CAMBRIDGE, MA, March 28, 2009
/24-7PressRelease/ -- LaunchCapital, a new venture capital firm that provides seed-stage funding to young, emerging companies across a variety of industries, today announced the latest additions to its impressive portfolio. According to the latest MoneyTree Report by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association, investments in the fourth quarter of 2008 dropped 26% in just three months, reflecting the lowest amount of dollars invested since the first quarter of 2005. Despite economic uncertainty and hesitation from other established firms, LaunchCapital has continued to be active in the last three months, investing in a total of six start-up businesses, including Vigix, iTeam, Cardiophotonics, FMP Products, SafePorch and Helix.
LaunchCapital has developed a unique approach to investing that helps young companies grow, provides needed capital quickly and builds value for all involved. The ability to make decisions within 10 weeks lends itself to the firm's ability to engage in an expansive number of investments across a diverse set of industries. As a result of its distinctive strategy to fill a funding gap for startups, LaunchCapital has provided funding for many innovative companies, adding high-value diversity to it's portfolio since its debut in February.
LaunchCapital's latest investments include:
Vigix - develops next generation, no moving parts, vending technology for the self-service, automated retail channel
iTeam - transforms IT service into a well-defined product that is simple to buy, easy to sell, and highly efficient to deliver (SaaP)
Cardiophotonics - builds revolutionary non-invasive blood monitors used to detect dehydration and cardiac arrhythmia
FMP Products - creates laboratory automation equipment and software to help improve the productivity of researchers
SafePorch - designs and manufactures unique storm shelter products for consumers primarily located in hurricane prone areas of the US
Helix - develops DNA therapeutics that will cause a paradigm shift in the way that common genetic diseases are treated
LaunchCapital continues to foster innovation and aims to help young companies achieve milestones and impact markets. Steve Pytka, Vigix CEO, commented, "LaunchCapital has provided Vigix with the resources and know how to compete and succeed in an explosive, automated retail sales market that is forecasted to grow from $438 billion in 2006 to $1.3 trillion by 20111."
With offices in key centers of innovation including: Boston, MA, New Haven, CT and San Francisco, CA, and close-ties with top universities and local communities, LaunchCapital offers their portfolio companies a solid network of resources. The firm currently features 20 portfolio companies, mostly comprised of software, consumer products, Internet and energy, and is looking make a substantial number of investments this year in unique start-ups and small businesses, with projected returns three to five times the size of total investment.
"Our industry-agnostic investment strategy and commitment to developing entrepreneurial talent enables us to take advantage of emerging technologies and trends," commented Elon Boms, Managing Director of LaunchCapital. "We have further diversified our portfolio by investing in companies that are uniquely positioned throughout various industries, demonstrating our ability to quickly fund growth and help emerging companies create long-term value."
About LaunchCapital
LaunchCapital is committed to providing the capital needed for businesses in the initial stages of development, and seeks to quickly fund companies and concepts that would typically tap personal networks for their seed financing needs. With investments in a variety of products and industries, LaunchCapital targets opportunities typically requiring between $50k and $150k in initial capital to begin business development. Visit http://www.launch-capital.com for more information on the company and its portfolio.
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