COVID-19 is exacerbating the loneliness and isolation and this is even more true among seniors. Uniper Care is the startup that helps older adults age in place, while simultaneously reducing feelings of social isolation through technology. Uniper Care’s multi-modular platform transforms any TV or mobile device into a social assistant that enables older adults to video chat with family and friends, access remote health care, participate in interactive programs, browse photo albums, connect with peer-led groups, and meet new people. CEO and Cofounder Rami Kirshblum shares more insight about how his cofounder’s experience with his aging mother led to the founding of Uniper, how the company is growing rapidly and alleviating loneliness for seniors during the pandemic, and the company’s latest funding round led by Zeev Ventures.
Funded in LA
Arrive Outdoors Raises $4.75M for its Outdoor Gear Rental Platform That Delivers to Your Doorstep
The sharing economy is making the concept of ownership obsolete for many categories. Rachelle Snyder and her cofounder had to go through the difficult process of deciding which of their belongings to take with them during a cross country move and their outdoor gear just couldn’t be accommodated. The experience of trying to obtain gear once in LA led to the foundation for launching Arrive Outdoors, the rental company for premium, outdoor equipment that can deliver an assortment of outdoor gear straight to a consumer’s door. Rachelle shares some insight about how the company makes the exploration of the outdoors more accessible and the company’s recent seed funding round from investors that include Freestyle Capital Science Inc., AVG Basecamp Fund, Corigin Ventures, Pine5 Ventures, and James Reinhart and John Voris.
Swoop Raises $3.2M to Make Booking Group Transportation as Easy as Ordering an Uber
Anyone who has ever been in charge of organizing a group trip is familiar with all the planning that goes into it, and executing the most basic plans like how to get from point A to point B can kickstart a flurry of activity that includes hours of Google searches and phone calls with various vendors. Swoop makes it as easy as ordering an Uber with its group transportation booking platform that digitizes mom-and-pop group chauffeur operators. CRO and Cofounder Peter Evenson shares more insight on how Swoop is bringing SaaS to a historical paper and pencil industry, the company’s future plans, and recent funding round.
Mobalytics Scores $11.25M for its Gaming Analytics Platform That Drives Performance
Esports revenues are expected to exceed a billion dollars per year for the first time and expected to increase rapidly as the industry continues to attract players, teams, and fans at an explosive pace. Competitive video gaming is a serious business with lucrative rewards for those that are the most skilled. Seeking a way to finetune their gaming skills, Amine Issa and his cofounders founded Mobalytics, the gaming analytics platform for competitive gamers to master their trade through player development, strategy, and tracking. Issa shares some insight on the state of the esports industry, the company’s future plans, and recent round of funding from investors that include HP Tech Ventures, General Catalyst, GGV Capital, RRE Ventures, Axiomatic, and T1 Esports.
Ready, Set, Food! Raises $3M For a Proactive Approach to Reducing Food Allergies
Witnessing the stress and worry severe food allergies caused young children and their parents, Daniel Zakowski founded Ready, Set, Food! a daily supplement that protects infants from developing peanut, egg, and milk allergies. The company just closed $3M in funding from Danone Manifesto Ventures, Mark Cuban, AF Ventures (formerly AccelFoods), and other investors. Zakowski shares more about how the company is making food allergies preventable, the company’s giving partnership with Cuban, and much more…
Pipe Raises $10M to Give SaaS Startups What They Need Most – Cash Flow
Investors love SaaS companies because of the recurring revenue. But SaaS companies often have to give up growth when faced with monthly and quarterly subscriptions that cause less signup friction versus annual upfront fees. Pipe is the non-dilutive financing solution for these to normalize their cash flows. Pipe is a marketplace that connects SaaS companies to investors that are looking to invest in these types of factoring arrangements. Investors receive reliable cash flows and companies receive the cash they need quickly to fuel their growth. Win/Win. We caught up with CEO and Cofounder Harry Hurst to learn more about Pipe, the Saas landscape, and the company’s recent Seed extension round.
Carbonated Games Raises $8.5M To Bring Hardcore Competitive Gaming to Mobile Devices
Once a gamer, always a gamer – at least that’s what we gathered from our interview with industry veteran and cofounder, Travis Boatman, of Carbonated Games, the new game studio that designs intense, competitive games for mobile devices. Carbonated Games creates experiences for gamers that have a busy life but still miss the hardcore, competitive games they used to play on console and PC, taking a modern approach to these games by designing ultra-competitive, player vs. player (PVP) games that are meant to be played on mobile devices, abandoning the need for additional hardware. Boatman shares more about the team behind the studio, the company’s first title, MadWorld, and the company’s recent funding round led by by Andreessen Horowitz, Golden Ventures, and BITKFAFT Ventures.
Willa Raises $3M to Help Freelancers to Get Paid on Time
The future work is changing and the freelance economy is thriving. Though for freelancers, getting paid is still a constant problem. Willa has built a payment platform specifically for freelancers that is more popular than Paypal, Quickbooks, or other invoicing platforms. CEO and Cofounder Kristofer Sommestad shares some on the state of the fintech market, how the needs of freelancers have not been addressed, and the company’s recent funding round led by EQT Ventures.
DMarket Raises $6.6M to Power the Virtual Economy in Gaming
DMarket is an in-game item trading platform and a monetization technology for game developers, content creators, brands, and players. DMarket technology is an engine to power platforms and digital worlds, creating a virtual economy. CEO and Founder Vlad Panchenko shares more on how the company is using blockchain to make gaming profitable for brands, creators, players, and developers.
