Groundswell, Tactic, Knightley, Islands, Hooray–6th December, 2021
We see about 5,000 startups each week, and I want to give you a glimpse into how we at Headline think about trending tech companies and tracking new investment opportunities. In this post, I’m highlighting top tech companies that have announced or raised a seed round within the past week.
Groundswell
EVA Growth Index:
Product:
Platform that enables employers to make philanthropic giving part of the employee’s compensation package
Lead Investors:
GV
Total Raised:
$15M
Comparables:
N/A
My Thoughts:
No secret that hiring has become crazy competitive over the last year, where Groundswell can act as a unique differentiator for a competing employer to stick out. In my eyes, this seems like a no-brainer for employers to adopt that already have corporate giving programs and just morph these into Groundswell.
Tactic
EVA Growth Index:
No external sources shwoing growth
Product:
Office management software for the hybrid workplace
Lead Investors:
Peterson Ventures
Total Raised:
$4M
Comparables:
OfficeRND, Kadence
My Thoughts:
Traditional office management software won’t live up to the new needs of the hybrid workplace, so Tactic has a real opportunity to win the hybrid office market as it currently acts as a mostly greenfield opportunity.
Knightley
EVA Growth Index:
Product:
Community platform to source, discuss and invest in private market deals
Lead Investors:
Undisclosed
Total Raised:
$1M
Comparables:
AngelList
My Thoughts:
It is still far too exclusive to invest in private market companies and it is not because we VCs are the only ones smart enough to do it. There is soo much retail knowledge out in this world that will understand niche sectors better than any general VC ever could. Their Loom-first approach to platform communication is also very smart to drive trust on the platform.
Islands
EVA Growth Index:
No external sources showing growth
Product:
NFT-first platform for creators to create/own their content and engage/monetize their audience the way they want to
Lead Investors:
Seven Seven Six
Total Raised:
$4M
Comparables:
Afterparty
My Thoughts:
This is what social media should be like, with creators owning their audience, not the social networks. All about them being able to drive traffic, but I am bullish on the model!
Hooray
EVA Growth Index:
No external sources showing growth
Product:
Plant-based bacon
Lead Investors:
Evolution VC Partners
Total Raised:
$7M
Comparables:
ImpossibleFoods, BeyondMeat
My Thoughts:
Bacon is one of those ingredients that is just so crucial for so many meals (Carbonara, BLT Sandwich, etc), so making a plant-based product that tastes good looks to be a huge opportunity. If they become the first-mover whose brand becomes synonymous with the category, they can build a multi-billion market cap like their beef mince peers.
Hi, I am Nicolas von Blottnitz, an Associate at Headline’s SF office focusing on Consumer, Fintech, and SaaS businesses. Since joining in 2018, I have led our investments in Trellis, Solid, Polygon, Flockjay, and Grin.
What is the EVA Growth Index?
The EVA Growth index is a composite of third-party data sources around a company’s website traffic. The vertical green lines in the charts represent a point in time where the company raised outside capital.
