Recent news from our
‍portfolio and fund

"Ultimately, Fellay believes, 'Companies are going to shift from thinking culture is adding ping pong tables and beer taps to focusing on cultivating culture through better employee onboarding experience and training experiences to set them up for success.'"

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In this Forbes article, Melanie Fellay, CEO of Spekit, explains that she sees the demand for digital adoption and enablement tools increasing, and how Spekit aims to build and adapt their tools to be even more personalized to each individual user's needs.

We are excited to announce that Matchstick Ventures Fund II has completed an investment in TiLT. TiLT empowers employers to manage leaves of absence (ex: parental, disability, COVID/caregiving) by automating compliance and reimbursement while guiding HR, managers, and employees through the entire process.

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To learn more about TiLT, check out our write up via the link below.

This list of Black founders and investors aims to celebrate and highlight leaders who are making a big impact in the venture capital ecosystem. The list features both familiar names and the next generation of innovators who are working to shape their communities and the world at large. Great work, David and the whole Curu team! Thanks for allowing us to be a part of your journey!

We are excited to announce that Matchstick Ventures Fund II has completed an investment in Honest Jobs. Honest Jobs seeks to reduce the rate of recidivism in the US by creating an online job marketplace that matches talent who have criminal backgrounds with employers seeking to hire a more diverse workforce.

Airspace Link has been delivering COVID-19 test kits from hospitals to a lab to speed up testing turnaround times since mid-January. The company has been working with DroneUp and the University of New York (SUNY) to make it happen.

In a world where COVID-19 forced 88 percent of businesses around the world to mandate or encourage their employees to work from home, Forbes has highlighted both Spekit and Zestful as proving to be essential pieces of the technology stack that help connect and enable teams working remotely. Spekit is recognized for remote training and enablement. Goals App (Zestful) is a boost to remote work culture. Great work to the Spekit and Zestful teams!

2020 was a roller coaster year for the 2020 startup venture scene. Here, Natty Zola, among other Colorado VCs, discusses the bright promise the new year has brought for startup investing.

Obvious Startup Advice Podcast hosts Natty Zola talking about how startups need to be Unexpected and Inevitable and the importance of storytelling. Listen to the full episode here.

We are excited to announce that Matchstick Ventures Fund II has completed an investment in Optera. Optera enables companies to manage emissions, energy, water, and waste across their operations and supply-chains in accordance with leading climate science.

SoftBank has announced an investment of $120 million in Ordermark from their latest Vision Fund. Ordermark's leading technology platform and innovative virtual restaurant concepts are transforming the restaurant industry, allowing "independent restaurants to optimize online ordering and generate incremental revenue from under-utilized kitchens." We are proud to be working with Alex Canter and the Ordermark team!

StackHawk announced yesterday that it has raised $10 million in Series A funding. The pre-emptive, oversubscribed round was led by Sapphire Ventures and included return Seed backers Foundry Group, Costanoa Ventures, Flybridge Capital, and Matchstick Ventures. StackHawk is a platform that helps developers implement security testing before applications are pushed into production. We are thrilled to be working alongside Sapphire Ventures and others to support Joni and the StackHawk team!

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Securing Apps From the Very Beginning: Why Sapphire Ventures is Excited to Partner with StackHawk

Chelsea Clinton's venture capital firm, Metrodora, which is focused on health and learning businesses, recently announced an investment in Fiveable.

"Investing in solutions that answer young people's needs and challenges is an investment in our country's future," Clinton said in a statement about backing Fiveable. "As we launch Metrodora Ventures, we're thrilled to be supporting a leader like Amanda, whose passion for democratizing access to high-quality education is at the core of every decision, and a company like Fiveable that fosters creativity and critical thinking for students inside and outside the classroom."

Fiveable, a livestreaming test prep platform focused on AP courses, and others are largely contributing to huge strides in Edtech during these unprecedented times. Profiled in this article from a16z, they are "taking cues from gaming, entertainment, and abroad to reinvent the experience of online education entirely," with the future of edtech looking a lot more interactive and engaging. Keep up the great work, Fiveable team!

We are excited to announce that Matchstick Ventures Fund II has completed an investment in Reema Health. Reema is a text message-based case management communications platform that allows health insurers to better support their vulnerable populations.

We are excited to announce that Matchstick Ventures Fund II has completed an investment in Fiveable. Fiveable helps students study online with an initial focus on AP courses.

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To learn more about Fiveable, check out our write up via the link below.