Supporting messaging for customer interactions for SaaS companies is growing in importance in an era where customers demand the immediacy of messaging to address their concerns. For SaaS applications that serve as a conduit between retail customers and providers, proper routing can become tricky. There’s also compliance to worry about. Telgorithm is a messaging platform that allows SaaS platforms to seamlessly integrate and incorporate sophisticated messaging solutions in their applications. The platform is built with compliance and deliverability in mind, ensuring that customers, consumers, and users are all protected. By adopting Telgorithim, SaaS platforms can avoid having to build and support native products that require coordination from product, engineering, and design resources. The startup founded by former ServiceTitan executives has started by addressing the pain point around messaging but is expanding to cover voice as well. LA TechWatch caught up with Telgorithm CEO Aaron Alter to learn more about the inspiration for the business, the company’s strategic plans, latest round of funding, and much, much more…
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Terray Therapeutics Raises $60M to Use AI to Accelerate Drug Development
According to a recent study published in JAMA, the average development cost for a drug that’s approved by the FDA is $1.3B based on 62 recently approved candidates. Other estimates show that it can be as high as $2.8B. A large portion of the cost is derived from time spent in development. AI is now being used to address increasing costs by making the development of new pharmaceuticals quicker, cheaper, and more effective. Terray Therapeutics is an AI-powered drug discovery and development platform that focuses on applying machine learning to understand and precisely measure molecular design. Drug discovery relies on understanding the biochemical interactions between small molecules and causes of disease and Terray’s biocomputational engine is able to sort through and compare the properties of millions of small molecules in a fraction of the time it would take through traditional discovery processes. By reducing the time to identify the most effective properties, drug developers can then get to candidates to optimize quicker and also accelerate time to trial. LA TechWatch caught up with Terray Therapeutics CEO Jacob Berlin to learn more about the inspiration for the business, the company’s strategic plans, latest round of funding, which brings the total funding raised to $20M, and much, much more…
Uni Raises $4M for its Closed-Loop Body Care Line That’s Reducing the Environmental Footprint of the Beauty Industry
Single-use plastics are largely made from fossil fuel-based chemicals and these disposable items often end up where they shouldn’t like in the ocean, damaging an already fragile ecosystem. The beauty industry alone creates 122B+ single-use units annually – most of which are not recyclable. The environmental impact is drastic and today’s consumers are looking for more sustainable alternatives that are mindful win respect to both production and re-usability. Uni is a new body care line that’s launching today that uses a proprietary reusable dispenser design so that products can be refilled by sending back to Uni or recycled. The company’s line is produced in certified ethical factories that do not contain animal-based ingredients and are never tested on animals. Uni’s refillable bottles are made from 100% aluminum and came together after two-and-half years of research and development to ensure that the brand is truly closed-loop and zero-waste. While the company is launching with direct-to-consumer body care, its packaging system can be seamlessly applied to other use cases. LA TechWatch caught up with Uni Founder and CEO Alexandra Keating to learn more about how Uni plans to make sustainability in the beauty industry accessible, the company’s strategic plans, recent round of funding, and much, much more…
Gemist Raises $3M to Scale its Fine Jewelry Customization Platform and Brand
For hundreds of years, jewelry has been a way to express individuality and a sense of personal style. Yet, there are very limited options to custom design jewelry and especially less so, online. GEMIST is a direct-to-consumer jewelry company that gives customers the option to design their own pieces. With a technology-driven approach, the company provides the ability to customize engagement rings, statement rings, wedding bands, and earrings, giving customers unprecedented ability to select materials, finish, stones, and more. Once you’ve designed the perfect item, GEMIST will send you a complimentary replica to try on to ensure you’ve designed the piece of dreams. All final pieces are developed in Los Angeles using responsibility-sourced materials. LA TechWatch caught up with Gemist CEO and Founder Madeline Fraser to learn more about the inspiration for the company, strategic plans, recent round of funding from investors that include Entrada Ventures, De Beers Group Ventures, Hawke Ventures, Luma Launch, Lightspeed Scout Ventures, Mana Ventures, Spacestation Ventures, Kinsley Partners, Lunch Partners, and Canaan Scout Fund.
Stoggles Raises $40M to Bring Style and a Sense of Fashion to the Protective Eyewear Market
LA companies like FIGS and Jaanuu revolutionized the medical apparel industry by bringing style and fashion to a market that was overlooked and customers were looking for an alternative to sterile looks. This LA startup is looking to do the same for the protective eyewear market. Stoggles is a direct-to-consumer eyewear brand that brings design and style to safety goggles. Born out of the pandemic to bring PPE to healthcare practitioners and consumers alike, the company offers a line of prescription lens-friendly options in several styles and colors that all block out blue light, wind, dust, pollen, sand, UV rays, and more. Stoggles, presently, distributes exclusively through its website with pairs starting at $39. The company ran two successful campaigns on Indigogo to launch the brand and initial production, raising over $4M. LA TechWatch caught up with Stoggles Cofounders Max Greenberg (CEO) and Rahul Khatri (CXO) to learn more about the inspiration for the business, the company’s strategic plans, latest round of funding, and much, much more…
Topography Health Raises $21.5M for its Operating System for Clinical Trial Management
The global clinical trial market is expected to grow to ~$70B by 2028 according to Grand View Research. This growth is fueled by the introduction of technologies to manage clinical trials at scale. While clinical trials can lead to groundbreaking healthcare discoveries that provide hope and treatment for many ailing patients, many physicians are reluctant or unable to participate due to a host of factors including logistical concerns, inadequate data management, barriers to recruitment, and more. Topography Health is a turn-key software-driven platform for clinical trials. Think of it as an operating system for clinical trials that allows physicians and organizations to efficiently recruit patients and manage all clinical data in a centralized platform. By breaking down barriers and administrative hurdles, Topography is able to empower community physicians to better serve historically underserved populations as well as increase the velocity at which pharmaceutical companies are able to bring therapeutics to market. LA TechWatch caught up with Topography Health Cofounder Andrew Kirchner to learn more about the inspiration for the business, the company’s strategic plans, the state of the clinical trial market that’s poised for significant technology adoption, the company’s latest round of funding, which brings the total funding raised to $27.5M, and much, much more..
NVISIONx Raises $4.6M for its Data Risk Intelligence Platform
In today’s information age, business data is the catalyst for growth. The amount of data produced each year is expected to grow at a 24% CAGR through 2025. While the emphasis on big data is unlocking new avenues for opportunity and possibility, it comes with the responsibility to protect this growing mound of data. NVISIONx is a data risk intelligence platform for the enterprise that allows them to gain a holistic understanding of the data they hold and maintain and need to safeguard. As data is more frequently shared across an organization and also with external partners, vulnerabilities increase and the platform works with all facets within an organization to formulate company-wide data protection controls, compliance, risk reduction, and storage policy. Most risk mitigation solutions come only after breaches and implement policies across the entire data stack – treating all data the same. NVISIONx prioritizes data against risk using a dynamic approach that optimizes security in the short and long term. LA TechWatch caught up with NVISIONx CEO and Founder Glen Day to learn more about how NVISIONx seeks to change the paradigm of how data risk is viewed, the company’s strategic plans, recent round of funding from investors that include Companyon Ventures, Morgan Stanley Next Level Fund, SixThirty Ventures, Gutbrain Ventures, PBJ Capital, CreativeCo Capital, and Gaingels.
Concrete-AI Raises $2M to Optimize Concrete Production with Data Science and Reduce its Environmental Footprint
8% of global emissions arising from human activity comes from the cement industry. Cement along with sand and gravel are the primary components of concrete. Most concrete formulations have been overdesigned with excess cement for their intended applications. Concrete-AI uses data science machine learning to help cement and concrete manufacturers develop the ideal formulations, leading to cost efficiencies and improvement in carbon emissions. The company is already in pilot with some of the largest companies in the space and initial results have shown cost savings of up to 10% and carbon footprint reductions of up to 50%. Offered as a SaaS solution, Concrete-AI targets the $652B global cement and concrete market that’s expected to exceed $1T by 2030. LA TechWatch caught up with Concrete-AI CEO Alex Hall to learn more about the concrete and cement industry and its impact on the environment, the company’s strategic plans, recent round of funding, and much, much more…
Jaanuu Raises $75M for its Medical Apparel Brand That’s Modernized Scrubs
For years, the medical apparel market consisted of sterile, ill-fitting scrubs that lack any hint of style. Over the last ten years, a number of new entrants prioritized fashion, aesthetics, and form-fitting apparel for this market. Jaanuu is a direct-to-consumer and manufacturer of performance-oriented, premium scrubs. Founded by a brother and sister duo consisting of a former private equity investor and a physician, Jaanuu offers a line of functional, form-fitting, and comfortable medical apparel and accessories that healthcare professionals are raving about. They’re not the only ones; President Obama was photographed sporting a Jaanuu mask. LA TechWatch caught up with Jaanuu CEO and Cofounder Shaan Sethi to learn more about the company’s start, impressive growth, latest round of funding, which brings the total funding raised to $97.6M, and much, much more.
Fan Controlled Football Raises $40M to Transform the Fan Experience Like Never Before
Back in 2007, 50,000+ soccer enthusiasts, organized by the startup MyFootballClub, banded together to purchase an English football club, which ended up being Ebbsfleet United FC. The community was responsible for all decisions related to the club. Last fall, an internet collective come together to raise $40M to buy a copy of the US Constitution through a DAO. Advancements in decentralized and streaming technology are fostering a new wave of innovation and engagement based on collective control that was previously not possible. Fan Controlled Football is a professional football league that allows fans to be involved in the gameplay and management of their favorite teams. Fans have a say in branding, personnel decisions, and even play-calling in real-time as if they are playing a real-life video game. The league plays all its games in a state-of-the-art arena based in Atlanta using modified rules that drive interest, excitement, and action with games broadcasted live on Twitch. Fan Controlled Football quickly recognized the concept was ideal for Web3 and blockchain and is now making integrating 4 new NFT-powered teams into the league, doubling the number of teams to eight for the upcoming season (the league’s second) that will start in mid-April. LA TechWatch caught up with Fan Controlled Football Cofounder and Chief Growth Officer Grant Cohen to learn more about how FCF blends technology, sports, gaming, and decentralization into a professional sports league, the company’s strategic plans, upcoming season, latest round of funding from investors that include Animoca Brands and Delphi Digital, Gemini Frontier Fund, 6th Man Ventures, Jump Crypto, Red Beard Ventures, Spartan Capital, NGC Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Talis Capital, Verizon Ventures, Correlation Ventures, and Basecamp Fund.
HeyRenee Raises Another $4.4M for its Digital Platform for Care Coordination
Care coordination is one of the pillars of establishing a healthcare model that’s increasingly moving towards value-based care. The market is poised for digital adoption and large-scale innovation; the digital care coordination software market alone is expected to top $3.1B in 2022. Challenges remain in the market as there’s traditionally been a lack of interoperability between payers and providers as well as confusion when care transitions from team to team and across institutions. HeyRenee is a digital healthcare concierge platform that’s focused on centralizing all aspects of a patient’s care into a single platform that’s easy to use and navigate. There are 100M+ Americans that suffer from 2 or more chronic conditions and the startup plans to focus on this segment, allowing them to interact through voice, text, and touch. The platform focuses on all aspects of the healthcare journey from diagnosis to ongoing monitoring to post-care follow up aligning the interest of payers, providers, and patients to ensure better outcomes for patients. LA TechWatch caught up with Founder, serial entrepreneur, and CEO Nick Desai (cofounded Heal) to learn more about the care coordination market and the benefits it brings in an era of increasing costs, how the founding team’s experience dealing with a parent’s illness led to the inspiration for the business, the company’s future plans, recent round of funding from investors that include Quiet Capital, City Light Capital, Fika Ventures, Global Founders Capital, Mucker Capital, SaaS Ventures, and Tau Ventures.