Crosscut Ventures

Crosscut Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital firm based in Santa Monica, California, founded in 2008. The firm specializes in early investments in technology companies across various sectors, including advertising, artificial intelligence, climate, consumer products, e-commerce, healthcare, and transportation. Crosscut Ventures focuses on identifying start-ups with high growth potential that can disrupt markets and achieve significant scale. With a strong commitment to fostering the entrepreneurship community in Southern California, the firm leverages decades of expertise in technology and entrepreneurship to support founders in building successful companies. Crosscut Ventures aims to make strategic investments, typically ranging from $0.25 million to $0.75 million, in companies that are in their seed to series A stages and have demonstrated revenue potential.

Brett Brewer

Co-Founder & Managing Director

Clinton Foy

Managing Partner

Brian Garrett

Co-Founder & Managing Director

Rick Smith

Co-Founder & Managing Director

Past deals in Los Angeles, CA

Fama

Series B in 2022
Fama is an AI-based solution that identifies and offers an opportunity to address problematic behavior among potential hires and current employees by analyzing publicly available online information. This type of content can ultimately lead to brand risk and toxic culture, and is often missed in the hiring and management process.

HiveWatch

Series A in 2021
HiveWatch is a developer of an intelligent security fusion platform. It uses multi-sensor resolution and machine learning to ingest data from existing security sensors, consolidate feeds into a single workflow, and auto-resolve false positives so operators can see alerts that truly require human attention.

Obsesh

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Obsesh is a real-time sports platform that connects consumers to athletes. Our digital marketplace transforms the way fans access and interact with their idols through real-time content experiences to level up their obsessions. An early-stage, women-founded company actively accelerated by the premiere sports-specialty accelerator, Stadia Ventures and Austin-based Newchip. Cofounders are seasoned consumer platform builders and operators for affinity-loved brands including beats, gopro, best buy, the home depot, and more. Our mission is to make it easy for athletes to make a living on their own terms.

FitOn

Series B in 2021
FitOn Inc. is a fitness technology company that has developed a mobile application designed to facilitate health and fitness goals through access to various workout classes. Launched in 2018 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, the FitOn app offers users unlimited participation in live and on-demand classes across diverse fitness disciplines, including yoga, Pilates, cardio, dance, and barre, without the need for any equipment. Additionally, the platform features social elements that allow users to invite friends and engage with other participants while exercising. FitOn also includes tools for tracking calories, monitoring collective statistics, and sharing progress, enhancing the overall user experience and community engagement.

Duffl

Series A in 2021
Duffl is a 10-minute delivery service for college students. It currently operating at UCLA. It was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Pacaso

Series C in 2021
Pacaso modernizes the generations-old practice of co-owning a second home, creating a marketplace that makes buying and selling easy, and adding professional management and technology to make scheduling dates and owning the home seamless and simple. Buyers considering a second home can tell Pacaso where they want to buy, how much they want to spend and how much time they expect to spend in the house. Pacaso and its real estate agent partners will help them find the perfect home and set up a professionally managed LLC uniquely designed for co-ownership. The buyer will purchase their desired share — for example, half of the home, which will guarantee them access to the home for half the year — and Pacaso will briefly purchase the remainder of the home, before reselling the remaining portion to vetted buyers. Pacaso will manage the property, and owners will use Pacaso’s mobile app to make scheduling easy and equitable.

Just Insure

Convertible Note in 2021
Just provides auto insurance that is, well, more just. Instead of your rate being set by who you are - your age, zipcode and marital status - your rate is set by how you drive. This means that for the first time, there is a real financial incentive for people to make smart driving decisions. Unsafe driving doesn't lead to the possibility of an accident, it leads to the certainty of paying more on your insurance. For younger drivers, or those who might have been in an accident, or just happen to live in the wrong zipcode, this means better - perhaps dramatically better - rates. Just Auto Insurance launches in Arizona in October 2019.

Welcome Tech

Series B in 2021
Welcome Technologies is a platform dedicated to connecting the 250 million global immigrant communities with the information, products, and services they need to thrive in a new country. Today, the company has an unparalleled reach of over 9M immigrants a year and a membership of nearly 2M active users. Its platform combines the power of technology and security to provide its members with trusted, customized solutions across sectors such as Finance, Education, Healthcare, Telecommunication, and Government Services. Founded by immigration and technology experts, Welcome Tech is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

HiveWatch

Seed Round in 2021
HiveWatch is a developer of an intelligent security fusion platform. It uses multi-sensor resolution and machine learning to ingest data from existing security sensors, consolidate feeds into a single workflow, and auto-resolve false positives so operators can see alerts that truly require human attention.

HiveWatch

Seed Round in 2021
HiveWatch is a developer of an intelligent security fusion platform. It uses multi-sensor resolution and machine learning to ingest data from existing security sensors, consolidate feeds into a single workflow, and auto-resolve false positives so operators can see alerts that truly require human attention.

Matchbook AI

Seed Round in 2020
Matchbook AI is an enterprise data integration, governance and management solution that delivers clean and relevant data across the enterprise. Clients actively using the platform to get relevant information and insights in real-time include Travelers Insurance, MasterCard, Intel and IBM among others.

Pacaso

Series A in 2020
Pacaso modernizes the generations-old practice of co-owning a second home, creating a marketplace that makes buying and selling easy, and adding professional management and technology to make scheduling dates and owning the home seamless and simple. Buyers considering a second home can tell Pacaso where they want to buy, how much they want to spend and how much time they expect to spend in the house. Pacaso and its real estate agent partners will help them find the perfect home and set up a professionally managed LLC uniquely designed for co-ownership. The buyer will purchase their desired share — for example, half of the home, which will guarantee them access to the home for half the year — and Pacaso will briefly purchase the remainder of the home, before reselling the remaining portion to vetted buyers. Pacaso will manage the property, and owners will use Pacaso’s mobile app to make scheduling easy and equitable.

Boosted Commerce

Venture Round in 2020
Boosted Ecommerce Inc., an acquisition company, buys, manages, and grows e-commerce consumer packaged third-party sellers on Amazon and Shopify. The company focuses on third party fulfillment sellers on Amazon. It offers beauty care products, greeting cards, personal care products, personal care and cardiovascular health alternative supplements, skin and hair care products, and men’s personal care products. Boosted Ecommerce Inc. was incorporated in 2019 and is based in Los Angeles, California.

Just Insure

Seed Round in 2020
Just provides auto insurance that is, well, more just. Instead of your rate being set by who you are - your age, zipcode and marital status - your rate is set by how you drive. This means that for the first time, there is a real financial incentive for people to make smart driving decisions. Unsafe driving doesn't lead to the possibility of an accident, it leads to the certainty of paying more on your insurance. For younger drivers, or those who might have been in an accident, or just happen to live in the wrong zipcode, this means better - perhaps dramatically better - rates. Just Auto Insurance launches in Arizona in October 2019.

Wheels

Series A in 2020
Wheels operates a shared electric mobility platform designed to revolutionize dockless mobility. The company's platform offers hybrid electric vehicles that are sleek in design with swappable parts, batteries and real-time dynamic maintenance upkeep with the built-in bluetooth speakers as well as charging point for phone, enabling users to get low-cost, fun and comfortable ebikes to get around cities through the connection of a smartphone.

Welcome Tech

Series A in 2020
Welcome Technologies is a platform dedicated to connecting the 250 million global immigrant communities with the information, products, and services they need to thrive in a new country. Today, the company has an unparalleled reach of over 9M immigrants a year and a membership of nearly 2M active users. Its platform combines the power of technology and security to provide its members with trusted, customized solutions across sectors such as Finance, Education, Healthcare, Telecommunication, and Government Services. Founded by immigration and technology experts, Welcome Tech is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

FitOn

Series A in 2020
FitOn Inc. is a fitness technology company that has developed a mobile application designed to facilitate health and fitness goals through access to various workout classes. Launched in 2018 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, the FitOn app offers users unlimited participation in live and on-demand classes across diverse fitness disciplines, including yoga, Pilates, cardio, dance, and barre, without the need for any equipment. Additionally, the platform features social elements that allow users to invite friends and engage with other participants while exercising. FitOn also includes tools for tracking calories, monitoring collective statistics, and sharing progress, enhancing the overall user experience and community engagement.

Fuse Inventory

Seed Round in 2019
Fuse Inventory, Inc. provides a software-as-a-service based inventory planning and management platform. It offers Fuse Inventory, an inventory forecasting platform to plan demand and inventory levels; and automatically prompts to re-order. The company’s platform also enables users to see sales, forecast, and inventory data charted in one central interface; highlights important events that impact business; and avoids stock-outs and overstocks. Fuse Inventory, Inc. was founded in 2016 and is based in Los Angeles, California.

Fuse Inventory

Seed Round in 2019
Fuse Inventory, Inc. provides a software-as-a-service based inventory planning and management platform. It offers Fuse Inventory, an inventory forecasting platform to plan demand and inventory levels; and automatically prompts to re-order. The company’s platform also enables users to see sales, forecast, and inventory data charted in one central interface; highlights important events that impact business; and avoids stock-outs and overstocks. Fuse Inventory, Inc. was founded in 2016 and is based in Los Angeles, California.

Wheels

Series A in 2019
Wheels operates a shared electric mobility platform designed to revolutionize dockless mobility. The company's platform offers hybrid electric vehicles that are sleek in design with swappable parts, batteries and real-time dynamic maintenance upkeep with the built-in bluetooth speakers as well as charging point for phone, enabling users to get low-cost, fun and comfortable ebikes to get around cities through the connection of a smartphone.

FitOn

Seed Round in 2018
FitOn Inc. is a fitness technology company that has developed a mobile application designed to facilitate health and fitness goals through access to various workout classes. Launched in 2018 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, the FitOn app offers users unlimited participation in live and on-demand classes across diverse fitness disciplines, including yoga, Pilates, cardio, dance, and barre, without the need for any equipment. Additionally, the platform features social elements that allow users to invite friends and engage with other participants while exercising. FitOn also includes tools for tracking calories, monitoring collective statistics, and sharing progress, enhancing the overall user experience and community engagement.

Postie

Seed Round in 2018
Postie offers automated marketing tools for direct mail marketing. With real-time attribution & data visualization, Postie delivers Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Campaign Management tools to dynamically optimize your entire DM channel strategy. Re-engage with your customers: Easily create highly segmented CRM campaigns blending purchase and behavioral data for maximum performance. Retarget your prospective customers: Use your online and mobile data to identify highly engaged prospects and deploy daily trigger campaigns. Locate new customers with high ROAS Prospecting campaigns: Build look-a-like audiences that self-optimize into response models using real-time conversion data.

PlayVS

Series A in 2018
PlayVS is an operator of an eSports platform used to organize competitions in eSports on behalf of high school. Its platform offers to organize online tournaments and wagers for cash and prizes and helps to play and stay up-to-date on high school e-sports programs that enable teen gamers to form teams at their high schools to compete with players from other schools and the battle for titles at state championships.

PlayVS

Series A in 2018
PlayVS is an operator of an eSports platform used to organize competitions in eSports on behalf of high school. Its platform offers to organize online tournaments and wagers for cash and prizes and helps to play and stay up-to-date on high school e-sports programs that enable teen gamers to form teams at their high schools to compete with players from other schools and the battle for titles at state championships.

Fama

Series A in 2018
Fama is an AI-based solution that identifies and offers an opportunity to address problematic behavior among potential hires and current employees by analyzing publicly available online information. This type of content can ultimately lead to brand risk and toxic culture, and is often missed in the hiring and management process.

Postie

Seed Round in 2017
Postie offers automated marketing tools for direct mail marketing. With real-time attribution & data visualization, Postie delivers Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Campaign Management tools to dynamically optimize your entire DM channel strategy. Re-engage with your customers: Easily create highly segmented CRM campaigns blending purchase and behavioral data for maximum performance. Retarget your prospective customers: Use your online and mobile data to identify highly engaged prospects and deploy daily trigger campaigns. Locate new customers with high ROAS Prospecting campaigns: Build look-a-like audiences that self-optimize into response models using real-time conversion data.

Purple Squirrel

Seed Round in 2017
Purple Squirrel, Inc. operates a community-driven hiring marketplace that connects job seekers with employees at leading companies. Founded in 2014 and based in San Francisco, California, the platform allows users to enhance their job search by gaining personalized interview advice, accessing unlisted job opportunities, and earning employee referrals. By facilitating direct engagement between job seekers and company insiders, Purple Squirrel enables candidates to improve their chances of securing employment while offering employees a chance to mentor and discover talent in exchange for compensation. This innovative approach aims to simplify the hiring process and empower job seekers to land positions at their desired companies.

Conversion Logic

Series A in 2017
Conversion Logic is a software company based in Santa Monica, California, specializing in cross-channel attribution and marketing analytics. The company provides a Software-as-a-Service platform that offers digital and video media performance insights for brands, agencies, and advertising technology partners. Utilizing a machine learning framework, Conversion Logic's platform collects user-level data through API integration and employs a scientific approach to analyze which media dimensions yield the best return on investment. This analysis aids in generating actionable insights related to frequency, placement, and creative optimizations. As of March 2020, Conversion Logic operates as a subsidiary of VideoAmp, Inc., enhancing its capabilities in delivering real-time predictive insights for marketing efficiency and optimization.

IMMORTALS

Seed Round in 2017
Immortals, LLC is an esports organization based in Los Angeles, California, that forms professional gaming teams to compete in various esports events. Established in 2014 and rebranded from Team 8 eSports, LLC in 2015, Immortals participates in popular games such as League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch, Super Smash Bros., and Vainglory, as well as mobile esports titles like Clash Royale and Arena of Valor. The organization emphasizes player well-being and community engagement, creating a supportive environment for both professional gamers and fans. Immortals is dedicated to fostering camaraderie and competitive excellence, aiming to build a lasting connection among players and supporters.

RelationUp

Venture Round in 2016
RelationUp is a relationship community that provides relationship and dating advice and a wide range of articles to help people improve and strengthen their relationships. It was founded on 2015 and also operated by Rhonda Milrad, LCSW. Rhonda is a regular contributor to Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen, and Jdate where she writes relationship and dating advice. She is also a regular go to source on a wide range of relationship issues for Bustle, Reader’s Digest, Redbook, Glamour, The List, Reader’s Digest, Psychology Today, Romper, Verifly, Best Life online among others.

Foray Collective

Pre Seed Round in 2016
Foray Collective, Inc. sells clothing and accessories online for women in the United States. It offers activewear, denims, dresses, jackets and coats, jumpsuits, lingerie, loungewear, pants, rompers, shoes, shorts, skirts, sweaters and knits, swimwear, and tops; and bags, belts, hats and hair accessories, jewelry, lifestyle products and gifts, scarves, and sunglasses. The company was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.

Arsenic

Seed Round in 2016
Arsenic is a mobile-first platform that serves as a digital magazine, focusing on youth-driven, provocative lifestyles. It operates on a user-submission model, allowing individuals to showcase their lives and experiences while democratizing media for a diverse audience. The platform has gained significant traction among millennials, being likened to "Maxim for the Snapchat generation." ArsenicTV boasts higher daily viewership on Snapchat than several established cable networks, with projections indicating it may soon surpass MTV in viewership. Additionally, the platform enjoys robust engagement on Instagram, outpacing many traditional media brands. It features a notable celebrity user base, including prominent figures such as Justin Bieber, Kevin Hart, and Skrillex, contributing to its strong appeal within the social media influencer ecosystem.

IMMORTALS

Seed Round in 2016
Immortals, LLC is an esports organization based in Los Angeles, California, that forms professional gaming teams to compete in various esports events. Established in 2014 and rebranded from Team 8 eSports, LLC in 2015, Immortals participates in popular games such as League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch, Super Smash Bros., and Vainglory, as well as mobile esports titles like Clash Royale and Arena of Valor. The organization emphasizes player well-being and community engagement, creating a supportive environment for both professional gamers and fans. Immortals is dedicated to fostering camaraderie and competitive excellence, aiming to build a lasting connection among players and supporters.

Iconery

Seed Round in 2015
Iconery, Inc. operates an online marketplace for jewelry fanatics in the United States. It offers stud earrings, stackable rings, and necklaces. The company was founded in 2014 and is based in Venice, California. As of April 11, 2019, Iconery, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Heartbeat.

IMMORTALS

Seed Round in 2015
Immortals, LLC is an esports organization based in Los Angeles, California, that forms professional gaming teams to compete in various esports events. Established in 2014 and rebranded from Team 8 eSports, LLC in 2015, Immortals participates in popular games such as League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch, Super Smash Bros., and Vainglory, as well as mobile esports titles like Clash Royale and Arena of Valor. The organization emphasizes player well-being and community engagement, creating a supportive environment for both professional gamers and fans. Immortals is dedicated to fostering camaraderie and competitive excellence, aiming to build a lasting connection among players and supporters.

HelloTech

Series A in 2015
HelloTech is changing the way consumers purchase and get support for new technology. Utilizing a background-checked, vetted on-demand workforce, HelloTech provides in home support and consultation for consumers looking to manage and upgrade the technology within their home.

HelloTech

Seed Round in 2015
HelloTech is changing the way consumers purchase and get support for new technology. Utilizing a background-checked, vetted on-demand workforce, HelloTech provides in home support and consultation for consumers looking to manage and upgrade the technology within their home.

Conversion Logic

Seed Round in 2015
Conversion Logic is a software company based in Santa Monica, California, specializing in cross-channel attribution and marketing analytics. The company provides a Software-as-a-Service platform that offers digital and video media performance insights for brands, agencies, and advertising technology partners. Utilizing a machine learning framework, Conversion Logic's platform collects user-level data through API integration and employs a scientific approach to analyze which media dimensions yield the best return on investment. This analysis aids in generating actionable insights related to frequency, placement, and creative optimizations. As of March 2020, Conversion Logic operates as a subsidiary of VideoAmp, Inc., enhancing its capabilities in delivering real-time predictive insights for marketing efficiency and optimization.

HelloTech

Seed Round in 2015
HelloTech is changing the way consumers purchase and get support for new technology. Utilizing a background-checked, vetted on-demand workforce, HelloTech provides in home support and consultation for consumers looking to manage and upgrade the technology within their home.

Winc

Venture Round in 2013
Winc, Inc. is a wine production company founded in 2012 and based in Los Angeles, California. It offers an online subscription wine delivery service that aims to simplify the wine purchasing experience for consumers. With a focus on creating custom experiences, Winc has developed popular wine brands such as Summer Water and Folly of the Beast, which are well-regarded for their quality and appeal. The company leverages consumer insights to drive brand development and has established a presence in both premium retail locations and progressive restaurants across the United States. Recently, Winc introduced Winc Shares, a crowdfunding initiative that allows a broader audience to invest in the company, democratizing access to investment opportunities in the wine industry. With a price point of approximately $13 per bottle, Winc continues to innovate within the $220 billion wine market.

Postcard on the Run Website

Seed Round in 2012
Postcard on the Run was an easy to use mobile application that allows users to take a photograph from their mobile phone, personalize it with a message and their own signature, and send it as a physical postcard anywhere in the world. Postcard On The Run pitched their business on Shark Tank in 2013 (Season 5 Episode 1) and got a deal with Robert Herjavec. Postcard on the Run ran out of steam on 1 October 2015. In September 2017, the Postcard App MyPostcard acquired their website URL which now redirects to mypostcard.com.

ipsy

Series A in 2012
Ipsy is a leading beauty community that offers a personalized monthly subscription service known as the Glam Bag, which delivers makeup and beauty samples to subscribers. Founded in 2011 by prominent YouTube creator Michelle Phan, Ipsy has experienced significant growth and currently serves over 1.5 million subscribers each month. In addition to its sampling service, the company produces engaging content that reaches more than 20 million individuals monthly through stylist videos and social media posts. Ipsy operates with a dedicated team of professionals skilled in beauty, e-commerce, technology, and content creation, with offices located in the Bay Area, New York City, and Los Angeles. The company has attracted over $100 million in growth capital from notable investors, enabling its expansion and innovation within the beauty industry.

EVENTup

Seed Round in 2012
Eventup, Inc. provides online marketplace for booking venues for events. The company offers venues that include homes, apartments, condos, lofts, hotels, boats, yachts, galleries/museums, and other spaces for various events, such as weddings, parties, concerts, gatherings, and corporate celebrations. Eventup, Inc. was founded in 2011 and is based in Santa Monica, California. It has operations in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, Boston, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. As of June 28, 2018, Eventup, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Gather Technologies, Inc.

StyleSaint

Seed Round in 2012
StyleSaint, Inc. is a fashion media and technology company based in Los Angeles, California, specializing in the design, manufacture, and sale of women's clothing. Established in 2011, the company focuses on creating high-quality, sustainable apparel, including tops, dresses, lingerie, and two-piece sets, all sold directly to consumers through its online platform. By adopting a "creator-to-closet" approach, StyleSaint emphasizes the importance of quality and sustainability while eliminating unnecessary retail markups. This model allows customers to access stylish, non-disposable essentials at affordable prices year-round. The company's head designer, Allison Beal, leads an artisanal design process, ensuring each piece is crafted locally to support domestic manufacturing and reduce the environmental impact of shipping. StyleSaint aims to redefine the fashion industry by prioritizing timeless collections made to last, rather than promoting fast fashion trends.

Postcard on the Run Website

Angel Round in 2011
Postcard on the Run was an easy to use mobile application that allows users to take a photograph from their mobile phone, personalize it with a message and their own signature, and send it as a physical postcard anywhere in the world. Postcard On The Run pitched their business on Shark Tank in 2013 (Season 5 Episode 1) and got a deal with Robert Herjavec. Postcard on the Run ran out of steam on 1 October 2015. In September 2017, the Postcard App MyPostcard acquired their website URL which now redirects to mypostcard.com.

Shift

Series A in 2011
Shift Technologies, Inc. operates an online platform that facilitates the buying and selling of new and used cars, offering a range of vehicle types including sedans, SUVs, and trucks. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, with additional locations in Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, and Portland, Shift aims to simplify the car purchase experience. The company provides a comprehensive service that includes detailing vehicles, listing them on multiple platforms, managing test drives, and connecting sellers with potential buyers. Customers receive a detailed 150-point concierge report that encompasses vehicle specifications, high-resolution images, and history reports. Shift also offers financing options and additional support services throughout the car ownership lifecycle, making the process more accessible and enjoyable for consumers.

Ze Frank Games

Seed Round in 2010
social network meets social game