Girls' Night In
Pre Seed Round in 2019
Girls' Night In, LLC is an online editorial platform dedicated to fostering community among women through various content and services. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Washington D.C., the company offers a Friday newsletter that focuses on self-care and provides engaging articles and blogs tailored for its female audience. In addition to its written content, Girls' Night In organizes GNI Book Club meetings throughout the United States and Canada, creating opportunities for women to connect and share their experiences. With a commitment to supporting women's well-being and community engagement, Girls' Night In continues to be a valuable resource for its subscribers.
B12 operates a human-assisted AI platform that streamlines website design processes. It offers Orchestra, an online tool integrating with third-party platforms like e-commerce and blogging services, alerting experts to web design quality issues.
B12
Pre Seed Round in 2016
B12 operates a human-assisted AI platform that streamlines website design processes. It offers Orchestra, an online tool integrating with third-party platforms like e-commerce and blogging services, alerting experts to web design quality issues.
Strikingly
Seed Round in 2014
Strikingly, Inc. is a website development platform established in 2012 and headquartered in San Francisco, California. It enables users, including small businesses and individuals, to create mobile-optimized websites and online stores without the need for coding or design skills. The platform offers a variety of professional templates and layouts, allowing users to easily build responsive websites that are optimized for smartphones, tablets, and desktops. Strikingly's features include drag-and-drop editing, e-commerce capabilities, and options for adding memberships and blogs. The company generates revenue through premium subscription plans, which provide additional functionalities such as custom domain connections and the removal of Strikingly branding.
Medium is a social publishing platform that enables writers to publish articles and reach readers through a built-in distribution network. The service provides simple creation tools and a personalized feed, allowing readers to follow people and topics and engage by highlighting, recommending, or commenting on posts. Founded in 2012 by Evan Williams and headquartered in San Francisco, Medium brings together engineers, editors, and creators to blend technology with storytelling. It supports a wide range of topics, from technology and politics to culture and personal development, fostering a community-driven environment where ideas can be shared and discussed.
Strikingly
Seed Round in 2013
Strikingly, Inc. is a website development platform established in 2012 and headquartered in San Francisco, California. It enables users, including small businesses and individuals, to create mobile-optimized websites and online stores without the need for coding or design skills. The platform offers a variety of professional templates and layouts, allowing users to easily build responsive websites that are optimized for smartphones, tablets, and desktops. Strikingly's features include drag-and-drop editing, e-commerce capabilities, and options for adding memberships and blogs. The company generates revenue through premium subscription plans, which provide additional functionalities such as custom domain connections and the removal of Strikingly branding.
NewHive
Seed Round in 2013
NewHive is an online platform that serves as a do-it-yourself self-publishing tool, enabling users to express their creativity through customizable web pages. It fosters a social environment where individuals can create and share their unique content, encouraging artistic exploration and personal expression. By providing a user-friendly interface, NewHive empowers creators to develop and showcase their work, enhancing the interaction between users and their audiences.
Svbtle is an online publishing platform founded in 2012, based in the United States. It combines elements of traditional publishing with modern web capabilities to facilitate the discovery and sharing of new ideas. The platform is designed to enhance the writing experience by focusing on the quality of content, aiming to empower users to express their thoughts clearly and effectively. Svbtle prioritizes the needs of writers, offering services such as copyediting and fact-checking at no cost, which are typically not associated with standard blogging platforms. Through this approach, the company seeks to cultivate a community of thoughtful writers and improve overall writing standards.
Lift is a virtual web design and development company with a focus on user experience design, second screen apps, and WordPress development. Co-founded by designer Chris Wallace and entrepreneur Brad Miller, Lift works primarily with large television networks building second-screen applications for tv shows Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Bridezillas, and others.
Founded in 2009, Lift originally focused on building WordPress websites for small businesses and blog networks. In 2010, Lift redesigned and developed TheNextWeb.com, releasing the new website live at The Next Web conference, showcasing a tight integration with the newly-released Facebook API and a unique widget-driven homepage, allowing readers to customize their news page with a drag-and-drog interface.
In 2011, Lift developed The Walking Dead StorySync® for AMC tv, helping draw millions of viewers and winning two Social TV Award for Best Mobile Phone, iPad or Tablet Social TV Application.
Also in 2011, Lift led the redesign of IFC.com, bring responsive design to the world of television networks.
NewHive
Seed Round in 2012
NewHive is an online platform that serves as a do-it-yourself self-publishing tool, enabling users to express their creativity through customizable web pages. It fosters a social environment where individuals can create and share their unique content, encouraging artistic exploration and personal expression. By providing a user-friendly interface, NewHive empowers creators to develop and showcase their work, enhancing the interaction between users and their audiences.
Findery is a social discovery platform that enhances the exploration of places through user-generated content. It allows individuals to share stories, histories, and unique insights about various locations, creating a rich tapestry of experiences that can be accessed via smartphone. The platform serves as a crowdsourced travel guide, enabling users to document their travels and memories while inviting others to contribute their own narratives. By fostering a community of travelers, adventure-seekers, and storytellers, Findery aims to make the world more engaging and informative, allowing users to discover both local and global destinations through the perspectives of others.
Hyperink
Venture Round in 2011
Hyperink, Inc. is a self-publishing platform based in San Francisco, California, that enables individuals to publish eBooks across various categories, including biographies, self-help, technology, and more. Founded in 2010, the company offers services such as cover design, layout, and customer support to streamline the publishing process for users. Hyperink's platform allows writers and bloggers to curate and compile their existing content into cohesive books, transforming blogs and articles into published works. The company distributes its eBooks through its own website as well as other online retailers, aiming to democratize the publishing process and empower individuals to share their knowledge and stories with a wider audience.
Genius
Convertible Note in 2011
Genius Media Group, Inc. operates an online platform that focuses on music intelligence, originally starting as a site for annotating rap lyrics. Founded in 2009 and based in Brooklyn, New York, Genius has evolved to serve a broader audience, providing insights into various music genres beyond hip-hop. The platform attracts over 100 million users monthly, enabling contributors, editors, and musicians to engage in discussions about songs and share their interpretations with a global fan base. In addition to lyrics, Genius features charts and videos, offering a comprehensive view of music and its cultural significance. Renowned artists, including Frank Ocean and Lin-Manuel Miranda, also participate in the platform, contributing their perspectives and enhancing the storytelling aspect of music.
Friend.ly
Series A in 2011
Friend.ly is a social Q&A platform designed to facilitate self-expression in a fun and meaningful way. It allows users to engage with a community by answering a variety of site-generated questions that are personally relevant to them. Upon logging in, users can explore questions, respond to others, and provide compliments on answers, fostering a positive environment for sharing thoughts and experiences. The platform aims to help individuals create a more accurate online profile while encouraging deeper connections with friends and acquaintances. Through its engaging approach, Friend.ly serves as a tool for users to better understand themselves and the people around them.
Findery
Angel Round in 2011
Findery is a social discovery platform that enhances the exploration of places through user-generated content. It allows individuals to share stories, histories, and unique insights about various locations, creating a rich tapestry of experiences that can be accessed via smartphone. The platform serves as a crowdsourced travel guide, enabling users to document their travels and memories while inviting others to contribute their own narratives. By fostering a community of travelers, adventure-seekers, and storytellers, Findery aims to make the world more engaging and informative, allowing users to discover both local and global destinations through the perspectives of others.
Sulia
Venture Round in 2010
**Sulia is a subject-based social network that connects you to the top social sources on subjects you care about.**
We all have interests that we're extremely passionate about. Whether it's our family, a sports team, breaking news, Hollywood gossip, a hobby, a career, or a political issue, we obsess over our interests everyday.
However, with an endless number of sources talking about an endless number of subjects, it's nearly impossible to find the best sources to follow to across your interests. And, even if you were able to identify the top sources, sifting through all of their content is maddeningly time-consuming.
We built Sulia to address these problems (which were driving us mad too).
Sulia’s subject-based structure of social channels connects trusted sources and enthusiasts on shared interests across thousands of subjects, including breaking news and events. How?
We use a combination of network managers and sophisticated algorithms to identify the best-regarded sources across thousands of subjects. We then dynamically filter content from those sources, regardless of where it's created (a blog, a social network, a media site, through Sulia's publishing system, etc.), into high-quality, realtime social channels. The result is streams of timely content from trusted sources that is always on-topic, readable, and relevant.
People use Sulia everyday to discover new sources and engage with their interests.
Sulia is backed by leading media and technology investors, including:
-- Firstmark Capital: Rick Heitzmann
-- Village Ventures: Matt Harris, Bo Peabody
-- IA Capital Partners: Roger Ehrenberg
-- Founder Collective: Chris Dixon
-- SV Angels: Ron Conway
-- Mark Gerson, Founder, Gerson Lehrman Group
Posterous
Series A in 2010
Posterous, founded in the summer of 2008, is a company that aims to simplify the blogging experience by allowing users to share thoughts, photos, audio, video, and files as easily as sending an email. Emerging from Y Combinator, Posterous has grown to attract over 15 million monthly users. With the introduction of Posterous Spaces, the company enhances its platform by offering intuitive privacy controls, enabling users to share content selectively across various platforms. This focus on user-friendly features positions Posterous as a notable player in the online blogging and sharing space.
App.net
Seed Round in 2010
App.net is an ad-free, subscription-based social networking and development platform that was launched in August 2012. Owned and operated by Mixed Media Labs, which was founded by CEO Dalton Caldwell and CTO Bryan Berg, the company aims to serve as the backbone of the social web. App.net provides a robust infrastructure that enables developers to create various social applications, including group messaging, photo and document sharing, and microblogging. The platform focuses on facilitating meaningful interactions among its members while maintaining a commitment to an uninterrupted user experience free from advertisements.
Thing Labs
Series A in 2009
Thing Labs is a company that specializes in web-based software services designed to facilitate the creation, sharing, exploration, and enjoyment of content. Founded by Jason Shellen, a former Google employee known for his work on Blogger and the co-creation of Google Reader, the company is recognized for its products, Brizzly and Plinky. Through its innovative software solutions, Thing Labs aims to enhance user engagement and streamline content interaction on the web.
DailyBooth
Angel Round in 2009
DailyBooth is a social networking platform that allows users to share photos and status updates in real-time. The service enables individuals to connect with friends by following their activities and sharing visual moments, creating an interactive environment for personal expression and communication. By focusing on real-time updates, DailyBooth provides a dynamic way for users to engage with their social circles through the sharing of images and status messages.
**Sulia is a subject-based social network that connects you to the top social sources on subjects you care about.**
We all have interests that we're extremely passionate about. Whether it's our family, a sports team, breaking news, Hollywood gossip, a hobby, a career, or a political issue, we obsess over our interests everyday.
However, with an endless number of sources talking about an endless number of subjects, it's nearly impossible to find the best sources to follow to across your interests. And, even if you were able to identify the top sources, sifting through all of their content is maddeningly time-consuming.
We built Sulia to address these problems (which were driving us mad too).
Sulia’s subject-based structure of social channels connects trusted sources and enthusiasts on shared interests across thousands of subjects, including breaking news and events. How?
We use a combination of network managers and sophisticated algorithms to identify the best-regarded sources across thousands of subjects. We then dynamically filter content from those sources, regardless of where it's created (a blog, a social network, a media site, through Sulia's publishing system, etc.), into high-quality, realtime social channels. The result is streams of timely content from trusted sources that is always on-topic, readable, and relevant.
People use Sulia everyday to discover new sources and engage with their interests.
Sulia is backed by leading media and technology investors, including:
-- Firstmark Capital: Rick Heitzmann
-- Village Ventures: Matt Harris, Bo Peabody
-- IA Capital Partners: Roger Ehrenberg
-- Founder Collective: Chris Dixon
-- SV Angels: Ron Conway
-- Mark Gerson, Founder, Gerson Lehrman Group
Funny or Die
Series B in 2007
Funny or Die, Inc. is a comedy video website that launched in 2007 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with additional offices in Japan, Madagascar, and Bahn. The platform allows a diverse array of users, including celebrities, established and emerging comedians, as well as regular individuals, to upload humorous content such as videos, articles, and images. It aims to provide a curated experience by enabling users to vote on the content, distinguishing what is considered funny from what should be disregarded. The website utilizes a proprietary player that can be embedded on other sites, enhancing its reach and accessibility.
Yardbarker
Seed Round in 2007
Yardbarker Media is a leading sports and entertainment media platform in the United States, attracting over 12 million user sessions monthly. Established in 2006, it offers a comprehensive online publishing platform that features articles, news, and information pertinent to sports. Yardbarker provides a space for sports fans, bloggers, and professional athletes to read, discuss, and engage with a variety of sports content, including articles, photos, and videos. The company also operates an online store that sells clothing and accessories for men, women, and children, alongside gift cards. Additionally, Yardbarker curates and sends out popular email newsletters, such as 'The Morning Bark' and 'Quiz of the Day,' to more than 370,000 daily subscribers, further enhancing its reach and engagement within the sports community.
Associated Content
Series A in 2006
Associated Content was a Denver-based platform that enabled users to create and publish content in various formats (text, video, audio, images) across diverse topics. The platform connected this user-generated content with consumers, partners, and advertisers, attracting millions of monthly viewers. In 2010, it was acquired by Yahoo.
Ning Interactive
Series A in 2005
Ning is an online platform that enables users to create social communities and websites tailored to their specific needs. The company provides a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution that includes a variety of community-building tools, allowing clients to engage and nurture their audiences effectively. Key features of the platform include branding and visual design options, member profiles, moderation capabilities, and privacy settings. Users can also utilize tools for sharing and inviting members, as well as integrate social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter. Additionally, Ning supports functionalities like blogging, discussion forums, event management, and multimedia sharing, making it a comprehensive solution for organizers, activists, and influencers looking to establish and maintain a strong online presence.