Innovation Works

Innovation Works is a venture capital firm based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, established in 1999. With over 20 years of experience, it has become a key player in Southwestern Pennsylvania's technology economy, focusing on investing in high-potential companies that can significantly impact the regional economy. As the largest investor in seed-stage companies in the region, Innovation Works supports a diverse range of sectors, including robotics, artificial intelligence, medical devices, retail technologies, and enterprise software. In addition to financial investment, the firm offers business expertise and resources to help manufacturers adopt new technologies, further fostering innovation and growth within the local economy.

Sophie Burkholder

Investment Associate

Kevin Dowling

Managing Director of Robotics Factory and Hardware

Peter Erin

Senior Investment Associate

Rich Luak

CEO

Jeffrey McDaniel

Investor

Megan Kahn Shaw

Managing Director, Life Sciences

Past deals in Crowdsourcing

Miror

Seed Round in 2021
Miror is an online platform that allows users to explore and connect to people.

Honeycomb Credit

Seed Round in 2020
Honeycomb Credit, Inc. owns and operates an electronic platform where business owners can seek to borrow money from investors, and where investors can offer loans to businesses. The company, through its funding portal, lets small businesses borrow money from their own customers in a community. It allows debt crowdfunding between lenders and borrowers. Honeycomb Credit, Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Honeycomb Credit

Seed Round in 2020
Honeycomb Credit, Inc. owns and operates an electronic platform where business owners can seek to borrow money from investors, and where investors can offer loans to businesses. The company, through its funding portal, lets small businesses borrow money from their own customers in a community. It allows debt crowdfunding between lenders and borrowers. Honeycomb Credit, Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

UpContent

Seed Round in 2020
Here at UpContent, they believe content is currency. The exchange of this powerful information establishes thought leaders, builds strong communities, and evokes change. Even though the internet is full of valuable and beautiful content worthy of sharing, traditional methods of searching have made finding the hidden gems difficult and time-consuming. That’s why they feel so passionate about their content discovery tool. UpContent gives users the power to spark conversations and gain insight on the topics they care about most.

Honeycomb Credit

Seed Round in 2019
Honeycomb Credit, Inc. owns and operates an electronic platform where business owners can seek to borrow money from investors, and where investors can offer loans to businesses. The company, through its funding portal, lets small businesses borrow money from their own customers in a community. It allows debt crowdfunding between lenders and borrowers. Honeycomb Credit, Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Qlicket

Convertible Note in 2019
Qlicket operates as an AI-driven SaaS platform that focuses on talent retention, aiming to reduce employee turnover by providing continuous insights into employee experiences. The platform includes a kiosk feedback system designed to facilitate communication between employees and management, addressing the challenges posed by high turnover rates. In addition to its talent retention services, Qlicket India Pvt. Ltd. manages a Wi-Fi platform that enhances customer engagement by allowing businesses to interact with customers and gather their feedback. Founded in 2011 and based in New Delhi, India, Qlicket has established a presence in the market, complementing its operations with a U.S. headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where it was founded in 2018.

Qlicket

Seed Round in 2019
Qlicket operates as an AI-driven SaaS platform that focuses on talent retention, aiming to reduce employee turnover by providing continuous insights into employee experiences. The platform includes a kiosk feedback system designed to facilitate communication between employees and management, addressing the challenges posed by high turnover rates. In addition to its talent retention services, Qlicket India Pvt. Ltd. manages a Wi-Fi platform that enhances customer engagement by allowing businesses to interact with customers and gather their feedback. Founded in 2011 and based in New Delhi, India, Qlicket has established a presence in the market, complementing its operations with a U.S. headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where it was founded in 2018.

UpContent

Seed Round in 2018
Here at UpContent, they believe content is currency. The exchange of this powerful information establishes thought leaders, builds strong communities, and evokes change. Even though the internet is full of valuable and beautiful content worthy of sharing, traditional methods of searching have made finding the hidden gems difficult and time-consuming. That’s why they feel so passionate about their content discovery tool. UpContent gives users the power to spark conversations and gain insight on the topics they care about most.

Everhire

Seed Round in 2018
Everhire is bringing the capabilities and scale of a national recruiting firm to small and medium-sized companies that have not typically embraced the traditional recruiter model.

Qlicket

Seed Round in 2018
Qlicket operates as an AI-driven SaaS platform that focuses on talent retention, aiming to reduce employee turnover by providing continuous insights into employee experiences. The platform includes a kiosk feedback system designed to facilitate communication between employees and management, addressing the challenges posed by high turnover rates. In addition to its talent retention services, Qlicket India Pvt. Ltd. manages a Wi-Fi platform that enhances customer engagement by allowing businesses to interact with customers and gather their feedback. Founded in 2011 and based in New Delhi, India, Qlicket has established a presence in the market, complementing its operations with a U.S. headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where it was founded in 2018.

Honeycomb Credit

Seed Round in 2018
Honeycomb Credit, Inc. owns and operates an electronic platform where business owners can seek to borrow money from investors, and where investors can offer loans to businesses. The company, through its funding portal, lets small businesses borrow money from their own customers in a community. It allows debt crowdfunding between lenders and borrowers. Honeycomb Credit, Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Everhire

Seed Round in 2018
Everhire is bringing the capabilities and scale of a national recruiting firm to small and medium-sized companies that have not typically embraced the traditional recruiter model.

UpContent

Seed Round in 2018
Here at UpContent, they believe content is currency. The exchange of this powerful information establishes thought leaders, builds strong communities, and evokes change. Even though the internet is full of valuable and beautiful content worthy of sharing, traditional methods of searching have made finding the hidden gems difficult and time-consuming. That’s why they feel so passionate about their content discovery tool. UpContent gives users the power to spark conversations and gain insight on the topics they care about most.

Honeycomb Credit

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Honeycomb Credit, Inc. owns and operates an electronic platform where business owners can seek to borrow money from investors, and where investors can offer loans to businesses. The company, through its funding portal, lets small businesses borrow money from their own customers in a community. It allows debt crowdfunding between lenders and borrowers. Honeycomb Credit, Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Honeycomb Credit

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Honeycomb Credit, Inc. owns and operates an electronic platform where business owners can seek to borrow money from investors, and where investors can offer loans to businesses. The company, through its funding portal, lets small businesses borrow money from their own customers in a community. It allows debt crowdfunding between lenders and borrowers. Honeycomb Credit, Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

UpContent

Seed Round in 2017
Here at UpContent, they believe content is currency. The exchange of this powerful information establishes thought leaders, builds strong communities, and evokes change. Even though the internet is full of valuable and beautiful content worthy of sharing, traditional methods of searching have made finding the hidden gems difficult and time-consuming. That’s why they feel so passionate about their content discovery tool. UpContent gives users the power to spark conversations and gain insight on the topics they care about most.

Honeycomb Credit

Pre Seed Round in 2017
Honeycomb Credit, Inc. owns and operates an electronic platform where business owners can seek to borrow money from investors, and where investors can offer loans to businesses. The company, through its funding portal, lets small businesses borrow money from their own customers in a community. It allows debt crowdfunding between lenders and borrowers. Honeycomb Credit, Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Twined

Convertible Note in 2017
Twined, Inc. operates an e-commerce marketplace focused on providing unbiased product reviews and recommendations. Founded in 2013 and based in Brooklyn, New York, the company assists consumers in discovering trustworthy reviews from knowledgeable individuals, referred to as Tastemakers. The platform covers a diverse range of products, including kitchen and baby items, art supplies, and more. Twined negotiates competitive prices with vendors, allowing users to access discounts by participating in group purchases. By linking the lowest prices from various brands and retailers, Twined aims to simplify the shopping experience and empower users to make informed decisions.

ViaHero

Angel Round in 2016
ViaHero, LLC is an online platform that connects travelers with local experts, known as Heroes, to facilitate personalized trip planning. Founded in 2015 and based in New York, the company allows travelers to share their preferences and specific needs, enabling Heroes to create tailored guidebooks and custom maps. These resources are accessible through an offline app, offering a unique travel experience that allows individuals to explore destinations through the eyes of a local. The platform provides a comprehensive service that includes personalized recommendations, logistical information, and local insights, making it easier for travelers to plan their trips efficiently and independently.

CoveyMom

Convertible Note in 2016
Covey is a social collaboration application for parents. It enables them to share experiences, ask parenting questions, and make connections with others nearby.

Twined

Seed Round in 2016
Twined, Inc. operates an e-commerce marketplace focused on providing unbiased product reviews and recommendations. Founded in 2013 and based in Brooklyn, New York, the company assists consumers in discovering trustworthy reviews from knowledgeable individuals, referred to as Tastemakers. The platform covers a diverse range of products, including kitchen and baby items, art supplies, and more. Twined negotiates competitive prices with vendors, allowing users to access discounts by participating in group purchases. By linking the lowest prices from various brands and retailers, Twined aims to simplify the shopping experience and empower users to make informed decisions.

Imagine Careers

Seed Round in 2016
Imagine Careers is the first consumer-facing human capital startup in a $400 billion per year global market. With 70% of people disengaged from their employers and 1% finding a job through a job board we know job searching is hard. We also know hiring is expensive with companies spending $4000 per hire and 30% of a bad hire’s salary on average. Hiring being expensive also takes too long, with an average of 52 days per hire. Founded in Pittsburgh, PA we instantly match people and companies with our 3-way fit score. We also aggregate and centralize thousands of employment brands from data all over the web. We do this all the while keeping our users anonymous and free of spam until they want to engage with a mutual fitting company. Our platform saves people and companies significant time and money.

ViaHero

Funding Round in 2015
ViaHero, LLC is an online platform that connects travelers with local experts, known as Heroes, to facilitate personalized trip planning. Founded in 2015 and based in New York, the company allows travelers to share their preferences and specific needs, enabling Heroes to create tailored guidebooks and custom maps. These resources are accessible through an offline app, offering a unique travel experience that allows individuals to explore destinations through the eyes of a local. The platform provides a comprehensive service that includes personalized recommendations, logistical information, and local insights, making it easier for travelers to plan their trips efficiently and independently.

Emplified

Seed Round in 2015
Employee-led engagement platform. Emplified empowers employees to proactively amplify their skills, accomplishments and needs within their workplace while providing managers with better visibility into the capabilities, progress and needs of their teams.

CoveyMom

Seed Round in 2015
Covey is a social collaboration application for parents. It enables them to share experiences, ask parenting questions, and make connections with others nearby.

Collected

Convertible Note in 2014
Collected Inc. is a software company that offers a hosted application designed to enhance productivity by delivering contextually relevant content from users' cloud-storage accounts while they work. The application analyzes documents and presentations to identify reusable snippets of text, which are displayed unobtrusively in a sidebar as users compose emails, documents, or presentations. It integrates seamlessly with popular cloud-storage services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and Gmail, supporting various workflows including Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Collected Inc. aims to streamline the process of content creation by facilitating easy access to related information, thereby improving efficiency and consistency in users' work.

CivicScience

Venture Round in 2013
CivicScience Inc. specializes in consumer intelligence research through its online polling application, iQpoll. This platform integrates with existing polls or creates custom polls to match the aesthetics of various websites. CivicScience provides users with up to three tailored poll questions during each visit, allowing the company to build comprehensive yet anonymous user profiles over time. By identifying returning users, CivicScience enhances the relevance of its questions, encouraging continued engagement. The platform collects and organizes opinion data, which it delivers to marketers and decision-makers in real time. Additionally, CivicScience offers market researchers and investment analysts access to paid reports that leverage anonymous audience data, facilitating a deeper understanding of consumer opinions and market trends.

8020select

Seed Round in 2013
8020select is an online design community based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that specializes in providing affordable graphic design services, particularly custom logo design, for small businesses. By addressing the challenges faced by these businesses in the graphic design industry, 8020select aims to disrupt the traditional model, which often leaves small enterprises with limited, low-quality options. The platform offers a tailored solution that combines proprietary tools to streamline the design process with an invite-only community of skilled designers. This approach ensures clients receive high-quality work efficiently and at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional agencies, making quality design more accessible to small businesses.

JazzHR

Series B in 2012
JazzHR is a user-friendly and affordable recruiting software designed specifically for small to medium-sized businesses. The platform replaces outdated hiring methods, such as email and spreadsheets, with an intuitive applicant tracking system that streamlines the recruitment process. It offers features such as candidate sourcing and employer branding, enabling recruiters and hiring managers to build an effective and scalable hiring strategy. Since its inception in 2009, JazzHR has assisted thousands of companies in filling over 100,000 positions. Additionally, it has introduced an integrated crowd-sourcing and predictive analytics initiative known as the Crowd, further enhancing its capabilities in talent acquisition.

8020select

Seed Round in 2012
8020select is an online design community based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that specializes in providing affordable graphic design services, particularly custom logo design, for small businesses. By addressing the challenges faced by these businesses in the graphic design industry, 8020select aims to disrupt the traditional model, which often leaves small enterprises with limited, low-quality options. The platform offers a tailored solution that combines proprietary tools to streamline the design process with an invite-only community of skilled designers. This approach ensures clients receive high-quality work efficiently and at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional agencies, making quality design more accessible to small businesses.

JazzHR

Series A in 2011
JazzHR is a user-friendly and affordable recruiting software designed specifically for small to medium-sized businesses. The platform replaces outdated hiring methods, such as email and spreadsheets, with an intuitive applicant tracking system that streamlines the recruitment process. It offers features such as candidate sourcing and employer branding, enabling recruiters and hiring managers to build an effective and scalable hiring strategy. Since its inception in 2009, JazzHR has assisted thousands of companies in filling over 100,000 positions. Additionally, it has introduced an integrated crowd-sourcing and predictive analytics initiative known as the Crowd, further enhancing its capabilities in talent acquisition.

Fotofeedback

Seed Round in 2010
Fotofeedback (formerly Synesi LLC) operates an online community of photographers for sharing experience and building knowledge. It connects photographers in the United States and internationally, and offers personalized feedback on their work. The company’s community enables the users to get feedback on their pictures by deciding if they would like to connect with master photographer, working professional, or instructor; connecting and selecting a photographer in the area of expertise that is of interest to them, or based on area of expertise and skill level; submitting their images; selecting the area of expertise that applies to their work and what they are trying to do; and deciding the feedback level they want. Fotofeedback is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

JazzHR

Seed Round in 2009
JazzHR is a user-friendly and affordable recruiting software designed specifically for small to medium-sized businesses. The platform replaces outdated hiring methods, such as email and spreadsheets, with an intuitive applicant tracking system that streamlines the recruitment process. It offers features such as candidate sourcing and employer branding, enabling recruiters and hiring managers to build an effective and scalable hiring strategy. Since its inception in 2009, JazzHR has assisted thousands of companies in filling over 100,000 positions. Additionally, it has introduced an integrated crowd-sourcing and predictive analytics initiative known as the Crowd, further enhancing its capabilities in talent acquisition.

CivicScience

Seed Round in 2009
CivicScience Inc. specializes in consumer intelligence research through its online polling application, iQpoll. This platform integrates with existing polls or creates custom polls to match the aesthetics of various websites. CivicScience provides users with up to three tailored poll questions during each visit, allowing the company to build comprehensive yet anonymous user profiles over time. By identifying returning users, CivicScience enhances the relevance of its questions, encouraging continued engagement. The platform collects and organizes opinion data, which it delivers to marketers and decision-makers in real time. Additionally, CivicScience offers market researchers and investment analysts access to paid reports that leverage anonymous audience data, facilitating a deeper understanding of consumer opinions and market trends.

CivicScience

Seed Round in 2008
CivicScience Inc. specializes in consumer intelligence research through its online polling application, iQpoll. This platform integrates with existing polls or creates custom polls to match the aesthetics of various websites. CivicScience provides users with up to three tailored poll questions during each visit, allowing the company to build comprehensive yet anonymous user profiles over time. By identifying returning users, CivicScience enhances the relevance of its questions, encouraging continued engagement. The platform collects and organizes opinion data, which it delivers to marketers and decision-makers in real time. Additionally, CivicScience offers market researchers and investment analysts access to paid reports that leverage anonymous audience data, facilitating a deeper understanding of consumer opinions and market trends.
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