2015.04.27
500 Global Team
Double dang. Can you believe we’re already on our 13th accelerator batch? For those of you keeping track, this is our tenth batch in Mountain View!
As always, our companies have all types of founders from everywhere on the globe. There are 28 companies in this group, and 46% of our companies have at least one woman on the founding team. Additionally, 61% of our companies have at least one foreign‐born founder. Countries include: US, UK, China, Argentina, Uruguay, Singapore, Taiwan, Australia, Estonia, New Zealand, South Korea, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Italy, Brazil, Russia, Kuwait…. <cue… It’s a small world world after all…..> Follow of our companies on AngelList.
If you want to join 500 in the future, you’re in luck – Batch 14 (San Francisco) applications are currently open. We’re always on the look out for great companies with traction and awesome founders. APPLY NOW
Without further ado, here are all the companies in our latest accelerator:
Alumnify
Alumnify is a location based professional networking application that enables communication between mutually interested alumni. Using LinkedIn’s API, Alumnify pulls users’ professional information and uses filters to match potential graduates who are most likely to have similar interests based on their geolocation, industry, and education. This creates a job networking tool that fosters relationships based on the affinity users have with their university that is fun and addicting.
AngelList: https://angel.co/alumnify
Founders: AJ Agrawal, Eghosa (Iggy) Aihie
From: San Francisco, CA
Fun Fact: AJ can touch his nose with his tongue and has double-jointed ring fingers.
BetterWorld Wireless
BetterWorld Wireless is a U.S. mobile solutions company with a mission: Connect America’s underserved with civil society. Our goal is to lift all boats and create digital inclusion by connecting economically-disadvantage people in the U.S., and keeping them connected. Customers (who can) pay it forward through the Phone for Phone donation program.
AngelList: https://www.betterworldwireless.com/
Founders: Matt Bauer, Amy Tucker, Jim Kenefick, Darian Rodriguez Heyman
From: United States
Fun Fact: Matt and Amy are both chicken (and hen) owners.
You know those cell phone contracts that folks hate to be stuck in? Cell phone carriers breach those quite often, and each breach is an opportunity to cancel the contract with no early termination fee. CellBreaker + Veeto automates monitoring, managing, and breaking cell phone contracts.
AngelList: https://angel.co/cellbreaker-1
Founders: Jon Colgan, Justin Baker, Jules Hill
From: Durham, NC
Fun Fact: Jules claims that he can drink a bottle of water in less than one second.
ChattingCat
ChattingCat is a platform that connects non-native speakers who want to write better English to native speakers who want to help them. Non-native speakers get instant correction of their written English. ChattingCat changes the way people learn to write foreign language and enables them to confidently write English for professional communication. ChattingCat brings disruptive innovation to both the language education and professional language service market.
AngelList: https://angel.co/chattingcat
Founder: April Kim
From: South Korea
Fun Fact: April is a writer.
Clowder
Clowder is an on-demand coffee delivery service based in New York City. Order a cortado for yourself or a tray of lattes for your most deserving friends. Brewed and delivered from their hands to yours with no hassle, no additional fees, no order minimum.
AngelList: https://angel.co/clowder-1
Founders: Christine Miao, Matt Casey
From: New York, NY
Fun Fact: When Christine applied to her first job as a designer, she did the entire exercise in Microsoft Paint and Excel.
Coach Market
Coach Market was founded to help people achieve more in their careers by providing expert guidance throughout their lifelong career journey. Coach Market believes that by making it easier to access the best professional career coaches, they can help their customers achieve their career potential and lead happier and more fulfilled lives.
Website: https://www.coachmarket.com/
Founder: Glenn Laumeister
From: New York, NY
Fun Fact: Glenn has traveled to over fifty countries.
CoContest
CoContest wants to disrupt the interior design market, connecting designers and customers from all over the world and breaking borders. Thanks to the “contest” method applied to private properties, the selection process for the best designer is based exclusively on the project quality, transforming this relational market into a meritocratic one.
AngelList: https://angel.co/cocontest
Founders: Filippo Schiano di Pepe, Federico Schiano di Pepe, Alessandro Rossi
From: Italy
Fun Fact: Filippo dreams of sailing solo around the world in his boat.
CrowdPlat
CrowdPlat is a crowdsourcing platform that connects customers with freelance teams from around the world to build custom apps and execute technology projects. The system includes two main components, cOutsource, the crowdsourcing platform and cLancers, the freelancing platform. Customers use cOutsource to post project specification, receive bids from several qualified freelance project managers, award the project and manage execution of the project. Freelance project managers use cLancers to submit proposals for projects and, if selected, execute customer projects. Other freelancers use cLancers to express interest on projects, engage the project manager and, if selected, work on the project.
AngelList: https://angel.co/crowdplat
Founders: Sahil (Sal) Sarosh
From: Milpitas, CA
Often referred to as “the CFA for Bitcoin”, the Digital Currency Council (DCC) is a vertically integrated solution for lawyers, accountants, and financial professionals who are building practices related to the blockchain. The DCC currently provides its 1000 plus members with training and certification, as well connectivity to peers and prospective clients. Tomorrow, the DCC will be the professional’s toolbox for the blockchain.
AngelList: https://angel.co/digital-currency-council-1
Founders: David Berger, Dan McArdle
From: New York, NY
Fun Fact: Dan built and deployed a real-money Internet poker-playing bot over a decade ago. It didn’t lose money.
Edools
Edools is like Shopify for e-learning: they cure the pain of any company willing to manage a full-service e-learning system. Edools takes care of all the complicated stuff: video and document hosting, students management, e-commerce integration, scalability, appearance, and even provides a killer API to integrate with the customer’s internal and third-party services. All it takes is activating the modules that make sense for their business.
AngelList: https://angel.co/edools
Founders: Rafael Carvalho, Maurilio Alberone, Bernardo Kircove
From: Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Fun Fact: Maurilio showers with his iPhone.
EnvoyNow
EnvoyNow is an on-demand food delivery app focused on the college market. Since the workforce is 100% student-powered, the Envoys (delivery people) knowledge as well as the exclusive access to deliver food to a hyper targeted location, whether it be on the third floor of a lecture hall or the basement of the library, creating an extra step of convenience for students and faculty that is unprecedented in the food delivery space.
.AngelList: https://angel.co/envoynow
Founders: Anthony Zhang, Chad Massura, Gabe Quintela, Nick Wang
From: Los Angeles, CA
Fun Fact: Anthony owns a tenacious teacup pig named Sterling. Follow Sterling’s adventures on Instagram @sterlingtheminipig.
Fishfishme
Fishfishme helps people find and book fishing charters around the world. In simple words, they connect fishing charter boats with people that want to go fishing. Fishfishme knows how difficult it is to find a boat with a good skipper to take you fishing. And even if you are lucky and already found one, then it’s a big hustle to book the trip and make the payment. Fishfishme’s mission is to make finding and booking a fishing trip super easy.
AngelList: https://angel.co/fishfishme
Founders: Abdullah Alshalabi, Jose Gil Zafra
From: Kuwait
Fun Fact: Abdullah has worked and lived all around the world including Kuwait, Hong Kong, Spain, Uruguay, the United States, and Dubai.
GlamST
GlamST helps retailers and beauty brands provide a multi-channel and customized experience for Millennials by giving them freedom, creativity and choice through a mobile and web virtual experience. Through the GlamST app, users can try makeup on their selfie (using their Virtual Makeup API which generates realistic images of the applied makeup on the user’s selfie), watch how-to video tutorials, compare shades and find new products to complete the look. It is a new way of interaction in the sale process and a way of making warm introductions to new shades, products and brands reducing the barrier of trying new shades and looks in seconds and helping them find the best look.
AngelList: https://angel.co/glamst
Founders: Agustina Sartori, Carolina Banales
From: Uruguay
Fun Fact: Carolina grew up on a farm in rural Uruguay and is just as comfortable lassoing sheep from horseback as she is committing lines in C++.
Green Way Laboratories, Inc.
Green Way Laboratories, Inc. produces MastiClean, a patented multi-purpose cleaning formula. This highly unique blend of DfE and REACH approved ingredients create a true green and powerful cleaning solution. The science behind MastiClean enables the formula to break down the carbon chain of many common substances that are notoriously difficult to remove without the use of harsh and toxic solvents. MastiClean is safe to use on hands and virtually any surface. There is not a single ingredient in MastiClean that is toxic to the human body. It is odorless, hypo-allergenic, safe to use around food, non-flammable, non-corrosive, non-reactive and no rinsing is needed after use.
AngelList: https://angel.co/green-way-laboratories-inc
Founders: Ted Cote, Zack Gorlick
From: Long Beach, CA
Fun Fact: Once when Zack was snorkeling in the ocean, a stingray gave him a hickey on his arm.
Hazel Lane
Travel without ever leaving home! Hazel Lane‘s subscription box features the best of eco-chic, artisanal products from a new city every month. #HappinessInABox Products range from apparel and scents to food from award winning restaurants, jewelry to home goods.
AngelList: https://angel.co/hazel-lane
Founder: Sam Strom
From: San Francisco, CA
Fun Fact: Sam grew up in several different communes.
Kollecto
Kollecto helps you build an affordable art collection by pairing you with your own Personal Art Advisor. Think of the service as your new art-buying mentor. Upon signing up, you’re matched with a personal advisor who has extensive experience navigating the gallery scene. He or she will work with you to figure out your needs (something big, over the couch), budget (under $1,500) and overall hopes and dreams (you’d love to impress friends with a sophisticated collection. There, you said it.)
AngelList: https://angel.co/kollecto
Founder: Tara Reed
From: Detroit, MI / New York, NY
Fun Fact: For most of her life, Tara has been a competitive hip hop dancer.
KonoLabs
Kono is an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven personal assistant to ease scheduling. Kono will improve your scheduling experience and make your life easier. Simply type in “what” with “who”. Then Kono will recommend the 3 best locations at the best available time based on attendee’s preferences, locations, traffic, and availability. KonoLabs is a team of mainly Korean engineers with expertise in mobile product development, data analysis, and machine learning.
AngelList: https://angel.co/konolabs-inc
Founders: YJ Min, Jung-hee Ryu, Mincheol Song
Fun Fact: YJ is a geek for new devices, gadgets and services, and heavily addicted to coffee and SNSs.
Linguatrip
Linguatrip is an online platform for booking quality language courses and student accommodations worldwide. It allows potential students to compare language schools and find the one that suits all of their needs. Linguatrip also allows users to book accommodations and flights, get information about the visa application process, and share their experiences. On the other side, schools can easily add information about themselves and update their potential customers on current promotions and availability.
AngelList: https://angel.co/mp-reserver
Founders: Dmitrii Pistoliako, Maria Mogilko, Dmitry Kravchuk
From: Russia
Fun Fact: Dmitrii has participated in amateur Go Karting World Championship Boxing.
MoBagel
MoBagel empowers and visualizes IoT businesses. MoBagel lets you create your own Internet of things. With no lines of code, get your IoT up and running in minutes. With MoBagel’s real-time analytics tools, you get to see user behavior, churning circumstances, command and status history, and malfunctions in visualized graphs. MoBagel helps you identify the most valuable customers and scale your business. Through AI and machine learning, MoBagel will help prevent breakdowns of your devices via real-time notification and pre-established settings. MoBagel’s system will gradually become smarter as more data is being analyzed and will then have the ability to recommend the right decision to business owners as well as the right product to consumers. With MoBagel’s platform and data analysis, the world will become a better, more convenient and safer place to live in.
AngelList: https://angel.co/mobagel
Founders: Adms Chung, Iru Wang, Chao-Kuan Lin
From: Taiwan
Fun Fact: Adms used to be a host on a TV news show.
Nodal
Nodal produces Numa, a physical device that makes you safer by examining all of the traffic that moves in or out of your network. Paired with the Numa M mobile app, it is a comprehensive monitoring and security solution for every device from fridge to phone. Numa isn’t just a firewall – it’s much more than that. Where firewalls just look at the envelope, Numa takes an x-ray. Numa M isn’t just a way to see what’s going on with your network, it protects your phone wherever you go, without draining your battery. Numa stops attacks that antivirus software can’t. It keeps malicious traffic from getting in in the first place, so it protects connected devices such as thermostats, refrigerators, IP cameras, and control systems. Numa is security for the next generation of Internet applications. Our devices are getting smarter. Shouldn’t our networks, too?
AngelList: https://angel.co/nodal
Founders: Marcus Eagan, Bruce Kleinman
From: Mountain View, CA
Fun Fact: Marcus is a self-proclaimed fountain of useless information and is bringing the fanny pack back.
Omate
Omate is a hardware and software design company exclusively focusing on designing wearables. Omate’s mission is to connect the world through a wearable experience by offering fashionable wearable devices at affordable price. Omate is designing the wearables of the 21st century as we imagined them while watching “Back To The Future II” when we were kids. Omate designs and retails ready-to-wear products that are pre-sold throughout its online store and sold via a portfolio of distributors worldwide.
AngelList: https://angel.co/omate
Founder: Laurent Le Pen
From: Hong Kong / Shenzhen, China
Fun Fact: Laurent is addicted to honey and knows most flowers by their Latin names.
Pixc
Pixc provides on demand product image editing. Pixc helps eCommerce stores and individuals selling online increase their sales with better product images. Pixc removes the background and touches up the photo within 24 hours. A great product on a contrasting background can increase your sales by 39%.
AngelList: https://angel.co/pixc
Founder: Holly Cardew
From: San Francisco, CA
Fun Fact: Holly used Odesk so much that she was featured in their annual report.
Publishizer
Publishizer is the Kickstarter for publishing. Publishizer is building a book pre-orders platform that helps non-fiction and fiction authors bring their books to market with pre-orders. Publishizer has funded over $300,000 in pre-orders so far. The Publishizer team is focused on building automated marketing tools that help authors activate and expand their audience, by integrating with Facebook, Twitter, Google, LinkedIn and MailChimp.
AngelList: https://angel.co/publishizer
Founder: Guy Vincent
From: Singapore
Fun Fact: Guy can catch small thrown things (grapes, M&M’s, etc.) with his mouth from a surprisingly impressive distance.
ResultsOnAir provides web analytics-level insights for direct response TV (DRTV) campaigns. We help advertisers and media agencies increase ROI on TV ad dollars up to 40%. By tracking how an audience takes action we optimise ad buying and increase conversions.
AngelList: https://angel.co/resultsonair
Founders: Cristo Pajust, Kristo Peterson
From: Estonia
Fun Fact: Combined, Kristo, Kristel and Cristo have travelled to 100+ countries. Also lived and worked in Asia, Europe and America
RingCaptcha
RingCaptcha is a service that helps any app developer onboard and verify users in just minutes with a single SDK. RingCaptcha was built because of the huge growth of mobile and the growing phenomenon of trendy “log-in with phone” or “verify your phone” features on many apps. Before RingCaptcha, there was no service for developers and product managers needing a free utility to onboard and verify their mobile users with a two step SMS – like most of the big online players have been using for a while (e.g. WhatsApp, Yo, Airbnb). Now they do! RingCaptcha’s mission is to help the next WhatsApp apps to onboard and verify their users in the snap of a finger.
AngelList: https://angel.co/ringcaptcha
Founders: Mariano Fernandez, Martin Cocaro
From: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Fun Fact: Martin has a twin brother.
Storygami
Storygami lets you easily add related content into your videos. Now you can embed blogs, image galleries, extra videos, maps, subscription tabs, and social media streams right into your video content.
AngelList: https://angel.co/storygami
Founders: Heidi Lindvall, Guy Gunarante
From: London, United Kingdom
Fun Fact: Guy spent the previous few years before founding Storygami bouncing around conflict zones as a video journalist, negotiating with war-worn military generals, interviewing heads of state, and surviving a minefield.
Transfercar
Transfercar provides free one-way rental cars to flexible travelers while offering low cost transportation to rental car companies. On Transfercar, you can search rental cars and RV’s needing to be transferred from some of the major United States rental car companies. In return, you will be helping the rental car companies reduce their freight costs and reduce the number of trucks on the road.
AngelList: https://angel.co/transfercar
Founders: Brian Karlson, Espen Grimstad
From: Auckland, New Zealand
Fun Fact: Espen claims to have the strongest left arm in the world.
UCreate3D
UCreate3D provides a high quality 3D printing infrastructure to the world’s largest retailers. UCreate3D is the first company to combine a profitable consumer-driver assortment, infinitive stock without a footprint, and on-demand 3D printing. By optimizing UCreate3D’s 3D printing infrastructure through data analysis, consumers find the exact product they are looking for. UCreate3D’s global network of professional 3D printing partners enable them to ship the highest quality products at revolutionary speed. UCreate3D combines mass manufactured and locally 3D printed components to offer retailers and consumers breakthrough products that are affordable, high quality, and customizable.
AngelList: https://angel.co/ucreate3d
Founders: Vincent Van De Poll, Koen Munneke
From: San Francisco, CA / Netherlands / Hong Kong
Fun Fact: Two of Vincent’s ancestors were the majors of Amsterdam.
Virect
Virect provides a simple and effective way to get a great video. For customers who need video, Virect provides retrieval to browse and search videos and creators, recommendations based on requirements and statistical data, pitch deck submission and review, secure escrow payment transactions, and project management and feedback for communication.
AngelList: https://angel.co/virect
Founders: Chee-Hyung Yoon, Nae Jin Hyeon
From: Korea
Fun Fact: Chee-Hyung has been coding since age six with MSX2.
2. AS OF 30 JUNE 2023 AND INCLUDES PRIVATE, PUBLIC AND EXITED COMPANIES. FOR EXITED POSITIONS, VALUATION DATE IS DATE OF EXIT. THESE FIGURES ARE ESTIMATES, AGGREGATED ACROSS ALL PORTFOLIO COMPANIES HELD ACROSS ALL FUNDS ADVISED BY 500 STARTUPS MANAGEMENT COMPANY, LLC AND ITS AFFILIATES, AND ARE BASED ON INTERNAL DATA THAT HAS NOT BEEN EXTERNALLY VERIFIED AND RELIES ON PORTFOLIO INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY EXTERNAL SOURCES WHICH HAS NOT BEEN VERIFIED, MAY NOT BE ACCURATE OR UPDATED. THESE VALUATIONS ARE ESTIMATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH 500 GLOBAL’S VALUATION POLICY. SEE 500.CO/COMPANIES FOR A FULL LIST OF PORTFOLIO COMPANIES. PAST PERFORMANCE DOES NOT GUARANTEE FUTURE RETURNS. PORTFOLIO COMPANIES DISPLAYED ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENTATIVE OF ALL INVESTMENTS IN VEHICLES MANAGED BY 500 STARTUPS MANAGEMENT COMPANY, L.L.C. (TOGETHER WITH ITS AFFILIATES, “500 GLOBAL”) AND THERE CAN BE NO ASSURANCE THAT THE INVESTMENTS WILL BE PROFITABLE OR THAT OTHER INVESTMENTS MADE IN THE FUTURE WILL HAVE SIMILAR CHARACTERISTICS OR RESULTS. THIS LIST INCLUDES CURRENT AND FORMER 500 GLOBAL PORTFOLIO COMPANIES WHICH HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED AS WELL AS COMPANIES WHICH HAVE UNDERGONE AN INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING. THIS LIST IS UPDATED PERIODICALLY AND AS SUCH MAY NOT REFLECT RECENT 500 GLOBAL INVESTMENTS. PAST RESULTS OF 500 GLOBAL INVESTMENTS, POOLED INVESTMENT VEHICLES, OR INVESTMENT STRATEGIES ARE NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS. NO CONTENT ON THIS PAGE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS AN OFFER TO SELL OR SOLICITATION OF INTEREST TO PURCHASE ANY SECURITIES, CONSTRUCTED AS FUND MARKETING MATERIALS BY PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS CONSIDERING AN INVESTMENT INTO ANY 500 GLOBAL FUND, OR USED AS THE BASIS FOR ANY INVESTMENT DECISIONS. ALL LOGOS, NAMES, AND TRADEMARKS OF THIRD PARTIES REFERENCED HEREIN ARE THE TRADEMARKS AND LOGOS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. ANY INCLUSION OF SUCH TRADEMARKS OR LOGOS DOES NOT IMPLY OR CONSTITUTE ANY APPROVAL, ENDORSEMENT OR SPONSORSHIP OF 500 GLOBAL BY SUCH OWNERS.
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