A-Grade Investments

ResearchGate GmbH is an online professional network platform designed for scientific researchers globally, founded in 2008 and headquartered in Berlin, Germany. The platform facilitates the sharing and discovery of scientific knowledge, enabling over 20 million researchers to connect, collaborate, and advance their careers. Users can access and share publications, publish data, track citation metrics, and utilize research-focused job boards. Additionally, ResearchGate allows users to pose questions and receive answers related to their research challenges, fostering a collaborative environment among peers and specialists. The company aims to make research accessible and promote connections within the scientific community through its web and mobile applications.

Kopari Beauty is a brand focused on creating a diverse range of beauty products that harness the benefits of 100% pure organic coconut oil. The company emphasizes a healthy and mindful lifestyle, offering products that enhance natural beauty and promote vitality. Kopari's product line includes deodorants, face cleansers, and body moisturizers, all formulated without harmful ingredients such as sulfates, silicones, and parabens. By using coconut oil as a key ingredient, Kopari aims to provide effective solutions that nourish and regenerate hair and skin, celebrating the natural radiance within each individual.

Willing is an online legal service provider that simplifies end-of-life planning by making it accessible and affordable for individuals. The company offers a user-friendly platform where clients can quickly create essential documents such as wills and living wills. In addition to document preparation, Willing assists users in comparing costs for funeral homes and cemeteries, ensuring that families can make informed decisions while protecting their loved ones and assets. By streamlining the estate planning process, Willing aims to save users both time and money, making quality planning achievable for everyone.

IfOnly operates as an online marketplace dedicated to offering unique experiences that serve both personal enrichment and charitable causes. It connects members with local experts and renowned figures such as athletes, artists, and entertainers, providing access to a carefully curated selection of extraordinary activities. This platform enables users to engage in memorable experiences while also contributing to meaningful causes around the globe. Through its offerings, IfOnly fosters shared interests and connections among its members, allowing them to enjoy exceptional moments every weekend. Additionally, luminaries can promote their talent and build their brands within a safe environment on the IfOnly marketplace, ensuring that their efforts support impactful initiatives.

Angel.ai, founded in February 2015, offers a text message-based personal concierge service that enables users to make various requests at any time of day. Utilizing Human Assisted Artificial Intelligence, the service connects clients with trained operators who assist with tasks such as ordering food, making restaurant reservations, and booking hotels or travel tickets. Angel.ai operates with a focus on user convenience, fulfilling on-demand requests without charge, aside from possible service costs, markups, or hidden fees. This approach allows clients to save time and streamline their everyday activities through simple text messages.

Duolingo is a leading language learning platform offering courses in nearly 40 languages. With over 30 million active users, it provides free language education through its app and website, along with premium features for a fee. Duolingo also offers 'Duolingo for Schools' to help educators track students' progress.

Rover Group Inc is a leading online marketplace that connects pet parents with a vast network of pet care providers, including dog walkers and pet sitters. The platform facilitates a range of services, such as overnight boarding, in-home pet sitting, doggy daycare, and drop-in visits, operating across the U.S., Canada, and several European countries. Rover empowers its community of pet care providers by offering them tools to manage their businesses effectively, including scheduling, communication with pet parents, and payment processing. In addition to its marketplace services, Rover also produces and retails high-quality pet accessories, such as durable PVC pet products, including beds, crates, and gates. These products are designed for longevity and safety, employing environmentally-friendly manufacturing methods. Rover's commitment to enhancing the lives of pets and their owners drives its business model, ensuring that both pet parents and caregivers can experience reliable and trustworthy care solutions.

Wit.AI, Inc. is a natural language solutions provider based in Palo Alto, California, incorporated in 2013. The company offers an application programming interface that enables developers to integrate natural language interfaces into their applications and devices. Wit.AI's platform facilitates the creation of voice interfaces that allow users to interact through speech or messages, transforming this input into actionable data. It employs machine learning to enhance its understanding of human language from each interaction, benefiting from contributions made by its community. In 2015, Wit.AI became a subsidiary of Facebook, Inc., further expanding its reach and capabilities in the field of natural language processing.

Resy is an online reservation platform that simplifies the process of booking tables at restaurants. Catering to both diners and restaurants, Resy connects users with a diverse selection of over 5,000 establishments globally. Through its content-rich website and user-friendly mobile app, the platform allows diners to easily discover and reserve tables at their favorite restaurants without the hassle often associated with making reservations. Resy is designed with a focus on hospitality, providing users with access to restaurant ratings and reviews, which enhances their dining experience. By leveraging technology, Resy aims to redefine the future of hospitality and serve as a valuable resource for food enthusiasts.

Timeful Inc., founded in 2012 and headquartered in Mountain View, California, is a technology company focused on revolutionizing time management. The company's intelligent time-management platform helps users manage their schedules by tracking commitments, categorizing tasks, and promoting healthy habits. Timeful leverages machine learning to offer personalized scheduling recommendations based on user behavior, availability, and preferences. The application is designed to assist individuals in maximizing their time for meaningful activities. As of May 4, 2015, Timeful operates as a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.

ShopTap industries operated The Hunt. The Hunt has been recapitalized and bought out by one of the founders in 2016.

Airbnb, Inc., established in 2007, operates a global online platform that connects hosts offering accommodations with guests seeking short-term stays. Its diverse listings range from private rooms and luxury villas to unique stays and boutique hotels, totaling over 8 million active listings worldwide. Airbnb facilitates bookings and provides management tools for both hosts and guests, generating revenue through transaction fees. As of 2023, North America contributes to 50% of its revenue.

Muse, developed by InteraXon, is a neurotechnology company that produces a headband designed to provide real-time feedback on brain activity during meditation. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, the company specializes in brain-computer interfaces, utilizing research-grade ambulatory electroencephalograms and EEG sensors. Muse’s technology captures brainwaves and translates them into digital signals, which are then processed to deliver insights on mental activity, heart rate, breathing, and body movements. This data enables users to enhance their meditation practices and mindfulness, fostering a deeper connection with their mental and physical states. Through its innovative hardware and software platform, Muse aims to support users in achieving greater mental clarity and well-being.

Citymaps is a social mapping platform that provides users with personalized maps reflecting their preferences and experiences. The platform features a purpose-built, patent-protected map interface that focuses on points of interest, making it an ideal tool for travelers. Citymaps allows users to create and share itineraries and map collections, enhancing their travel planning experience. It can be accessed both online and offline, enabling users to navigate without a data connection. As part of TripAdvisor, Citymaps combines innovative mapping technology with social features to assist travelers in exploring and organizing their journeys.

Tapstack, originally founded in 2014 as Taptalk, specializes in developing an innovative communication application that allows users to share personalized short videos and photos effortlessly. The app bridges the gap between traditional messaging and social media, enabling users to maintain a regular presence in the lives of their contacts. With a simple interface, users can send messages, location information, and multimedia content with a single tap on a profile picture from their contact grid. This functionality provides a unique way to share everyday moments that might otherwise go uncommunicated, fostering deeper connections among friends and family.

Invi Labs is a technology company based in Palo Alto, California, established in 2012. It focuses on developing a smart messaging application designed to replace the default texting app on Android devices. The application enhances traditional SMS and MMS capabilities by enabling users to send images, videos, GIFs, memes, and stickers to their contacts. Invi's app also features real-time messaging, group messaging, and the integration of various media types within chats, allowing users to watch YouTube videos while texting and providing previews for web links. This innovative approach aims to elevate the overall text messaging experience on mobile devices.

YPlan is a mobile application that simplifies event booking, allowing users to discover and attend curated events in their city. Founded in London in February 2012, the platform connects with over 3,500 event partners globally, providing a comprehensive selection of activities for users to explore and enjoy. With a user-friendly interface, YPlan enables individuals to browse events, make instant bookings, and attend the selected activities on the same evening. The application also integrates with Apple's PassBook for seamless mobile ticketing. YPlan has gained significant popularity, boasting over 1.5 million users and receiving more than 1,000 five-star reviews on the App Store.

ShopTap industries operated The Hunt. The Hunt has been recapitalized and bought out by one of the founders in 2016.

Signal360 Inc. is a company based in New York that specializes in proximity marketing solutions for mobile devices, specifically for iOS and Android platforms. Founded in 2011 and originally known as Sonic Notify, Inc., the company rebranded in August 2014. Signal360's primary offering is a mobile notification platform that facilitates real-time user engagement within retail environments. The platform utilizes patented inaudible sound technology and supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) standards, including iBeacon, to enable businesses to interact with customers through existing or custom mobile applications. By delivering targeted and personalized marketing messages, Signal360 helps enterprises create meaningful connections with their customers in physical locations.

Votizen is a consumer technology company that harnesses social networks to create a connected electorate of voters. Votizen provides a new way to focus, measure, and exercise political influence by bringing voters together. As opposed to existing tools that help elected officials campaign, Votizen empowers its users to leverage their own networks to self-organize in voting blocks and advance their causes and interests, redefining the political system with the voter at the center -- not the politician. The company has engineered an entirely new database of voting record rolls across the United States, taking public voting information and normalizing that data to the district level. Then, by mapping those rolls to a user's online identity (through Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google+), Votizen is able to create the first graphical representation of a voter's network, across states, political parties, and frequency of voting. Votizen was cofounded by David Binetti, Jason Putorti, and Matt Snider. The company is nonpartisan, for-profit, venture-backed, and based in Mountain View, CA: www.votizen.com

Airbnb, Inc., established in 2007, operates a global online platform that connects hosts offering accommodations with guests seeking short-term stays. Its diverse listings range from private rooms and luxury villas to unique stays and boutique hotels, totaling over 8 million active listings worldwide. Airbnb facilitates bookings and provides management tools for both hosts and guests, generating revenue through transaction fees. As of 2023, North America contributes to 50% of its revenue.

Flipboard, Inc. is a company that develops a mobile social magazine application, allowing users to collect and share news articles, videos, and photos from a variety of sources. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with additional offices in New York and Beijing, Flipboard's platform enables users to aggregate web content based on their personal interests and present it in a digital magazine format. This personalized magazine can be easily shared and followed through social media, facilitating an engaging way for users to stay updated on news and discover stories from around the world. Additionally, Flipboard offers custom branded layout solutions for publishers and provides native and display advertising services to advertisers.

Amen provides a way for users to voice strong opinions. Amen is available as an iOS app and on the web. Investors include A-Grade and Index Ventures.

Founded in 2009, SeatGeek operates a mobile ticketing marketplace and search engine for live sports, concerts, and theater events. It aggregates ticket listings from various sources, offering users a 'Deal Score' metric to assess ticket value. The platform also provides event discovery tools based on user preferences. SeatGeek is headquartered in New York with additional offices globally.

TinyChat is a user-friendly, web-based platform that offers free video, audio, and desktop chat services. Designed for ease of use, it operates entirely through internet browsers and requires no downloads or additional plugins, aside from Flash. This accessibility allows users on various operating systems to engage in real-time communication seamlessly. The platform focuses on providing a simple and effective way for individuals to connect through live video and audio, catering to a diverse audience looking for straightforward online interaction.

Fashism, Inc. is a New York-based company that offers an online and mobile platform for users to seek feedback on their fashion choices and personal style. Founded in 2008, the service allows individuals to upload images of themselves showcasing their outfits, accompanied by specific questions about their looks. Other users then provide insights and ratings, contributing to a community-driven evaluation system. Participants can receive up or down votes on their submitted photos, which impacts their standing on a leaderboard. This interactive approach not only facilitates personal style assessment but also engages users in a collaborative fashion dialogue.