As you seek out your next round, here’s a handy resource covering the most active NYC venture firms in 2020.
S’More Raises $2.1M for its Dating App that Takes Superficiality out of Online Dating
Dating has become big business since Tinder’s launch in 2013 that made dating easy with the simplicity of a swipe. Bumble recently announced plans to go public at what is expected to be an $8B+ valuation. New entrants are lining up to offer new solutions to people for a chance at love. S’More, a dating app launched by a former Bumble executive, is focused on building real connections between potential matches by taking out the superficiality found in the traditional apps. The majority of the dating apps are designed to focus on pictures on the profile and initial user interactions are driven mostly by physical attraction. On the other hand, S’More fosters conversation and actually getting to know your potential suitor by obscuring photos initially. As the conversation progresses, the photos become unblurred. AlleyWatch caught up with CEO and Founder Adam Cohen-Aslatei to learn more about the company’s progress since launching, future plans, and latest funding round from investors that include Benson Oak Ventures, WorkPlay Ventures, Gaingels VC, LOUD Capital/Pride Fund, Boston Harbor Angels, SideCar Angels, and a number of individual angel investors.
Alula Raises $2.2M for its Digital Platform for Cancer Patients and Their Caregivers
The anguish of dealing with cancer is difficult for patients and their families. Millions of peoples’ lives are uprooted annually and the process of managing and treating this disease can be extremely taxing, isolating, and challenging. Alula is a digital support platform for those with cancer, their families, and their caregivers to serve as a trusted and centralized destination to make the process of managing cancer a little easier. The platform’s signature features include communication and scheduling tools, a vetted product marketplace that addresses the needs of this specific patient population, and a knowledge center that provides accurate information on treatments and patient experience. AlleyWatch caught up with CEO and Founder Liya Shuster-Bier to learn more about how her personal experience as a patient and caregiver inspired the platform, the company’s growth plans, and recent round of funding from investors that include Andy Dunn, Chelsea Clinton’s Metrodora Ventures, BBG Ventures, Thrive Capital, Village Global, and Homebrew.
The AlleyWatch Startup Daily Funding Report: 1/25/2021
The latest venture capital, seed, pre-seed, and angel deals for NYC startups for 1/25/2021 featuring funding details for IVY and much more.
#NYCtech Week in Review: 1/17/21 – 1/23/21
NYC Tech News for the week ending 1/23 featuring news for Brigit, PivotalPath, and much, much more.
The Weekly Notable Startup Funding Report: 1/25/21
The Weekly Notable Startup Funding Report takes us on a trip across various ecosystems in the US, highlighting some of the notable funding activity in the various markets that we track. The notable startup funding rounds for the week ending 1/23/21 featuring funding details for Swimlane, Quali, Curtsy, and ten other rounds that you must know about.
Crew Me Up Transforms How the Entertainment Industry Hires Crew Members
The entertainment industry is characterized by its long-hours and unpredictability with crew members’ availability subject to constant change. This makes it difficult for production to staff properly and efficiently. Crew Me Up is the database of filmmakers that adds structure to and centralizes the crew member hiring process, also making it easy for film professionals to expand their networks and explore job opportunities. The free service allows professionals to set up a profile that contains a link to a website, resume, and/or IMDB page to verify credibility. Employers are able to search availability in real-time through the database. AlleyWatch caught up with CEO and Cofounder Joshua Friedman to learn more about the marketplace, how the pain points he experienced working in the entertainment industry since 2007 led to the launch of Crew Me Up, the experience navigating the pandemic when much of the entertainment industry was shut down, and much, much more…
The AlleyWatch Startup Daily Funding Report: 1/22/2021
The latest venture capital, seed, pre-seed, and angel deals for NYC startups for 1/22/2021 featuring funding details for Koyfin and much more.
8 Myths of Pre-Seed Venture Investing
Alex Iskold shares some insights he has picked up over the last seven years writing checks at Techstars NYC and 2048 focusing on how fund economics for pre-seed investing differs from other stages of venture investing.
How To Prevent Your Founder’s Shares From Vaporizing
Every entrepreneur needs to understand the following basics, to be addressed at company formation, as they engage a qualified attorney to draw up the paperwork.
Brainly Scores $80M for its Online P2P Learning Platform and Community
The pandemic has severely disrupted the framework of education globally. With in-person learning halted or interrupted, both parents and students have faced added pressure to adjust to the concept of remote learning. Brainly is a peer-to-peer online learning platform for parents and students that helps alleviate some of these challenges. At its core, the platform focuses on homework help and questions, where students can give or receive help in a trusted community. Not surprisingly, in 2020, the company experienced 75% growth for its freemium service and now has over 350M students in its community. AlleyWatch caught up with CEO Michał Borkowski to learn more about the massive shift in online learning as a result of the pandemic, the company’s plans to expand its product offering and geographically, and the company’s recent round of funding from Learn Capital, Prosus Ventures, Runa Capital, MantaRay, and General Catalyst.