Stealth Startup Spy #92
Spacetech startup, born out of MIT, emerges from stealth, Travel discovery app debuts with $3.2M seed funding, & Harvard MBA/Convoy alum embarks on a stealth startup journey
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:
Berlin-based travel discovery app, blending social media content with AI goes live - raised $3.2M seed funding
Seasoned marketing executive from Gigamon, Druva and SAP is building a stealth AI startup for marketing teams
Healthcare platform simplifying the HCP & patient journey for specialty meds comes out of stealth
Spacetech startup, born out of MIT, steps out of stealth mode to redefine robotic lunar exploration
Harvard MBA and ex-Director of Product Management at Convoy embarks on a stealth startup journey
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
Saad Saeed - Co-Founder at Layla
FounderDNA: Serial Founder
Prior Experience: Co-Founder and ex-Director of Technology at Flink ($240M raised), Founder at Crumb, ex-Project Portfolio Manager at Kreditech Holding
Connect on: LinkedIn
Layla is your personal AI travel planner and guide.
HQ: Berlin, Germany
Industry: Software Development | Team Size: 13
Latest Funding: $3.2M Seed Round on 11/29/2023
Key Investors: M13, Firstminute Capital, Andy Phillips (Booking.com’s co-founder), Barry Smith (Skyscanner co-founder), Paris Hilton
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 11 months
Francisco Izaguirre - Co-Founder & CTO at SteadyScript
🔎Featured Founder under stealth mode in StealthStartupSpy#20
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Technical Founder, Former FAANG, Top 10 University, Prior Exit
Prior Experience: Cofounder & ex-CTO at Imaging Panda (acquired by OpenLoop), Technical Cofounder & ex-Head of Engineering at Riva (acquired), ex-Facebook, ex-Qualcomm
Connect on: LinkedIn
SteadyScript is building data-driven tools to simplify the enrollment process for both patients and healthcare professionals.
HQ: San Francisco Bay Area, United States
Industry: Healthcare | Team Size: 4
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 12 months
Ben Carlson - Co-Founder & CTO at Oligo
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Technical Founder, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Mechanical Engineering Lead for WORMS project at MIT, ex-Systems Engineering Intern at Lockheed Martin
Connect on: LinkedIn
Oligo redefines space and terrestrial industries with modular technology
HQ: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Industry: Space Research and Technology | Team Size: 2
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 5 months
Salim Dhanani - Co-Founder & CEO at Pavebank
FounderDNA: Serial Founder
Prior Experience: Co-Founder and ex-CEO at BigPay ($135M raised), ex-Head of Business Development, EMEA at Carta Worldwide, ex-Program Analyst at The World Bank
Connect on: LinkedIn
Pavebank is building the world’s first programmable bank.
HQ: Singapore
Industry: Financial Services | Team Size: 15
Latest Funding: $5.2M Seed Round on 12/15/2023
Key Investors: 468 Capital, Quona Capital, FT Partners, BR Capital, w3.fund, Daedalus
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 10 months
Thore Buergel - Co-Founder at Pheiron
FounderDNA: Doctorate Degree, Masters Degree, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Honorary Lecturer at UCL, PhD at Charité - University Medicine Berlin, ex-Independent Consultant at YEARS, ex-Research Assistant at Stanford University
Connect on: LinkedIn
Pheiron offers a technological solution aimed at assisting and facilitating the process of discovering and developing new drugs.
HQ: Berlin, Germany
Industry: Biotechnology Research | Team Size: 3
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 4 months
🕵️♂️Key Talent Going Under Stealth
Illuminating clues left behind by world class talent and influential innovators who just went into stealth mode
Bilal Sayed Gol - Founder at Stealth Startup
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Masters Degree, Former FAANG, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Ex-Account Executive at NUOPTIMA, Co-Founder at GrowSmartly, ex-Google Intern
Connect on: LinkedIn
Amplify is an end-to-end platform for B2B SaaS marketers.
HQ: London, England, United Kingdom
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 3 months
Ashwath Kakhandiki - Founder & CEO at Stealth Startup
FounderDNA: Masters Degree, Prior Exit, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Ex-Sr. Director, Revenue Marketing at Gigamon, ex-VP of Marketing at Unbxd Inc and LeanData Inc., ex-Director, Demand Generation at Druva, ex-SAP
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: San Francisco, California, United States
Building an AI-powered solution that provides marketing teams and agencies with an additional intelligent tool to execute effective campaigns.
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 14 months
Prasanna Singamsetty - Founder & CEO at Stealth Startup
FounderDNA: Technical Founder, Masters Degree
Prior Experience: Ex-Senior Director of SoC Architecture at Intel Corporation
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: San Jose, California, United States
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 3 months
Nikhil Jaipuria - Founder at Stealth Startup
FounderDNA: Technical Founder, Masters Degree, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Ex-Vice President of Product at Zetwerk, ex-Director of Product Management at Convoy Inc, Harvard MBA, ex-Microsoft
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 4 months
Marco Cortinovis - Founder at Stealth Startup
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Masters Degree, Former FAANG
Prior Experience: Co-Founder & CEO at DailyInternship, Founding Member / ex-VP of Global BD at Katoo, ex-McKinsey & Company, ex-Amazon
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: Milan, Italy
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 12 months
Stay Stealthy,
Drake
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