(Manchester, N.H., Aug. 22) — York IE, a vertically integrated strategic growth and investment firm for technology companies, today announced its eighth investment cohort.
The six-month cohort, which ran from Jan. 1 to June 30, features six total investments — five new companies and one follow-on to a previous investment — totaling $6.8 million. York IE also saw significant growth and progress from prior investments within its portfolio.
“The competition for early-stage funding has never been tougher, but pragmatic startups with experienced founders will find there is still plenty of capital available from many committed partners,” said Kyle York, CEO, York IE. “The companies in our new cohort fit this description to a tee, and we’re thrilled to support them on their growth journeys.”
Eighth York IE Cohort
With this new cohort, York IE has made 59 investments in 45 companies. The new companies in the cohort are:
- Cognitive Space, the intelligent automation platform for satellite constellations (Houston);
- Cranium, the leading artificial intelligence security and trust platform (Short Hills, N.J.);
- Creatively Focused, the platform empowering special educators to do meaningful and critical work (Mendota Heights, Minn.);
- Cypris, the research platform for R&D and innovation teams (New York); and
- Science On Call, the tech support platform for restaurants (Chicago).
“I chose to work with York IE because I felt extremely supported as a founder,” said Elizabeth Orme, founder and CEO, Creatively Focused. “From the moment that I met the team, I knew that they valued my background as an educator and my ability to lead a company in the area of education.”
The follow-on investment is in Serenity, the single conversation platform for internal staff and external providers including senior living, memory care, hospice, home health and home care.
York IE presents a unique and differentiated approach of investing active capital at the earliest stage, which often involves providing operational guidance to portfolio companies through Advisory as a Service. Several companies in this cohort, including Cognitive Space, Cranium, Creatively Focused, Science on Call and Serenity, are also clients of York IE’s Advisory as a Service offerings.
“The really exciting thing about working with York IE is the access to Advisory as a Service,” said Andy Freivogel, co-founder and CEO, Science on Call. “We don’t want to build out large teams. We just want to solve problems for our customers by leveraging all the resources that York IE brings to the table.”
Success for York IE and Portfolio Companies
The first half of 2023 was successful for many companies within York IE’s portfolio:
- Array Insights rebranded and launched its data federation platform to advance collaborative health research;
- Auditoria received a patent for its finance automation technology;
- Bluetrace raised a $3.2 million Seed round to modernize the seafood industry;
- Lytica brought on new executives to help spearhead its continued growth;
- Maxa won the 2023 Snowflake Startup Challenge;
- Stay Ai raised a Series A, bringing its total funding to $15.1 million; and
- WEVO unveiled WEVO 3.0, the next-generation UX research platform.
Of the 45 companies York IE has invested in, five have been acquired and more than one-third have raised additional capital at an increased valuation.
York IE also enjoyed a stretch of impressive growth in the first half of the year.
The firm made two key executive hires: Tom Anderson, vice president of investor and ecosystem relations, and Matt Toy, vice president of client services.
In addition, the firm launched its Corporate Strategy and FP&A Advisory as a Service offering, which helps businesses navigate the pressure and complexity of rapid scaling.
York IE’s evergreen investment syndicate comprises a diverse group of high-net-worth individuals and family offices who are drawn to the firm’s access to a unique asset class and strong deal flow. To learn more about York IE’s investment practice, visit york.ie/investments.
ABOUT YORK IE
York IE® is a vertically integrated strategic growth and investment firm for technology companies. The company supports ambitious entrepreneurs, operators and investors on their quest to build startups, innovate at scale and disrupt markets. York IE leverages its proprietary data and automation technology and deep operational expertise to provide advisory as a service and to selectively invest in early-stage B2B SaaS. Fuel® Your Strategic Growth at York IE.
