Stealth Startup Spy #65
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Stealth Startup Spy #65
Edtech founder with $250M exit launches new bookkeeping platform, Uber alum debuts customer engagement app with $3M pre-seed, & Stripe alum unveils fintech startup after 2 years in development
Stealth Startup Spy is a data-driven newsletter for investors, journalists and tech enthusiasts interested in uncovering the next big move for key talent, real-time stealth company launches and technology advancements not in plain sight. We leverage the technology built at Gravity to track billions of data points to help you identify tomorrow's opportunities that are currently hiding in the shadows. These signals include tracking the inflows and outflows of talent who work at “Stealth Startups”, bios and profile changes to “building something new” and monitoring press releases to shine a light on the hidden world of stealth startups.
In this issue of the Stealth Startup Spy, here is what we will uncover:
Former Canva/Uber alum debuts sustainable truck transporation startup
Ex-Chief Strategy Officer at Emergent BioSolutions (a leading pharmaceutical company) leaves to become CEO of a stealth biotech startup
Former Google executive launches AI platform for assessing and enhancing brands’ inclusivity initiatives
Co-founder of Teachable (acquired for $250M) launches software startup to streamline and automate the bookkeeping proccess
Serial proptech founder takes on new venture following successful exit
Uber veteran debuts customer engagement platform with $3M pre-seed funding
Ex-Stripe partnerships lead unveils fintech startup after dedicating 2 years to its development
And more…
Now let’s shine the spotlight… 💡💡💡
🕵️♂️Founders Coming Out of Stealth
Real-time updates from founders who debut what they’ve been working on under stealth mode
James Frankel - Co-Founder at Budgie Aerodynamics
🔎Featured Founder under stealth mode in StealthStartupSpy#41
Prior Experience: Ex-Head of Product Growth at Canva, ex-Head of Mobile at Freelancer.com, ex-Operations Intern at Uber
Connect on: LinkedIn
Budgie helps improve the fuel efficiency of trucks through aerodynamics.
HQ: Sydney, Australia
Industry: Truck Transportation | Team Size: 7
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 8 months
Asha Shivaji - Co-Founder & CEO at SeeMe Index
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Masters Degree, Former FAANG
Prior Experience: Ex-Global Head of Customer Strategy at Google, Former marketer from Disney, Moet Hennessy, Estee Lauder, and Johnson & Johnson
Connect on: LinkedIn
SeeMe Index is using AI to evaluate how well top brands in an industry are doing in terms of being inclusive and responsive to consumer inclusivity concerns.
HQ: New York, United States
Industry: Marketing Services | Team Size: 2
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 7 months
Conrad Wadowski - Founder & CEO at Kick
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Prior Exit
Prior Experience: Co-Founder of Teachable (acquired by Hotmart for $250M), Co-Founder of GrowHack, ex-Growth Instructor at General Assembly
Connect on: LinkedIn | Twitter
Kick is self-driving bookkeeping for the modern business owner.
HQ: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industry: Technology, Information and Internet | Team Size: 5
Latest Funding: Undisclosed Seed Round on 6/21/2021
Key Investors: OpenAI, Bossanova Investimentos, Coughdrop Capital, Hugo Amsellem, Davidovs Venture Collective
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 28 months
Akram Hassan - Founder & CEO at Rengage
🔎Featured Founder under stealth mode in StealthStartupSpy#45
FounderDNA: Technical Founder
Prior Experience: Ex-VP of Product, Design and Growth at Netlify, ex-Head of Product at Uber, ex-Sr Director of Product Management at Dell EMC, ex-Principal Lead Program Manager at Microsoft
Connect on: LinkedIn
Rengage makes it easy to create a unified journey, bringing all customer touch points together in one place.
HQ: Redmond, Washington, United States
Industry: Software Development | Team Size: 2
Latest Funding: $3M Pre-Seed on 9/12/2023
Key Investors: Basis Set Ventures, MXV Capital, Uber Alumni Investment Club
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 8 months
Arturo Villanueva - Founder & CEO at Alza
FounderDNA: Masters Degree, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Ex-Product Partnerships / Business Development at Stripe, Ex-Junior Professional Associate at The World Bank
Connect on: LinkedIn
Alza is a fintech startup focused on helping Latin Americans in the U.S. save and send money abroad.
HQ: New York, United States
Industry: Financial Services
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 24 months
🕵️♂️Key Talent Going Under Stealth
Illuminating clues left behind by world class talent and influential innovators who just went into stealth mode
Atul Saran - CEO at Stealth Mode Biotech
FounderDNA: Masters Degree, Top 10 University, Doctorate Degree
Prior Experience: Ex-Chief Strategy and Development Officer at Emergent BioSolutions, Ex-SVP at MacroGenics, ex-VP, Corporate Development at AstraZeneca
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: Virginia, United States
Building a VC-backed biotech company that's focused on medicines targeting illnesses caused by infectious diseases.
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 2 months
Cole Paterson - Co-Founder at Stealth
FounderDNA: Serial Founder
Prior Experience: Ex-Senior Mechanical Designer at Tesla, Ex-Mechanical Designer at MCW Group of Companies
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 4 months
Georgi Dinolov - Co-Founder & Chief Data Scientist at Stealth Fintech Startup
FounderDNA: Masters Degree, Doctorate Degree, Former FAANG
Prior Experience: Ex-ML Research Scientist at Upstart, ex-Quantitative Portfolio Analyst at Allspring Global Investments
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: Los Angeles, California, United States
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 2 months
Calum Brannan - Co-Founder & CEO at Stealth Startup
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Prior Exit
Prior Experience: Co-founder and ex-CEO at Howsy (acquired by Dexters), Co-Founder of SoCrowd (acquired)
Connect on: LinkedIn | Twitter
HQ: London, England, United Kingdom
Building an international business in proptech.
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 4 months
Luís Mey - Co-Founder & CEO at Stealth FinTech
FounderDNA: Masters Degree, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Ex-Director of Business Analytics at Nubank, ex-Morgan Stanley, ex-Merrill Lynch
Connect on: LinkedIn | Twitter
HQ: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 3 months
Stay Stealthy,
Drake
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