Onward raises $1.5M to offer round trip rides to older adults needing assistance

Uber and Lyft aren’t designed to transport people who need a little help getting out of the house or need someone to help get them from the doctor’s waiting room back to their home. While Uber, for example, has launched Uber Health to help patients get to their appointments, the drivers are not vetted with patient assistance in mind. This is where Onward comes in.

Onward, with $1.5 million in seed funding from Royal Street Ventures,  Matchstick Ventures and JPK Capital, launched a few months ago in the San Francisco Bay Area to help seniors safely get from point A to point B. Unlike Uber and Lyft, Onward offers round-trip, door-to-door rides and aims to provide freedom for older adults who may feel isolated, Onward co-founder Mike Lewis told TechCrunch.

Natty Zola
7/22/2019
Our investment in StackHawk

We are excited to announce that Matchstick Ventures Fund II has completed an investment in StackHawk (stackhawk.com). StackHawk is a continuous vulnerability-scanning and remediation solution built for devops.

Natty Zola
7/19/2019
AdHawk raises $13M Series B, led by Entrée Capital

Matchstick Ventures portfolio company AdHawk expands into the flooring vertical. Congrats to Todd, Dan and the entire team!

Ryan Broshar
6/5/2019
Why All Startup Founders Should Adopt the Candor Clause

We were lucky to work with the soona and 2048 Ventures teams to ideate and create the Candor Clause.

The Candor Clause is an open-source legal disclosure for inclusion in fundraising documents to foster conversations between founders and investors about gender equality. The disclosure requires all parties to disclose if any of the investors, members of their fund or their representatives have ever been accused of sexual assault, sexual harassment or sexually-inappropriate behavior.

Natty Zola
5/29/2019
Upsie raises $5M Series A, led by True Ventures

Matchstick Ventures portfolio company Upsie raises $5M Series A to wage war on the old warranty, with more reasonable pricing (typically 70% lower than what the retailer offers) and a much more modern approach to selling and managing the warranty. Congrats to Clarence and team!

Ryan Broshar
5/28/2019
Our investment in soona

We are excited to announce that Matchstick Ventures Fund II has completed an investment in soona (soona.co). soona is a same day photo and video content creation studio.

Natty Zola
5/15/2019
Pana raises $10M Series A, led by Bessemer Venture Partners

Pana raises $10 million to help companies arrange travel for onsite interviews. Congrats to Devon, Sam and the team

Natty Zola
4/29/2019
Techstars Boulder 2019 Demo Day

Natty hosts the Techstars Boulder 2019 Demo Day at the Boulder Theater where the 10 companies presented to a packed house.

Natty Zola
4/23/2019
Our investment in Halp

We are excited to announce that Matchstick Ventures Fund II has completed an investment in Halp (halp.com). Halp is a conversation-based ticketing system for operations teams (HR, IT, finance, ops).

Natty Zola
3/21/2019
Our investment in Pana

We are excited to announce that Matchstick Ventures Fund II has completed an investment in Pana (pana.com). Pana is a corporate travel management tool that helps book travel and track expenses for non-employees.

Natty Zola
3/20/2019
Flashfood raises round led by General Catalyst

Matchstick Ventures portfolio company Flashfood closed their latest round, led by General Catalyst. Congrats to Josh and the team!

Ryan Broshar
2/27/2019
Branch adds pay advances to scheduling app

Matchstick Ventures portfolio company Branch launches pay advances, an alternative to payday lending.

Ryan Broshar
2/15/2019
Our investment in Onward

We are excited to announce that Matchstick Ventures Fund II completed an investment in Onward (onwardrides.com). Onward is a marketplace of services to help seniors age-in-place, starting with transportation services.

Natty Zola
2/13/2019
Venture capitalist says 'narrative has changed' on Twin Cities startup scene

Ryan was profiled in the StarTribune and talked about the Twin Cities startup ecosystem.

Ryan Broshar
12/22/2018
Minneapolis: Where People Are Nice, Craft Beer Is Plentiful, and the Startup Scene Is Hot

Ryan was profiled in Inc. magazines piece on the startup scene in Minnesota.

Ryan Broshar
11/1/2018