The Purple Arch Yearbook

Most Energetic

Wireless powering is still in its infancy. NuCurrent is leading the way with high-efficiency antennas and its proprietary NuIQ™ Technology Platform. Started by graduate students out of Northwestern University, NuCurrent moved from medical implants to charging any device with unmatched speed, certainty, and performance. Their valuation has nearly doubled since we invested less than two years ago.

Teacher’s Pet

Learning the fundamentals of a job role is an essential part of the training process. STRIVR is bringing training into the digital age with immersive, end-to-end experiential virtual reality. With access to the safe virtual environment, training is faster and more cost efficient than traditional on-the-job training. Their valuation continues to climb as the adoption of VR training is increasing in velocity.

Best Dancer

Can humans and robots get their moves down? They can with Humatics’ groundbreaking microlocation technology. Using radar-based Spatial Intelligence Platform™ for perfect choreography, robots, cranes, vehicles, and humans can all navigate safely and efficiently in a production or manufacturing environment. Noticing the incredible precision and importance of the Humatics platform, PAV1 invested in their last two rounds.

Shop Class Superstar

If you work with your hands, Payzer wants to help you work with your cash-flow. Unlike the roster of one-size-fits-all digital payment options, Payzer focuses on helping small, home-service businesses and specialty contractors with easy access to in-the-field payment processing and lending capabilities. Purple Arch Ventures Fund 2 was the last capital closing out a Series B funding round. Within months, their valuation doubled after a Ferguson-led strategic financing round, which could be their last before acquisition. Ferguson has more than 50,000 plumbers in the field who will be adopting the platform going forward.

Best Smile

When help is needed most, getting matched quickly means getting well sooner. SonderMind is a behavioral health network getting clients smiling again by addressing the three-sided marketplace between consumers, private practitioners, and partners/enterprises using proprietary software that has built-in customer support and is integrated with medical billing systems. This key player has differentiated itself by streamlining credentialing, matching, and payment for its network of therapists. Kellogg-alum and founder, Mark Frank, is utilizing its newest round of funding expanding markets this year, scaling quickly, so more clients can start smiling.

Most Organized

Carta helps private companies, public companies, and investors manage their cap tables, valuations, investments, and equity plans. But this is only the beginning. While their current tech is evolutionary, it is simply a trojan horse for the real prize: building a regulated exchange for private company stock. Less than 6 months after we invested, Carta’s valuation nearly doubled thanks to an Andreessen-led funding round of $300M – their largest investment ever.