In today’s digital workplace, the average company employs 354 distinct applications, and desk workers typically interact with 11 different applications daily to perform their duties. This multitude of app-based workflows generates a slew of additional tasks, leading to the cumbersome task of merging to-do lists from various sources, which ultimately saps productivity. Hoop is an AI-enhanced task management platform that streamlines the creation and updating of to-do lists throughout your technology stack. Founded by former Trello executives, the company is initially focused on simplifying task ..read more

In the realm of digital advertising, managing investments across various media channels is essential. This process, known as ad operations, aims to meticulously measure, track, and optimize expenditure to guarantee that advertisers connect with their intended audience through the most effective ads.  Much of the work is process-oriented and repetitious across different campaigns.  PilotDesk is an ads operations platform that leverages automation, machine learning, and AI to streamline ad campaigns.  Its intuitive no-code interface allows for swift setup, empowering users to auto ..read more

The online apparel industry is grappling with a high return rate of 24.4%, a figure that has risen by over 50% since 2020. A significant portion of this returned inventory becomes unsellable and is often destined for landfills. Revive is a data-driven platform designed to convert this excess inventory into sellable assets. The company will undertake the necessary adjustments—be it repairs, cleaning, or repackaging—to restore the distressed inventory to a sellable condition, enabling it to be listed and sold through any channel preferred by the brand. This approach spares brands ..read more

The Weekly Notable Startup Funding Report takes us on a trip across various ecosystems in the US, highlighting some of the notable funding activity in the various markets that we track. The notable startup funding rounds for the week ending 6/1/24 featuring funding details for Ritten, Plenful, Felix, and twelve other deals representing $6.3B (not a typo) in new funding that you need to know about. Valar Labs – $22.0M Palo Alto-based Valar Labs offers assistance services for cancer treatment through Artificial Intelligence. Founded by Anirudh Joshi, Damir Vrabac, Pranav Rajpurkar, and Viswesh K ..read more

When accounting for IVF, genetic testing, donor services, and reproductive tissue storage, the fertility market in the US is estimated to be more than $8B One in five individuals struggle to conceive, and yet only 2% of newborns are conceived through IVF.  The main reasons why IVF isn’t used more frequently are the astronomical costs, the intensive and often isolating effort required, and the associated discomfort.  Gameto is a biotech company that is focused on women’s reproductive health using cell engineering.  The company’s first commercial candidate, Fertilo, is able to dev ..read more

Armed with some data from our friends at CrunchBase, I broke down the largest global startup funding rounds for April 2024. I have included some additional information such as industry, round type, a brief description of the company, investors in the round, company location, and total equity funding raised for the company to further the analysis. Interested in the top NYC Startup Fundings? – The Largest NYC Startup Funding Rounds of April 2024 Interested in the top London Startup Funding? – The Largest London Startups Funding Rounds of April 2024 Interested in the top US Startup Funding? – The ..read more

The online apparel industry faces a significant challenge with a return rate of 24.4%, which has surged by over 50% since 2020. A substantial 39% of these returns are attributed to sizing dissatisfaction, while 13% result from customers purchasing multiple sizes to find the best fit. Laws of Motion is an AI-powered sizing technology that revolutionizes the shopping experience for consumers and brands by using over 2B data points of body measurement to train its model.  The solution is an API-based platform, originally developed within the founder’s womenswear brand, that offers seamless i ..read more

Customer verification protocols like Know Your Customer (KYC) were introduced to establish a system of trust and verification to minimize the chance of fraud, protecting both customers and, at the time, largely financial institutions.  As more and more transactions move online and also outside of the scope of traditional financial services, identity verification takes on an even more important role.  Footprint is a frictionless identity verification platform that automates the customer onboarding process for companies by satisfying KYC and other requirements through a customizable en ..read more

Despite the industry completing over $200B in diamond transactions annually, the diamond trade market is filled with opacity and a lack of liquidity.  Much of the trade has been centered around a few key participants with a host of middlemen in between. Liquid Diamonds is a data-driven B2B diamond sourcing platform for the wholesale diamond market that connects finished diamond suppliers with diamond traders and jewelry retailers.  The platform uses a double auction system that allows both suppliers and buyers to get price visibility for each diamond, ensuring that each transaction i ..read more

There are just shy of 67M Medicare enrollees in the United States. Each of these beneficiaries had to select from 24,000+ options across the alphabet soup of the Medicare maze – Part A (hospital), B (provider), C (Medicare Advantage/Vision/Dental), and D (pharma benefits).  The process can be daunting and confusing for seniors.  Adding stress is the time-sensitive nature of the enrollment period.  An entire industry has emerged to help individuals understand and choose their options.  Chapter is a tech-enabled Medicare navigation platform. Using the company’s signature tech ..read more