million of revenue in January 2021 to 84 companies with over $400 million as of July 2023, creating 2,100 new employee owners in 29 states and 42 industries. The company believes employee ownership works in all industries, as illustrated by the broad cross-section of the American economy who have chosen Teamshares as their succession plan, with an average age of 30 years, including:

• Brad’s Service Center, an auto service business in Western Massachusetts
• Boxes4U, a packing material distributor in Plano, Texas
• Central Texas Plumbing, in Waco, Texas
• Don & Millie’s, a fast-food restaurant chain in Nebraska
• Horn Photo, a specialty retailer in Fresno, California
• Julia’s Homestyle Bakery, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee
• Maggie’s Organics, a sock and apparel company in Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Runkle’s, a notary, tag, and title retail chain in Central Pennsylvania
• PlanForce, an architecture and design firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Select Sand & Gravel, an aggregates distributor in Texas
• Thielen Meats, a butcher shop with nationally famous bacon in Pierz, Minnesota
• Wright Way Cleaning & Restoration, in the Seattle–Tacoma, Washington area

Teamshares’ win-win business model attracts talented presidents with strong business backgrounds to lead the companies as they transition to employee ownership. Leaders have joined as Teamshares presidents from a wide variety of leading organizations including Amazon, BCG, Deloitte, Tesla, USAA, Walmart, and branches of the U.S. military.

“USV has invested in every Teamshares round since co-leading their Series A because of their potential to be a generationally important company for small business and the broader American economy,” said Rebecca Kaden, Managing Partner at USV. “As a highly trusted brand that broadens access to capital, knowledge, and well-being via its employee ownership platform and network of companies, Teamshares was a good fit for USV’s investment thesis. We have been impressed with the company’s growth and execution since first investing in March 2020.”

“I founded Maggie’s Organics 30 years ago, with a commitment to treat people and the planet with care, and to try to always do the right thing,” said Bená Burda, former owner of Maggie’s Organics, now a Teamshares network company. “Transferring ownership of my life’s work to my employees seemed the natural next step to solidify my legacy and impact for future generations.”

About: Teamshares Inc. is an employee ownership platform for small business, driven by proprietary software, education, and financial products. Its mission is to create $10 billion of new wealth for employees through stock ownership. The company buys traditional small businesses from retiring owners to make them 80% employee-owned within 20 years, and provides the companies with new leadership, financial education, equity management software, and financial products. Teamshares is the market leader for small business employee ownership, with 84 companies acquired to date and over $400 million of consolidated revenue. Founded in 2019, the company has 140 employees across the U.S. and Canada. Learn more at https://www.teamshares.com/

For all press inquiries: [email protected]

Press kit and assets: here

SOURCE Teamshares Inc

• Team of women’s healthcare visionaries builds a comprehensive virtual clinic through a whole-person care model for menstruation through menopause
• Available through health plans and employer benefit plans, Visana leapfrogs narrowly focused women’s health point solutions with quality longitudinal medical care from Visana-trained doctors and nurse practitioners
• Visana’s best-in-class clinical model caters to complex women’s health conditions without driving unnecessary spend for patients and payers
• Flare Capital Partners and Frist Cressey Ventures co-led oversubscribed seed financing

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 17, 2023 — Visana Health, a virtual-first comprehensive women’s health clinic, today announced the close of $10.1 million in seed funding co-led by Flare Capital Partners and Frist Cressey Ventures. Also participating in the oversubscribed round are InHealth Ventures, Oxeon Partners, Pixel Perfect Ventures, Venture Investors, and others. Visana’s investors and the organizations they represent comprise over 30 of the nation’s leading healthcare organizations. They recognize that evidence-based, digital platforms like the one Visana offers are the best way to provide the comprehensive, clinical, and value-focused care women so desperately need.

Visana provides whole-person, inclusive clinical care for a wide range of women’s health conditions, including: menopause, endometriosis, fibroids, PCOS, contraception, UTIs, and more. Available in all 50 states through health plans and employer benefit plans, Visana offers quality longitudinal medical care from Visana-trained doctors and nurse practitioners.

On average, Visana’s patients have more than three co-morbidities, representing high-cost cases that demand comprehensive and coordinated management. Through a value-based care model, Visana has improved patient outcomes, demonstrated a 4:1 ROI for health plan and employer partners, and created a world-class experience tailored for women, as illustrated by its patient NPS of +90.

“Most women’s health solutions focus narrowly on maternity and fertility, missing the mark for the 90% of women who aren’t actively building a family,” said Shelly Lanning, co-founder and president, Visana. “We built Visana to provide women with in-depth care for all phases of life.”

The typical clinical model for women’s healthcare today leads to underdiagnosis, delayed treatment, and ineffective, expensive procedures. Visana offers the first and only tech-enabled clinical model that enhances patient care by seamlessly integrating high-touch technology and data-driven insights that lead to more efficient diagnoses, personalized treatment plans and improved health outcomes, including a reduction in the number of unnecessary costly surgeries. Visana’s evidence-based clinical care team model was developed by Chief Medical Officer Dr. Barbara Levy, a renowned and experienced physician who is a passionate advocate for health equity and building care teams that improve the quality of women’s health across all phases of life.

“Our enterprise partners are committed to providing quality care to women, but are experiencing point solution fatigue and frustration at the lack of meaningful improvement in patient outcomes. They view Visana as a complete solution that is uniquely able to engage women where they are and deliver evidence-based care in a seamless model that is proven to reduce costs,” said Joe Connolly, co-founder and CEO, Visana. “We plan to use this funding to develop and build on existing relationships with national health plans and Fortune 500 companies that need a comprehensive solution for women’s healthcare to support the well-being of their female employees and beneficiaries, and contribute to a healthier, more productive workforce and community.”

Margaret Malone, principal at Flare Capital Partners, and Olivia Capra, principal at Frist Cressey Ventures, will join the Visana Board of Directors.  

Investor Comments
“Visana is able to significantly move the needle on clinical outcomes improvement, where we have seen other disparate solutions falling short,” said Margaret Malone, principal, Flare Capital Partners. “The Visana model is a critical partner to existing incumbents in the market that may be more narrowly focused in terms of scope, customer, and clinical services.”

“We are thrilled to support Visana in its next stage of growth,” said former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist M.D., co-founder and partner of Frist Cressey Ventures. “The health of women and their care experience has long been overlooked. Visana’s virtual clinical care model shows impressive outcomes while reducing costs for employers and health plans. Visana will transform the way women access and receive care.”

About Visana Health
Visana Health is a virtual-first women’s healthcare company that provides comprehensive, whole person, coordinated care from menstruation through menopause. The company’s clinical model is designed to delight women and help achieve their optimal health while reducing the total cost of care. Learn more at: www.visanahealth.com

About Flare Capital Partners
Flare Capital Partners is the leading early-stage healthcare venture capital firm advancing innovation-driven companies to improve positive health outcomes, broaden care access, and lower healthcare costs. We partner with exceptional founders solving healthcare’s hardest challenges, supporting each with our deep sector expertise, unparalleled industry resources, and proven access to commercial opportunities. Our team of established investors and senior operating executives has invested in 50+ companies and has nearly $1 billion in assets under management. To learn more about Flare Capital Partners, please visit flarecapital.com or follow us on Twitter @flarecapital

About Frist Cressey Ventures
The Frist Cressey Ventures mission is simple: to transform healthcare to improve lives. We invest in technology and service businesses with viable solutions that improve quality of care, system integration, patient outcomes and population health and well-being.

We focus our time and attention on three key areas: recruiting top talent, connecting partnerships with our deep industry network and executing our partnerships’ plans to improve healthcare.

Media contact:
[email protected]

SOURCE Visana Health

• The funding was led by Signals.VC, DI Technology, and Speedinvest.
• Mercanis enables more than 40% process cost savings through simplified procurement processes and was recently recognized as a Gartner® Cool Vendor™.
• Funding will be used for R&D, the AI-powered procurement platform, customer growth, and team expansion.

BERLIN, SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 17, 2023 — Mercanis, a Berlin-based start-up announces the completion of its latest seed funding of $10M. The round was led by  institutional funds such as Singals.VC, DI Technology, and Speedinvest. Successful entrepreneurs and well known angels such as  Dr. Ulrich Piepel, Dr. Marcell Vollmer, Mirko Novakovic (Instana), Victor Jacobsson (Klarna) also played a significant role. Mercanis sets itself apart from competitors with its easy-to-use sourcing and supplier management tools. These tools leverage networking benefits and automated processes to save more than 40% of the costs.

Fabian Heinrich, CEO and Co-Founder of Mercanis stated: “We’re immensely grateful for the trust shown in this funding round. It underscores the vital role of forward-thinking procurement software in today’s economic landscape. In these challenging times marked by inflation and recession, Mercanis doesn’t just facilitate growth. Our solution delivers cost and time efficiencies, while also offering a robust defense against risks for our clients.” 

Mercanis was founded in 2020 by Fabian Heinrich and Moritz Weiermann. By using data insights and Artificial Intelligence the startup strives to reshape how businesses make purchasing decisions and interact with service providers. Following the successful seed funding round, Mercanis plans to catalyze growth and innovation by using the investment for the core areas. The primary focus will be on product development, including further exploiting the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the Mercanis procurement suite. The software already uses large language models (LLMs) in contract analysis and autonomous sourcing. Beyond product innovation, a portion of the funding will be channeled towards expanding Go-to-Market strategies, with an aim to share more success stories and broaden the customer base.

Dr. Daniel Kirchleitner, General Partner signals.vc, affirmed:

“Given the macro challenges and the center stage role procurement is supposed to take today, there is no other software platform trying to solve this issue as they are. Not only with their combination of process automation, predictive analytics and AI, but more importantly with its suite approach, Mercanis delivers a unique compounded product value to its customers.”

The current macroeconomic challenges as well as the inflation have added to the financial burden companies are carrying and make the implementation of revolutionary technologies even more crucial. Sven Novak, Director Global Indirect Procurement at Amer Sports, has noted how Mercanis’ software brings efficiency and transparency to organizations, emphasizing that during times of crisis, it allows companies to scale capabilities in a lean manner. Mercanis is already a trusted partner for global giants like Linde, Wilson, Arcteryx, Hypoport, and prominent Mittelstand players such as weinor, Oventrop, Frutiger.

About Mercanis:

Founded in 2020 by Fabian Heinrich and Moritz Weiermann, Mercanis has rapidly established itself as a leading procurement suite solution that specializes in sourcing and supplier management. Leveraging their expertise, the company serves a wide array of distinguished clients, including Linde, Wilson, Frutiger, and Hypoport. Mercanis aims to transform procurement by offering a comprehensive set of products emphasizing on four key areas: Spend Analytics, Sourcing & Request Events (RFx), Supplier Management (SRM), and Contract Management. This unique approach positions Mercanis at the forefront of digital procurement, enabling companies to reap significant savings through network effects and automation. Their innovative work is not only supported by well-known investors such as Plug and Play Tech Center, SpeedInvest, DI Technologies and Signals.vc, but has also recently earned recognition as a Gartner® Cool Vendor™.

Learn more about Mercanis:

https://www.mercanis.com 

Press contact:

Sofia Katsikis
Mercanis GmbH
Greifswalder Str. 208
10405 Berlin
press@mercanis.com
+49 (0) 17673501792

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1942219/Mercanis_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Mercanis

Upcoming mainnet launch will end fragmentation in the blockchain sector through support for chain-agnostic and universal smart contracts that access and manage all blockchains such as Ethereum, Polygon, BSC, and even non-smart contract blockchains such as Bitcoin and Dogecoin.

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 17, 2023 — ZetaChain, the layer-one blockchain that brings universal interoperability to crypto, has closed a $27 million equity funding round from a range of top participants. The participants in the equity round include Blockchain.com, Human Capital, VY Capital, Sky9 Capital, Jane Street Capital, VistaLabs, CMT Digital, Foundation Capital, Lingfeng Capital, GSR, Kudasai, Krust, and others.

ZetaChain started in 2021 and has close to 150 contributors from all over the world. Some of the core contributors include Ankur Nandwani (ex-Coinbase, Brave, 0x, and co-founder of Basic Attention Token), Panruo Wu (early contributor to THORchain), and Brandon Truong (ex-BuzzFeed, Udacity, Yada). Other core members include former employees of Cosmos, Ignite, Consensys, and multiple other blockchain projects.

ZetaChain’s mission is to establish a new standard for blockchain interoperability and enable users to manage all of their assets and data from a single platform, regardless of the blockchain they were created or stored on and without the need for bridges or wrapped tokens. This includes non-smart contract chains like the Bitcoin network and Dogecoin. Standardized interoperability provides developers with significant advantages as they can manage a single contract for all chains and reduce the attack surface. ZetaChain’s Ethereum Virtual Machine compatible smart contract layer and omnichain toolkit empower developers to seamlessly implement Bitcoin smart contracts. This unlocks a whole world of users who were previously solely in Bitcoin, enabling them to utilize their Bitcoin within the broader DeFi ecosystem.

The ZetaChain ecosystem is thriving, with more than 27,000 dApp contracts currently deployed on the platform. These represent a diverse range of third-party decentralized applications, including cross-chain DeFi, NFTs, universal web3 social, identity, and gaming protocols. Already, more than 1.7 million users have participated on the ZetaChain testnet, which has seen over 13 million transactions completed to date.

“ZetaChain’s purpose is to simplify managing assets and data across multiple blockchains, which remains a complicated and fragmented process that’s hindering hundreds of millions of new users joining the web3 ecosystem,” said Ankur Nandwani, ZetaChain core contributor. “Our EVM-compatible cross-chain smart contracts alleviate these issues by allowing decentralized app developers to build services that are faster, more secure, and easy to use.”

Built on top of the Cosmos SDK and Tendermint Consensus, which provide fast block time and instant finality, ZetaChain aims to overcome the limitations of traditional cross-chain solutions like bridges that rely on centralized trust models, making them susceptible to security breaches. Instead, ZetaChain operates as a transparent Proof-of-Stake blockchain, ensuring complete transparency, verifiability, and trust-minimized functionality for all transactions and activities, including cross-chain transactions.

SOURCE ZetaChain

NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2023 — As banks grapple with the imminent rollout of Basel 3.1 and the repercussions of recent banking failures, including Silicon Valley Bank’s struggles, Suade, a leading figure in regulatory technology, is investing $20 million to reinforce its presence in the US and Canada.

Suade’s solution addresses the burgeoning need for advanced reporting systems, as financial institutions wade through an ever-evolving regulatory terrain. This move is both a response to the increased demand for their groundbreaking solutions and a pledge to support North American banks.

Diana Paredes, Suade’s CEO, remarked, “The upcoming Basel 3.1 framework underscores the urgency for banks to adopt agile and precise reporting systems. Our investment in US and Canadian growth is not just about expansion; it’s a testament to our commitment to supporting the financial industry as it grapples with evolving regulatory requirements.”

Bill Coen, ex-chair of the Basel committee and now an integral part of Suade’s board and advisory team, concurs. “The magnitude of regulatory changes is pressing banks to seek more efficient reporting methods. Suade’s expertise places it at the pinnacle of this transformation, ensuring financial institutions remain both compliant and competitive.“

Banks are increasingly under the microscope, expected to adhere to stringent reporting standards without sacrificing operational efficiency. Suade’s cutting-edge technology provides an answer, allowing institutions to streamline their reporting processes, stay compliant, and ultimately better serve their stakeholders.

This infusion of funds underscores Suade’s intent to remain at the forefront of the regtech evolution, poised to tackle the flux in the financial sector.

About Suade:
Founded in 2014, Suade is a RegTech firm offering Regulation-as-a-Service to automate regulatory reporting and compliance for financial institutions. Its data-driven approach to regulation, as well as its use of innovative technology such as natural language processing and machine-learning, has distinguished Suade as a global leader in the industry. It has received numerous awards and titles, including being recognised as a Global Innovator by the World Economic Forum. Suade has the fastest system in the market. It services financial institutions all over the world and operates globally in offices across the UK, Europe, North America, and Asia.

For insights and details, visit https://Suade.org

https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2188460/Suade_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Suade

Fifth Growth Fund Joins D’Amelio Brands in a Strategic Partnership to Introduce D’Amelio Foods to Their Brand Portfolio

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 17, 2023 — D’Amelio Brands, a new venture and cross-platform company created by entrepreneurs Marc and Heidi, and social media phenoms Dixie and Charli, announced today a $5M strategic investment from the consumer-focused media and tech firm, Fifth Growth Fund (FGF). This round of capital will fuel the company’s expansion into the Food & Beverage sector, with the imminent launch of D’Amelio Foods. 

“D’Amelio Brands’ expansion into the Food & Beverage sector, fueled by FGF’s investment, is a significant step in our journey of continuing to launch socially conscious brands that resonate with our audience,” said Marc D’Amelio, CEO of D’Amelio Brands. “Some of our family’s best memories are made at home, in the kitchen or snacking in the family room. The products we plan to launch under D’Amelio Foods are inspired by our favorite flavors and snacks. We’re excited for people to try them out and create lasting memories of their own.”

D’Amelio Foods will offer an array of high-quality, flavorful, and accessible snacks, with the first product hitting shelves nationwide this fall. With the goal of creating unique flavors and a desire to transform everyday snacking into a joyful experience, the D’Amelio family will be intimately involved in product development and formulation, as well as marketing, brand building, and fulfillment.

As part of this strategic partnership, FGF partner Royce Wilson will join the Board of Directors at D’Amelio Brands. Simultaneously, D’Amelio Brands will work closely with Trusted Influence, a forward-thinking company that bridges the gap between retail and the creator economy. Trusted Influence has partnered with D’Amelio Brands and FGF in this endeavor, playing an integral role in developing the brand, sourcing, and brokering strategic retail deals for nationwide distribution.

“I am excited to join the Board of Directors at D’Amelio Brands and support their expansion into the Food & Beverage sector. This collaboration between D’Amelio Brands, Fifth Growth Fund, and Trusted Influence represents a truly innovative approach to product creation and distribution,” said Royce Wilson. “With the D’Amelio family’s ability to identify Gen Z’s unique tastes and preferences, this venture promises to bring fresh, high-quality, exciting products to the marketplace. We’re not just investing capital; we’re investing in the future of consumer goods and the evolution of how brands connect with their audience.”

The announcement of D’Amelio Foods follows the company’s first-ever brand venture, D’Amelio Footwear, which debuted in May 2023. D’Amelio Footwear’s collection features a range of styles, including boots, platform slides, sneakers, pumps, sandals and more, designed with style, comfort, and quality in mind. To learn more about D’Amelio Footwear, visit https://www.dameliofootwear.com. 

ABOUT THE D’AMELIO FAMILY
The D’Amelio family, referred to as the “first family of TikTok” by The Guardian have quickly become digital phenomenons. The family social media megastars have a combined social following of over 400 million and a successful TV show on Hulu (season 3 coming later this fall). The dynamic sister duo, 19-year-old Charli and 21-year-old Dixie are the most watched faces of their generation. Charli is the leading female TikTok creator, her bubbly personality, combined with her impeccable dance skills and social media sensibility, has catapulted her to stardom by captivating the screens of teens and adults worldwide. 

The sister duo continues to make their mark in the fashion industry collaborating with brands like Valentino, Prada, Burberry, and PUMA. They even have launched their own clothing brand, Social Tourist. Their parents, Marc and Heidi, continue to encourage that they all use their platforms for good and to create positive change in the world. Marc leads by example, continuously shining light on causes that are important to the family, while balancing his professional career as an apparel entrepreneur and advisor in the sports industry. Full-time mom, Heidi, who previously pursued a career as a model and personal trainer, but now is an esteemed mother (who constantly oversees her family’s demanding schedules) continues to pursue her own passions in wellness, fitness, and philanthropy. 

In May of 2023, they launched D’Amelio Footwear, which is their first endeavor under their most recent family venture, D’Amelio Brands. D’Amelio Brands was formulated using the family’s unparalleled marketing and business knowledge combined with their unique understanding and connection to fans around the globe. The company’s goal is to empower small and diverse businesses, launching brands that resonate with their audience and reflect their ever-changing interests. The family plans to roll out even more brands & products this year. 

ABOUT D’AMELIO BRANDS
D’Amelio Brands was formulated in 2022 – using the family’s unparalleled marketing and business knowledge combined with their unique understanding and connection to fans around the globe. The company’s goal is to create authentic and accessible products across a variety of industries, from fashion, beauty to CPG and lifestyle, and bring it under one roof, allowing each member of the family to fully immerse themselves in all areas of product development. D’Amelio Brands find ideas, concepts, and products that they are passionate about and incubate them – creating things with their family intellectual property that they own with their investors one hundred percent.

In September, D’Amelio Brands announced a $6M seed round from an accomplished group of diverse investors and business advisors, including:

• Co-Founder, serial entrepreneur, and operator Richard Rosenblatt
• Internet entrepreneur and business executive Michael Rubin
• Developer and e-commerce entrepreneur Elena Silenok
• Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services Eddy Cue
• Chief Executive Officer of Lions Gate Entertainment Jon Feltheimer
• Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning media entrepreneur and visionary producer Ben Silverman
• Award-winning entrepreneur and beverage industry veteran Lance Collins
• United Talent Agency (UTA) 

ABOUT FIFTH GROWTH FUND
Fifth Growth Fund (“FGF”) is a $100M growth stage vehicle that invests in the next generation of innovative Media, Entertainment, and Consumer Technology companies. Led by veteran media executive Ed Wilson, FGF is powered by a team of experienced investors, founders, and large-scale operators who leverage their diverse operating experience, industry knowledge and large network to foster and accelerate growth for early-stage companies. Visit www.fgf.co for more information.

ABOUT TRUSTED INFLUENCE
Trusted Influence is revolutionizing brand, creator, and retailer connections in today’s dynamic marketplace. With its full-service consumer products platform, it empowers established and emerging brands to excel. Visit www.trustedinfluenceinc.com for more information.

Media Contacts:
D’Amelio Brands
Nicole Perez-Krueger 
[email protected]  

Kacy Shaw / Michael Scher / Sarah Cramer
[email protected] / [email protected] /[email protected]

SOURCE D’Amelio Brands

Round Led by Sapphire Sport, First-of-its-Kind Early Investor at the Intersection of Technology, Entertainment and Sport

MIAMI , Aug. 17, 2023 — SportsVisio, a new AI-powered software company bringing image-based, deep learning to the sports analytics space, is announcing a $3M seed round led by Sapphire Sport, a first-of-its-kind early-stage investment platform at the intersection of technology, media, entertainment and sport. SportsVisio’s revolutionary artificial intelligence (AI) technology is bringing augmented reality to the amateur sports level, allowing players, coaches and parents to record any game or live event on their smartphone and then enabling users to stream live, review statistics, access insightful analytics, and create highlights, all in real-time. Their cost-effective, platform agnostic technology applies artificial intelligence and computer vision, with no additional hardware, to automate statistical analysis and content creation faster and more seamlessly than ever before.

SportsVisio was founded in 2021 by CEO Jason Syversen and a veteran team. Jason and COO Samuel Corbitt previously co-founded Siege Technologies and Jason and CTO Dan Oblinger, both DARPA alums, have numerous startups under their belt. Their $3M Seed round, led by Sapphire Sport, is being used to further develop their next generation AI technology and to grow their sales team, as they continue to scale a revenue operation that includes current partnerships with leagues and media properties.

“AI is the future of how we develop technology to create more seamless, integrated products for a generation of consumers who expect professional capabilities in the palm of their hands,” said SportsVisio Founder and CEO Jason Syversen. “This product is going to change how players train, how coaches recruit and how leagues compete at every level of the game. We’re thrilled to have partners like Sapphire Sport on board who believe in democratizing access to sports video and analytics for everyone.”

“The market is crying for a new solution that captures the next generation of athletes and brings high-tech capabilities to the consumer sports analytics space,” said Doug Higgins, Co-Founder of Sapphire Sport. “SportsVisio is developing a next generation product and tapping into the future of how amateur and collegiate athletics are utilizing content to better their game.”

The SportsVisio platform applies artificial intelligence and computer vision to automate analysis and content creation for observers, participants, and coaches. SportsVisio helps its users collect and display highlights seamlessly. Additionally, the technology analyzes stats for individual players and teams, creating profiles and “lockers” in which games and highlights can be viewed, stored, and distributed across various social media channels. Finally, the technology serves to help teams and players improve their abilities through collaborative coaching functionalities.

Sapphire Sport, a first-of-its-kind early-stage investment platform at the intersection technology, media, entertainment and sport, announced a $181M second fund vehicle earlier this year to invest in companies like SportsVisio, companies using technology to power the next generation of consumer behavior across sports, media and digital commerce. This is Sapphire Sport’s second investment from Fund II. Their first fund vehicle includes investments in companies like Overtime, Fevo and Tonal.

About SportsVisio:
SportsVisio is a deep tech SaaS company developing artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision (CV) technology for the sports market. The venture-backed startup was founded by veteran ex-DARPA personnel (most with sports experience) and has dozens of engineers focused on advancing the state of the art. Their first product, SV Hoops, uses AI and CV to automatically create stats, analytics and video highlights for basketball games and is used by universities, leagues, schools, and national technology companies around the world.

About Sapphire Sport:
Sapphire Sport is an early-stage investment platform at the intersection of technology, sports, media, entertainment and culture. Sapphire Sport pairs technology investment experience with a unique LP base of iconic brands across global sport, media and entertainment. With ~$300M in assets under management, Sapphire Sport backs Seed to Series B companies and founders looking to build and scale companies of consequence in these high growth areas. All companies in which Sapphire Sport has invested include Aglet, Breathwrk, Buzzer, GreenPark, Jackpot.com, Fevo, Flowhaven, Manticore, Market, Mixhalo, mycujoo (acquired by DAZN), Overtime, Phoenix Labs (acquired by Garena), PlayVS, POAP and Tonal.

CONTACT: Tatiana Winograd, [email protected]

SOURCE SportsVisio