Black Jays

Black Jays Investments is a venture capital firm based in New York that focuses on early-stage startups. Founded in 2015, the firm primarily invests in sectors such as consumer technology, e-commerce, media, content, and retail. Black Jays aims to support founders who are seeking to innovate and transform consumer behavior or enhance service delivery within their industries. The firm's investment strategy is geographically concentrated in the United States, particularly in the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York areas, as well as in London. Typically, Black Jays invests between $0.1 million and $0.25 million in each startup it supports, aligning its capital with businesses that are redefining their respective markets.

Jay Kim

Investor

Brian Muller

Principal

Amit Sharma

General Partner

Tim Thimmaiah

Principal

35 past transactions

Postmoda

Seed Round in 2021
Postmoda operates as a peer-to-peer fashion rental marketplace that specializes in luxury, designer, and vintage clothing. Founded in 2018 and based in New York, Postmoda emphasizes sustainability by utilizing local dry cleaners as fulfillment centers instead of traditional warehouses. This innovative model enables consumers to rent clothing through an app, allowing them to browse, book, and return items conveniently. The platform promotes a circular economy in fashion, making high-quality attire accessible while reducing waste. By facilitating both renting and lending, Postmoda connects users, creating a community centered around shared fashion experiences.

Paloma

Seed Round in 2021
Paloma is a developer of a direct message-commerce platform that empowers brands to enhance their e-commerce capabilities through messaging channels. By facilitating sales via social media direct messages, Paloma enables businesses to manage inventory, create seamless shopping experiences, and streamline the checkout process. The platform is designed to drive higher conversion rates—ranging from 2 to 10 times those of traditional websites—by leveraging customer data to provide valuable insights back to brands. This comprehensive commerce software as a service (SaaS) solution not only helps clients transform customer interactions into sales but also supports sustainable growth by integrating catalog management and performance tracking.

Ceremonia

Seed Round in 2021
Ceremonia is a modern haircare brand that draws inspiration from Latin heritage, aiming to celebrate and empower the next generation of Latinx individuals. Set to launch this fall, the company focuses on providing hair care products designed to nourish the scalp, combat frizz, promote hair growth, and enhance shine. Ceremonia emphasizes the use of sustainable and chemical-free ingredients, allowing users to repair and improve the health of their hair while embracing their natural beauty.

Womaness️

Seed Round in 2021
Womaness️ develops and offers a collection of modern menopause products. Womaness changes the conversation around menopause through innovative products that offer solutions from head to toe (and everything in-between), trusted advice on symptoms from hot flashes to sleep issues to fine lines, and support from an inspired community of women.

Coterie

Seed Round in 2020
Coterie Baby, Inc. is a manufacturer and retailer of eco-friendly diapers and wipes designed to enhance the experience of parenting. Founded in 2018 and based in New York City, the company focuses on creating high-performing products that prioritize both quality and sustainability. Coterie's innovative diapers are engineered to outperform competing products across various important metrics for both babies and parents, utilizing soft, fragrance-free materials for comfort. Additionally, their oversized wipes are designed to be sufficiently wet, ensuring safety and convenience for caregivers. By emphasizing these attributes, Coterie aims to provide parents with reliable and environmentally conscious options for baby care.

Grayce

Seed Round in 2020
Grayce, Inc. is a San Francisco-based health care agency dedicated to supporting families and employees in managing the care of aging adults and children. Established in 2019, the company specializes in providing personalized guidance and assistance to empower family caregivers. Its services encompass a wide range of needs, including insurance, finance, legal plans, medical care, home care, housing, daily necessities, and overall well-being. By focusing on these areas, Grayce aims to help families navigate the complexities associated with caring for aging and vulnerable loved ones.

Spark Grills

Convertible Note in 2020
Spark Grills features proprietary wood and charcoal Briq system, loading and quick ignition is simple, while clean-up is seamless and mess-free. Spark is a design-forward charcoal grill that fires up in seconds and has oven-like temperature control, allowing grilling enthusiasts, and home chefs alike, to dial in their culinary creativity. It was founded in 2017 and headquartered in Boulder, Colorado.

Apres

Series A in 2019
Après, a digital-first company based in San Francisco, offers a plant-based protein beverage developed specifically for premium whole-body replenishment

Noken

Seed Round in 2019
Noken curates trips to introduce people to a new country. Travelers adapt a Noken Travel Blueprint based on their budgets and timelines and book their accommodations, experiences and transportation. These Travel Blueprints balance helpful guidance with the ability to create your own adventure, introducing travelers to the country’s iconic landmarks as well as local gems. Once on the trip, travelers can find everything they need in the App Guide and chat with the Experience Team for real-time support. Noken gives travelers the best of both worlds: the liberation from countless hours of planning and the guidance on the ground to meet a new country.

Noken

Seed Round in 2019
Noken curates trips to introduce people to a new country. Travelers adapt a Noken Travel Blueprint based on their budgets and timelines and book their accommodations, experiences and transportation. These Travel Blueprints balance helpful guidance with the ability to create your own adventure, introducing travelers to the country’s iconic landmarks as well as local gems. Once on the trip, travelers can find everything they need in the App Guide and chat with the Experience Team for real-time support. Noken gives travelers the best of both worlds: the liberation from countless hours of planning and the guidance on the ground to meet a new country.

Two Front

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Two Front Corp. provides virtual consultations by orthodontists. The company develops, owns, and operates a tech-enabled platform for check-ins and tracking. The company’s platform serves kids and adults. The company was founded in 2019 and is based in Albany, New York.

Spaw

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Pet Grooming

Hatch Collection

Series A in 2019
Hatch Collection LLC specializes in the manufacture and marketing of maternity wear, offering a diverse range of products including tops, dresses, bottoms, jumpsuits, knitwear, denim, activewear, outerwear, intimate apparel, sleepwear, and swimwear. Founded in 2011 and based in New York, the company aims to provide chic, timeless, and comfortable wardrobe essentials that cater to women before, during, and after pregnancy. In addition to clothing, Hatch Collection also offers a selection of beauty products, such as belly masks, belly oils, nipple and lip creams, hair oils, leg and foot relief sprays, and ginger anti-nausea remedies, ensuring a comprehensive approach to maternity care and comfort.

Fi

Series A in 2019
Barking Labs Corp., doing business as Fi, offers a GPS (Global Positioning System) enabled dog collar. The company develops a dog collar that provides pet activity tracking through a mobile application for pet parents. The company was founded in 2017 and is based in Brooklyn, New York.

ROAM

Seed Round in 2018
Roam Media Inc. operates an online community called ROAM, designed for explorers and adventurers. Founded in 2017 and based in Boulder, Colorado, the platform allows members to share their adventure stories, experiences, and reports. It facilitates creative exchanges through ideas for social media takeovers, videos, films, and interviews, as well as photo essays and opinion pieces. Additionally, the community serves as a space for members to showcase their videos, fostering connection and collaboration among adventure enthusiasts.

Gradient.io

Seed Round in 2018
Gradient.io is an intelligent insights platform for Amazon. Using proprietary machine learning technology, Gradient.io’s platform helps brands understand and optimize their digital point-of-sale presence. Gradient.io solutions include Gradient Digital Shelf, Gradient Score, Gradient Dynamics, and Gradient Compete. Brands taking advantage of these solutions can finally unlock the full power of Amazon. For more information, visit https://gradient.io

Spark Grills

Seed Round in 2018
Spark Grills features proprietary wood and charcoal Briq system, loading and quick ignition is simple, while clean-up is seamless and mess-free. Spark is a design-forward charcoal grill that fires up in seconds and has oven-like temperature control, allowing grilling enthusiasts, and home chefs alike, to dial in their culinary creativity. It was founded in 2017 and headquartered in Boulder, Colorado.

Boundless Mind

Seed Round in 2018
Boundless Mind, Inc. offers artificial intelligence platform for behavior design to help people be healthy, wealthy, happy, and wise. The company was founded in 2015 and is based in Los Angeles, California. As of October 16, 2019, Boundless Mind, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Thrive Global Holdings, Inc.

The Inside

Seed Round in 2018
The Inside is a home furnishings brand that unlocks your shortcut to a chic home, for every style and budget. We believe in the joy of decorating, and that creating the home of your dreams — and having a great time doing it — should be an accessible experience to everyone, not just a few. Our mission is to make furniture fun, with access to more design for more value. With a revolutionary and sustainable supply chain fueled by digital printing and made-to-order manufacturing, The Inside celebrates a wide range of colors, textures, and patterns — offering custom furniture for a cookie cutter price.

Naadam

Series A in 2018
Naadam is an American clothing company specializing in affordable, luxury cashmere products. The company mills and crafts its products to the standards so they become softer with time and design their garments to complement the way people live, not constrain it. Naadam works to protect the planet through anti-desertification programs, clean energy-powered factories, and tree planting nonprofit work. It was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in New York.

Apres

Seed Round in 2018
Après, a digital-first company based in San Francisco, offers a plant-based protein beverage developed specifically for premium whole-body replenishment

Hatch Collection

Seed Round in 2017
Hatch Collection LLC specializes in the manufacture and marketing of maternity wear, offering a diverse range of products including tops, dresses, bottoms, jumpsuits, knitwear, denim, activewear, outerwear, intimate apparel, sleepwear, and swimwear. Founded in 2011 and based in New York, the company aims to provide chic, timeless, and comfortable wardrobe essentials that cater to women before, during, and after pregnancy. In addition to clothing, Hatch Collection also offers a selection of beauty products, such as belly masks, belly oils, nipple and lip creams, hair oils, leg and foot relief sprays, and ginger anti-nausea remedies, ensuring a comprehensive approach to maternity care and comfort.

Fi

Seed Round in 2017
Barking Labs Corp., doing business as Fi, offers a GPS (Global Positioning System) enabled dog collar. The company develops a dog collar that provides pet activity tracking through a mobile application for pet parents. The company was founded in 2017 and is based in Brooklyn, New York.

quip

Series A in 2017
Quip NYC, Inc., doing business as quip, designs, manufactures, and sells oral healthcare products. It offers electric toothbrushes; toothpastes; refillable floss pick and string; toothpaste; and supplies, such as toothbrush heads, travel cover mounts, manual toothbrushes, and refresh bag and chargers. The company sells its products through its online platform. Quip NYC, Inc. was founded in 2014 and is based in Brooklyn, New York.

Boundless Mind

Seed Round in 2017
Boundless Mind, Inc. offers artificial intelligence platform for behavior design to help people be healthy, wealthy, happy, and wise. The company was founded in 2015 and is based in Los Angeles, California. As of October 16, 2019, Boundless Mind, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Thrive Global Holdings, Inc.

ToneDen

Seed Round in 2017
ToneDen, Inc. operates a platform for musicians that enables artists to reach the people; personalize their brand; pitch tunes; grow fan-base; and track growth. The company was incorporated in 2014 and is based in Berkeley, California. As of November 12, 2020, ToneDen, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Eventbrite, Inc.

Spark Grills

Convertible Note in 2017
Spark Grills features proprietary wood and charcoal Briq system, loading and quick ignition is simple, while clean-up is seamless and mess-free. Spark is a design-forward charcoal grill that fires up in seconds and has oven-like temperature control, allowing grilling enthusiasts, and home chefs alike, to dial in their culinary creativity. It was founded in 2017 and headquartered in Boulder, Colorado.

Naadam

Seed Round in 2017
Naadam is an American clothing company specializing in affordable, luxury cashmere products. The company mills and crafts its products to the standards so they become softer with time and design their garments to complement the way people live, not constrain it. Naadam works to protect the planet through anti-desertification programs, clean energy-powered factories, and tree planting nonprofit work. It was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in New York.

True Made Foods

Convertible Note in 2017
True Made Foods, Inc. specializes in producing vegetable-based sauces and ketchups, aiming to enhance the nutritional value of traditional American condiments. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, with manufacturing facilities in Henderson, North Carolina, the company focuses on infusing fresh vegetables into its products while significantly reducing sugar content. Their offerings include popular sauces such as ketchup, BBQ sauce, and sriracha, transforming these typically high-calorie items into nutrient-dense alternatives suitable for health-conscious consumers. True Made Foods markets its products through a network of supermarkets and online retailers, making them accessible to a wide audience.

Swing Technologies

Seed Round in 2016
Swing exited to Microsoft in 2017. It was recognized in the same year by Entrepreneur magazine's Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America awards. Swing’s mission was to reimagine the photograph and the Polaroid brand. Its debut app, SWNG, launched in 2016 through a unique partnership with Polaroid, allows users to create interactive ‘living photos’. The result is a new visual medium to stand alongside photos and videos. SWNG has been featured by Apple as the top featured product on the App Store, and in Apple retail stores across the world. Apple described Swing's impact on the Polaroid brand in 2016: "Like a photogenic phoenix, Polaroid has risen again. This time around, they’ve ditched physical photos in favor of something a bit like GIFs: playable, rewindable, moving pics. With a swipe or a tilt of your hand, these pictures come to life. It’s hard to explain and irrestibily captivating. Plus, we absolutely adore the authentic old-school feel. After all, it’s Polaroid." Following this digital transformation and relaunch, the Polaroid brand was acquired in 2017. Swing has developed a range of imaging technology across software and hardware, with senior employees recruited from Apple, Instagram and beyond. Based in San Francisco and New York, Swing is backed by top tier investors and individuals including Twitter Co-Founder Biz Stone.

quip

Venture Round in 2016
Quip NYC, Inc., doing business as quip, designs, manufactures, and sells oral healthcare products. It offers electric toothbrushes; toothpastes; refillable floss pick and string; toothpaste; and supplies, such as toothbrush heads, travel cover mounts, manual toothbrushes, and refresh bag and chargers. The company sells its products through its online platform. Quip NYC, Inc. was founded in 2014 and is based in Brooklyn, New York.

Roasting Plant

Seed Round in 2016
Roasting Plant, Inc. is a coffee company based in New York that operates cafes specializing in freshly roasted coffee and baked goods. Founded in 2004, Roasting Plant utilizes its proprietary Javabot™ system, which roasts coffee beans in micro-batches and brews each cup to order within a week of roasting, ensuring peak freshness and flavor. The company carefully sources high-quality, hand-picked green coffee beans from top farms globally, offering a selection of 12 different beans and the option for custom blends. In addition to coffee, Roasting Plant serves a variety of award-winning baked goods, crafted daily in each café. The company also sells merchandise online, including T-shirts, hats, and mugs, enhancing its brand presence. With locations in cities like New York, Detroit, Dearborn Heights, Minneapolis, and Denver, Roasting Plant combines the quality of specialty coffee with the operational efficiency of larger chains, making it a unique player in the coffee industry.

Greycork

Seed Round in 2016
Greycork is a Boston-based company that designs and markets a variety of furniture and home accessories. Founded in 2013 by John Humphrey and Bruce Kim, Greycork focuses on providing interior design solutions for homes and gardens. The company aims to create functional and stylish products that enhance living spaces.

True Made Foods

Convertible Note in 2016
True Made Foods, Inc. specializes in producing vegetable-based sauces and ketchups, aiming to enhance the nutritional value of traditional American condiments. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, with manufacturing facilities in Henderson, North Carolina, the company focuses on infusing fresh vegetables into its products while significantly reducing sugar content. Their offerings include popular sauces such as ketchup, BBQ sauce, and sriracha, transforming these typically high-calorie items into nutrient-dense alternatives suitable for health-conscious consumers. True Made Foods markets its products through a network of supermarkets and online retailers, making them accessible to a wide audience.

Naytev

Seed Round in 2016
Naytev optimizes how content is shared from websites to social media, creating a 30% bump in referral traffic. They use machine learning to surface and discover effective messages in real time, and prioritize those as users share.