With so much going on in the city’s thriving ecosystem, it is easy to miss some of the happenings in the space. We keep you abreast of the things that you may have missed in NYC Tech News for the week ending 9/16 including the NYC startup fundings, NYC startup exits, and NYC startup events featuring news for Rize Education, Lauyup, Usage AI, and much, much more.
Tassot Group – $15.1M
Tassot Group, a digital blockchain infrastructure platform for banks to to offer digital payments solutions, has raised $15.1M in funding according to a recent SEC filing. The filing indicates that the total offering is for $30M and there were eight investors in this close. Founded by Sunil Hirani in 2017, Tassot Group has now raised a total of $60.5M in reported equity funding.
Amperon – $11M
Amperon, the energy intelligence and data company focused on synthesizing data from smart meters, has raised $11M in funding according to a recent SEC filing funding from investors that include . The filing indicates the the total offering is for $20M and there were two investors in this close. Founded by Abe Stanway and Sean Kelly in 2017, Amperon has now raised a total of $18.5M in reported equity funding.
LastMile AI – $10M
LastMile AI, an AI development and collaboration platform for the software engineering community, has raised $10M in Seed funding from investors that include AME Cloud Ventures, Gradient Ventures, Guillermo Rauch, 10x Founders, and Exceptional Capital. LastMile AI was founded by Suyog Sonwalker, Andrew Hoh, and Sarmad Qadri in 2023.
A Banksy got everyday investors 32% returns?
Mm-hmm, sure. So, what’s the catch?
We know it may sound too good to be true. But thousands of investors are already smiling all the way to the bank, thanks to the fine-art investing platform Masterworks.
These results aren’t cherry-picking. This is the whole bushel. Masterworks has built a track record of 16 exits, including net returns of +10.4%, +27.3%, and +35.0%, even while financial markets plummeted.
But art? Really? Okay, skeptics, here are the numbers. Contemporary art prices:
- outpaced the S&P 500 by 131% over the last 26 years
- have the lowest correlation to equities of any asset class
- remained stable through the dot-com bubble and ’08 crisis
Got your attention yet? Alleywatch readers can skip the waitlist with this exclusive link.
LEARN MORE
See important disclosures at masterworks.com/cd
Usage AI – $9M
Usage AI, a cloud computing cost optimization platform, has raised $9M in venture funding from investors that include JAM Fund, Backend Capital, Amity Ventures, and 10vc. Usage AI was founded by Kaveh Khorram in 2020.
Hearth Display – $4.6M
Hearth Display, an operating system for family management, has raised $4.6M in Seed funding from investors that include Female Founders Fund, Stellation Capital, Sweater Ventures, Behind Genius Ventures, and Ingeborg Investments. Founded by Mei Lin Ng, Nathalie Stratton, and Susie Harrison in 2020, Hearth Display has now raised a total of $7.6M in reported equity funding. AlleyWatch broke the news in an exclusive covering the round and much more –
Hearth Raises Another $4.6M to be the Operating System to Power Families by Blending Hardware with Software
Rize Education – $4.5M
Rize Education, a higher education platform that enables independent colleges to deliver lower cost academic programs and degrees, has raised $4.5M in funding according to a recent SEC filing. The filing indicates that the total offering is for $5.5M and there were five investors in this close. Founded by Connor McCarthy and Kevin Harrington in 2015, Rize Education has now raised a total of $13M in reported equity funding.
Patronus AI – $3M
Patronus AI, an automated evaluation and security platform for companies using large language models (LLMs), has raised $3M in Seed funding from investors that include Lightspeed Venture Partners, Gokul Rajaram, Amjad Masad, Factorial Capital, Michael Callahan, Suja Chandrasekaran, and Prasanna Gopalakrishnan. Patronus AI was founded by Anand Kannappan and Rebecca Qian in 2023.
The AlleyWatch audience is driving progress and innovation on a global scale. There are a number of options to reach this audience of the world’s most innovative organizations and startups at scale including strategic brand placement, lead generation, and thought leadership in front of an audience that comprises the vast majority of key decision-makers in the NYC business community and beyond. Learn more about advertising to NYC Tech, at scale.
Prelude – $2.6M
Prelude, a purchasing and inventory management platform for the cannabis industry, has raised $2.6M in funding according to a recent SEC filing. The filing indicates that the total offering is for $3M and there were five investors in this close. Founded by Michael E. Murphy and Andrew Copp in 2021, Prelude has now raised a total of $5.2M in reported equity funding.
Layup – $2.3M
Layup, a challenger bank offering prize-linked savings accounts for sports fans, has raised $2.3M in Seed funding from investors that include Continental Investment Partners, Chicago Ventures, and (ERA) Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator. Layup was founded by Owen Monagan and Oisin Tiernan in 2022.
HIVE Diversity – $675K
HIVE Diversity, a virtual recruiting platform that connects companies to entry-level and early career applicants from diverse backgrounds, has raised $675K in funding according to a recent SEC filing. The filing indicates that the total offering is for $4M and this close comes from a sole investor. Founded by Byron Slosar in 2020, HIVE Diversity has now raised a total of $3.725M in reported equity funding.
Hadrius – $2M
Hadrius, an AI-powered automated SEC compliance platform for RIAs and broker-dealers, has raised $2M in Seed funding from investors that include Y Combinator, Dorm Room Fund, Unpopular Ventures, Lynett Capital, and Singularity Capital. Founded by Som Mohapatra, Thomas Stewart, Allen Calderwood, Som Mohapatra, and Thomas Stewart in 2021, Hadrius has now raised a total of $2.5M in reported equity funding.
