Latest news with #Greycroft
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
After raising over $3M, popular VC-backed beauty brand Ami Colé is shuttering
Diarrha N'Diaye-Mbaye, one of the first among the small number of Black women to raise more than $1 million in venture capital, announced on Thursday the closure of her award-winning beauty startup Ami Colé. Ami Colé creates makeup for those with darker skin colors, as those consumers often struggle to find makeup that matches their skin tone. It launched in 2021, sold through Sephora, and became a celeb favorite among the likes of singer Kelly Rowland and actress Mindy Kaling. But the 4-year-old company will now officially shutter in September. N'Diaye-Mbaye wrote about her decision to close the company in 'The Cut,' saying that 'after looking at every option, it became clear that continuing in this current market wasn't sustainable.' Her company had raised more than $3 million in venture capital, according to PitchBook, with backing from the likes of G9 Ventures, Greycroft, and angel investors Hannah Bronfman and 'The Cut' editor-in-chief Lindsay Peoples Wagner. Ami Colé did not immediately respond to our request for comment. Like many Black startups launched after the murder of George Floyd, Ami Colé rode the waves of excitement from investors and corporations looking to pour money into backing more products and initiatives that touched upon diversity, equity, and inclusion. N'Diaye-Mbaye hinted that one of the problems was tension between her and investors' expectations of a consumer retail business. While she had loyal customers, her fast nationwide growth meant pressure from investors. But her brand struggled to compete with bigger companies with deeper pockets, despite pouring a sizable chunk of its budget into marketing. Ami Colé faced the ups and downs of production versus sales in retail: one week selling straight through, and another not moving a unit. 'Instead of focusing on the healthy, sustainable future of the company and meeting the needs of our loyal fan base, I rode a temperamental wave of appraising investors — some of whom seemed to have an attitude toward equity and 'betting big on inclusivity' that changed its tune a lot, to my ears, from what it sounded like in 2020,' she wrote. The strain comes as venture funding to Black founders has hit a multi-year low in a political climate that has disavowed anything perceived as DEI. N'Diaye-Mbaye ended her announcement by saying that though this chapter in her life was ending, her work was not done. 'I still believe in beauty — at every level — and I'm looking forward to discovering what comes next,' she said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Wire
16-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
H2Ok Innovations Raises $12M Series A for AI-Powered Sensors That Disrupt and Transform CPG Manufacturing
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- H2Ok Innovations, the only provider of patented inline sensors powered by science and AI to run faster factories, today announced a $12.42M Series A round of funding led by Greycroft. Additional participation in H2Ok's Series A comes from 2048 Ventures and Construct Capital. This funding comes as H2Ok Innovations' technology is already being used by major global CPG and hyperscale data center companies to accelerate production and prevent downtime. This capital will support efforts to rapidly scale AI in manufacturing by productizing disruptive technology into an instantly deployable solution, enabling faster Clean-in-Place (CIP) and product changeovers. Founded in 2021 by sister and brother team, Annie and David Lu, H2Ok Innovations helps customers run faster factories by removing slack and detecting errors early through continuous monitoring, AI optimization, and closed-loop control system integration. H2Ok Innovations' technology easily installs into existing piping and instrumentation standards, delivering measurable returns instantly. The company's technology ingests 1 million data points per second, giving customers like Unilever, AB InBev, The Coca-Cola Company, and Danone real-time monitoring that recaptures previously wasted production time, water, energy, and chemicals. Motivated by the fast realization of ROI, AB InBev, the world's largest beer company, is currently scaling H2Ok to all six geographical zones and all global breweries in the coming years. "Post-COVID food and beverage manufacturers are besieged by supply chain constraints, rising costs, evolving safety standards, and shifting consumer demands,' said Annie Lu, CEO of H2Ok Innovations. 'Our turnkey solution gives manufacturers production time back to address these macro challenges and still drive innovation. We're excited to bring science-backed proprietary sensors and industry-focused AI that delivers both the sustainability and speed that manufacturers need to thrive in today's environment.' 'Instead of reacting to waste, manufacturers use our technology to proactively perfect their processes, which in turn generates less waste,' said David Lu, CTO of H2Ok Innovations. 'Our customers leverage our technology to routinely cut CIP and production changeover time by 15 percent and reduce water, energy, and chemical usage between 10 to 20 percent. With H2Ok's game-changing technology, manufacturers build the next generation of sustainable factories that simultaneously save them time and money.' 'H2Ok Innovations is a great example of how the 100+ Accelerator helps scale transformative technologies in large global supply chains,' said Maisie Devine, Executive Director, 100+ Accelerator. 'Their ability to demonstrate measurable impact quickly and across critical industrial processes has positioned them for success. We're proud to have supported their journey and excited to see their continued growth.' Greycroft's Jim Moffat, former Global CEO of Deloitte Consulting, will also be joining the board of H2Ok and brings his expertise in enterprise strategy and business scaling to support H2Ok's growth. "H2Ok Innovations is focused on transforming industrial operations by applying AI in ways that can drive immediate, measurable results," said Dana Settle, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Greycroft. "We're proud to support Annie and David as they scale their vision globally and aim to advance both efficiency and environmental sustainability." Headquartered at Greentown Labs in Somerville, MA — North America's leading cleantech innovation community, H2Ok is a woman-founded startup backed by top-tier investors such as Greycroft, Construct Capital, 2048 Ventures, and Flybridge Capital. Recognized for its innovation and impact, H2Ok was named Unilever's 2023 Startup of the Year supplier and received AB InBev's 2024 Cheers Award for outstanding startup partnership. About H2Ok Innovations H2Ok Innovations is transforming how food and beverage factories run by using its in-line sensors and turnkey AI solution to unlock lost production time. H2Ok's patented spectral sensors continuously monitor fluid signatures to optimize Clean-In-Place (CIP), product changeovers, and prevent costly errors before they cause downtime. Our AI solution absorbs expert intuition into machine learning models and helps manufacturers instantly run faster, cleaner, and more profitably. Deployed in factories across six continents and trusted by global leaders like AB InBev, The Coca-Cola Company, and Unilever, H2Ok is redefining what it means to unlock your faster factory.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Thread AI secures $20m to enhance AI workflows
Thread AI, a US-based composable AI infrastructure provider, has raised $20m in its Series A funding round. With the funding, the company aims to transform enterprise AI workflows using its core platform, Lemma. The round was led by Greycroft, with participation from Index Ventures, Scale Venture Partners, Plug-and-Play, Meritech Capital, and Homebrew. Founded by former Palantir executives Angela McNeal and Mayada Gonimah, Thread AI offers enterprises the capability to design, deploy, and scale AI-powered workflows. The Lemma platform distinguishes itself from traditional RPA, ETL, or workflow engines by allowing rapid prototyping and deployment of event-driven, distributed AI workflows and agents. Lemma supports unlimited AI models, APIs, and applications within a single platform that is built with enterprise-grade security. This approach accelerates deployment, reduces operational burdens, and simplifies infrastructure while maintaining governance, observability, and seamless AI model upgrades. With these capabilities, Thread AI provides enterprises with the flexibility needed to adapt to the rapidly changing AI ecosystem. It also enhances cross-functionality, enabling organisations to unlock the full potential of AI across their operations. Thread AI emerged from stealth in October 2024, announcing the launch of Lemma and securing $6m in seed funding. Thread AI co-founder and CEO Angela McNeal said: 'Companies today face a frustrating dilemma when implementing AI, either settle for rigid, pre-built applications that force them to fit their business logic into a predefined structure, or invest heavily in talent, infrastructure, and engineering resources to build custom AI workflows from scratch. 'Thread AI offers a flexible platform that lets organizations build AI workflows suited to their operations—without compromising scalability or security.' "Thread AI secures $20m to enhance AI workflows" was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
VC founder: Tariffs have triggered one big rethink on tech
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Tech investors need to rethink how they put money to work in the new world order of Trump tariffs. "I'd say for the last decade, 15 years, I mean everything that we were investing in, we'd say, is there a global TAM [total addressable market] for that? And I think then it was sort of, well, is there a global TAM, maybe less China? And now it is sort of, well, geez, you really do [need to] be the winner in the US at least," Greycroft co-founder and managing partner Dana Settle told Yahoo Finance at the Milken Institute Global Conference. Settle and Greycroft are seen as OGs in the venture capitalist tech scene in San Francisco. Greycroft was founded in 2006 by Settle, Ian Bigelow, and Alan Patricof. Since then, it has raised more than $3 billion in capital and invested in more than 400 companies. The buzziest exits include Axios, Bumble (BMBL), Venmo (now owned by PayPal (PYPL)), and The RealReal. Notable current portfolio companies include Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop, Epic Games, Stability AI, and MNTN. The backdrop for venture capitalists has gotten tougher this year as the Trump administration wields its tariff wand. Read more: The latest news and updates on Trump's tariffs Greycroft co-founder Dana Settle (right) says AI is still the place to be in a conversation with Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi. · Yahoo Finance Since Trump's "Liberation Day," more companies have delayed their IPOs, including closely watched names such as Klarna, Chime, and eToro. The value of 2025's IPO deals so far is on track to underperform the average year of the past decade, while the number of deals is higher, reports Yahoo Finance's David Hollerith. Early-stage companies are also finding it harder to raise capital. Still, Settle is sticking to her disciplined investing process and remains focused on investing in strong AI plays. "[AI] doesn't seem to be slowing down. It feels like the urgency that companies feel to adopt AI and just really be running their businesses more efficiently in some ways because of all of the other uncertainty," Settle explained. "Like, how can I make my business operate as efficiently as possible so that I can kind of weather these other storms? It seems like that pole is stronger than any headwinds." Read more about what business leaders and top political figures are saying at the 2025 Milken Institute Global Conference:
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Greycroft's Dana Settle on the VC firm's approach to tech, AI
00:00 Speaker A Let's get to the latest from the Noken Institute Annual Global Conference, our executive editor, Brian Sozzi, sitting down with Greycroft co-founder, Dana Settle, to discuss her decades-long career in venture capital, the future of AI, and how trade is reshaping tech. Take a listen. 00:14 Dana Settle I'd say for the last decade, 15 years, I mean, um, everything that we were investing in, we'd say, is there a global TAM for that? And I think, you know, then it was sort of, was there a global TAM, maybe less China. And now it is sort of, well, jeez, you really do have to be the the winner in the US at least. And I think, um, I, you know, we do believe that some of these markets are bigger than they seem, especially, again, in AI because they they are they're taking what historically was sort of like the software revenue, say, for a given area, let's say for, you know, CRM. And now they're actually moving up the stack into some of the services. And so they're probably bringing onshore some of those services and building them into kind of the the platform, if you will. And so, um, you know, I think some of the markets and the domestic markets are expanding, but I also, like, having very, you know, in venture, we have a very long-term perspective. And so what I guess will happen is things will change again. 02:10 Brian Sozzi Well, in this backdrop, are you willing to pay up to own growth, or now you have to question those growth rates of certain businesses in this backdrop? 02:49 Dana Settle I, I mean, I think that the growth that we're seeing, specifically because of like the full re-platforming that's happening, is is so significant. I mean, I, you know, I've never seen, um, growth rates like this in my career. I mean, I don't think anybody has. 03:13 Brian Sozzi What are you looking for in that next amazing tech leader? 03:22 Dana Settle So, it really depends. I mean, just as a a reminder, we we have three separate strategies. So we have a an AI strategy, which I've maybe mentioned a few times. We have a consumer brand strategy, and then we also have a sustainability strategy that we do in partnership with Coca-Cola and eight of its bottlers globally. And um, and so in each of those areas, I'd say the the one thing that is important for any company right now is are are they thinking about what artificial intelligence means to their business? And so that would be across any of them. And in terms of leader, really, we are looking for leaders that either are technical or or have technical leaders as part of the founding team. I think it's that important. And if there's an AI native company, really, they have to be able to attract the most incredible, you know, sort of technical talent, research minds, you know, in the world. And so we are looking for founders that are deeply technical, but but that are able to attract and also really think through a commer like think commercially. I think, you know, if you look at OpenAI and I think what they've managed to do, the technology side of it is is is incredible, but in some ways, the go-to-market is what's even more impressive. And I think that's taking, you know, taking pages out of playbooks from, you know, AWS and, you know, from Google Cloud and sort of from what all these companies, these hyperscalers have managed to do, but just applying it at at a rate that, you know, is is pretty unprecedented. 05:26 Brian Sozzi Think someday OpenAI's the most highly valued company in the market? 05:36 Dana Settle I think it could be.
