Matchstick Ventures

Today Warmly, finalizes our Series A with $17M in overall funding to fuel our AI Sales Platform. Here’s why new investors bet on us to win ABM 2.0: 1/ Warmly’s AI works with humans instead of replacing them. We win together. 2/ We have the #1 best intent data in the business (we spend more than anyone else on data too). 3/ Our automation & AI is real-time. Instant ability to follow up with warm leads on Chat, Email, Linkedin & Ads. 4/ Our customers love us - 250+ led us to 3x growth to pass $3M ARR in 2024. The story behind the story: Alan, Carina & I started Warmly, 5 years ago in my parents garage (cliché I know). We didn’t have a dollar to our name but Techstars and then Y Combinator took a bet on us. For 1000 days their bet looked like a waste. We pivoted 5 times in 3 years. Who would bet on first time founders in Sales Tech who had never sold anything before? Not me! But then realized we could use AI & Automation to give sellers superpowers & make marketers’ lives a breeze. True to our name - Warmly’s AI will warm up your total addressable market until those leads are hot. Then our AI does the grunt work reaching out to the warm leads at scale while the hot leads get worked by humans. (How? Real-time alerts in Slack let humans live chat/video call with prospects or DM them on LinkedIn). Our European Expansion: This $6M Extension will fuel our European Expansion. Big thank you to the European Team at RTP Global for their excitement in what we can do. Because of our outrageous commit to privacy & security (given the sensitive space of person-level intent data) - we are entering into the European Market with a strong footing & hubris. Whether you sell into the US, Europe or anywhere else - our global, person-level warm lead data will give your sales & marketing big smiles ??. Head over to our website to check it out (we will be alerted when you arrive!) Warmly, Max & Team Warmly, —— Thank you to our existing investors who participated & continue to support us like Aydin @ Felicis & James @ NFX. Thank you to our amazing team of 50 Warmsters who wake up & have fun using our own tool to build pipeline. Thank you to my best friends & cofounders Alan & Carina who embody the definition of hustle + never-giving-up. Can’t wait to start our SF office together this spring. Thank you to our deep partnerships with David @ Demandbase, Keith @ 11x, Besnik @ Salesflow.io, Ned Leutz, & many others.

We're excited to announce that Delfina has successfully closed a $17M Series A funding round, led by U.S. Venture Partners (USVP) with support from new investors ARTIS Ventures, Mayo Clinic, and Tokio Marine Group Future Fund. This milestone brings us closer to our mission of using AI-powered, proactive care to improve health outcomes for both moms and babies. We’re also grateful to our continued investors—Story Ventures, SemperVirens Venture Capital , Bread and Butter Ventures, Boutique Venture Partners, and Chelsea Clinton’s Metrodora Ventures—who joined us in this round. With this funding, we’ll scale our impact nationwide, reach more diverse populations, and continue advancing our industry-leading technology. Thank you to our incredible partners and investors for helping us transform pregnancy care! Learn more about our impact: https://lnkd.in/e6KfDuAB

After nearly a decade of building Broadlume, I’m excited to announce that we've been acquired by Cyncly ???? It's been an incredible 10-year journey, but to be honest, one that I can't take credit for. If you're a founder reading this, please trust me: The team & people you surround yourself with will make or break your company. They are the reason your company will succeed. Broadlume was never a straight line of success. But if you are passionately curious about your business, work hard, & surround yourself with great people, anything is possible. Broadlume is a testament to that. To the Broadlume Team – Thank you for everything. You taught me what passion, hard work, & resilience truly mean. I've grown so much personally & professionally because of you, & I truly can't thank you enough. Our Leadership Team – Your dedication, vision, & ability to inspire taught me so much. I know there were early mornings & long nights, but building a business with you was the most fun thing I've ever done in my life. Sean Bave Catherine Faber John VC Weller Steven McMullen Ed Lopez Patrick Ferries Jeffrey Bieber Courtney Bellemare Neil Daley Julieanne Irby Gretchen Jewell, PMP Our Board/Investors – We are lucky to have had you in our corner. Your unwavering belief in us (even when we pivoted from adtech to flooring software) was the foundation that allowed us to build something revolutionary in an industry that needed it. David Frankel Ralph Folz Avi Eyal Jay Levy TJ Mahony Dave Balter Marco Ferrari Paul Russ Techstars Mike Rogers Jason Pinsky Natty Zola The Flooring Industry, Customers, & Partners – Thank you for believing in us & allowing us to service your business, family, & community. While our name is changing, our dedication to you isn’t. I promise you that at Cyncly, we will continue to empower flooring businesses of all sizes to dream bigger, work smarter, & achieve unprecedented success. My Friends & Family – You know you mean the world to me. Thank you for constantly cheering us on. Thank you for always being there, no matter what. Jillian Canning Saunders – There aren't enough ways to say I love you & thank you. Thank you for your endless patience, love, and sacrifice. There have been a lot of long nights & stressful moments, & you were always by my side. Thank you for encouraging & teaching me to be the best version of myself. Dan Pratt – I can't believe you dealt with me for 10 years!! I apologize for all your grey hairs, but damn, that was a fun ride. But more than anything we accomplished together, your friendship means the world to me. I couldn't imagine starting Broadlume without you as my co-founder. I admire the leader that you are & the empathy you consistently show. You have the highest EQ of anyone I know. ?? Thank you again, & I can't wait to see what the combination of Broadlume & Cyncly can do. Here's the letter I wrote to the flooring industry & our internal teams. ?? https://lnkd.in/efiMFPkY

Startup of the Week: Everyday (Jake Kaempf) ?? VC Spotlight: Matchstick Ventures (Ryan Broshar, Natty Zola, Shannon Stobbe Shroyer) ?? Venture debt can be a powerful tool when used correctly. It's ideal for funding inventory—like in hardware companies—or bridging cash flow gaps when you pay suppliers in 30 days but receive customer payments in 72. But caution is crucial. Using debt to extend runway or fund operations is risky, especially when future funding isn't guaranteed. Debt should accelerate growth where you have proven traction, not support unproven models. Think of it as fuel for a fire that's already burning. On the upside, venture debt lets you scale without further dilution. If you have positive unit economics and a scalable strategy, it helps you seize opportunities faster. Debt finances a?predictable future; equity funds the?unpredictable. The more debt you take on, the more confident you must be in your forecasts. Use debt to amplify success, not to delay facing challenges.

I am grateful to share that Delfina is partnering with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico to provide our lifesaving care system to expecting families across the state. I lived in Socorro, New Mexico for a summer. I saw the healthcare needs of New Mexican families firsthand. Being back in this beautiful state this week, I am now seeing that the needs in maternal health are significant and urgent. We are excited to serve families in New Mexico, particularly from Native and other underserved communities with Delfina Care. Thank you Janice Torrez and the BCBSNM team for hosting us, and for this wonderful opportunity to impact maternal and infant health. We look forward to transforming maternal health in New Mexico together. https://lnkd.in/gyHRvV7Y

Hey Colorado friends! Techstars Boulder is coming back! I'm super excited to help bring it into the future. Learn more:

While San Francisco and New York take the top spots for startup activity, locales such as Denver, Austin, and Chicago have become attractive cities with thriving networks. Join us on Thursday, October 24th at 1 pm ET as we chat with Matchstick Ventures' GPs Natty Zola and Ryan Broshar to discuss trends in Venture today and their mission to invest between the coasts. https://lnkd.in/gP9Cpwda

Proud to share that Branch has been named one of Inc. Magazine's 2024 #PowerPartners, recognizing B2B companies that offer outstanding products and services to drive business success. We’ve seen firsthand how the power of fast, flexible payments can help companies scale, grow, and recruit and retain more talent. It's an incredible honor be recognized for our dedication in helping companies deliver faster pay—and can’t wait to see where the next year takes us. A huge thank you to all of our customers and partners who have been a part of our success and helped us join this esteemed group! ?? We couldn’t do this without you.

I’m excited to share Two Boxes’ first ever benchmark report! Since launching in 2023, we’ve helped hundreds of brands process millions of returns in a more intelligent, efficient, and profitable manner. With every return we process, we are able to track not only stated return reasons, but also the actual quality of returns across our customer base. This makes for a rich data set that we’re excited to share with you. Our 2024 Holiday Benchmark Report is designed to help brands and 3PLs learn from our experience. In this report, you’ll find information on key return trends and the opportunities we have seen to improve return operations, combat returns fraud, and more. https://lnkd.in/gW94xt37 This report barely scratches the surface of Two Boxes’ data. If you’re a brand or 3PL looking to put our technology to work for you, send me a message or schedule a demo at www.twoboxes.com.

I am grateful to share today the launch of Delfina's partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois to transform maternal and infant health! The collaboration will serve moms and families in Illinois with Delfina Care as part of the BCBSIL Special Beginnings? initiative. When I was in Chicago last week, what struck me most was the frustration I heard from OBGYNs, doulas, and midwives at having to "scramble to fix things" when it seemed already too late. Many of these folks had been serving IL moms and babies for decades. They were too often surprised by sudden cases of substance-related complications or preeclampsia that sometimes ended in tragic, preventable loss. With Delfina Care, we will finally empower these professionals and their patients with the data-driven clarity they deserve. We will give them foresight as we partner in addressing the root causes of the maternal health crisis. We are deeply grateful for this opportunity to bring lifesaving proactive pregnancy care to Illinois with BCBSIL and other partner organizations. Delfina will make a massive positive impact on maternal health across the state. We invite you to join us in our mission to deliver intelligent pregnancy care to all families. https://lnkd.in/gWZybNkQ