The Chrysler brand and Kango, an app-based, on-demand service providing safe, reliable rides and childcare for kids from preschool to high school, today announced a new partnership that will make available new Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans for use by eligible Kango drivers. In this first-of-a-kind partnership between a family rideshare service and an automaker in the U.S., the Chrysler brand will make a fleet of new Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans available to eligible Kango drivers, for an affordable lease, to promote safety and environmental stewardship and to provide a best-in-class ride.
Portfolio News: AEye Announces $16 Million Series A Funding from Kleiner Perkins, Airbus Ventures and Intel Capital
AEye Inc, a robotic vision pioneer, today announced the close of a $16 million series A venture round from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Airbus Ventures, Intel Capital, Tyche Partners and others. AEye’s advanced vision system is the first to “pre-fuse” solid state LiDAR with computer vision, enabling newfound vision intelligence in autonomous vehicles.
Portfolio News: iBeat, the Lifesaving Smartwatch, Extends Seed Round to $4.5 Million
iBeat (April 2016 Dinner), which makes a wearable that monitors cardiac function, closed another $3 million in funding last month, bringing its total seed stage funding to $4.5 million. iBeat plans to use the additional funds for key hires, to begin clinical testing, refine its sales and marketing strategies, and further scale its tooling and manufacturing operations.
Band of Angels Invested in 11 Startups and had 3 Exits in H1 2017
It has been an active first half of the year with 11 fundings to date: Connect Homes, Crater, Jirav, Kango, Kiana Analytics, Nanotech Bio, NGX Bio, RealKey, Thinnect, VoiceBase, and YourFare. We also had 3 exits this year so far: Faraday Bicycles (April 2013 Dinner), InfoAxe (January 2008 Dinner), and Ciel Medical (October 2016 Dinner). We look forward to hearing from a number of our portfolio companies at the Band’s 9th Annual Portfolio Day on Wednesday, October 4th, 2017.
Band of Angels Annual Summer Party
We had a wonderful Summer Dinner party last evening at the Woodside vineyard of Band member Craig London and his wife Margaret. About a hundred and thirty of us enjoyed the idyllic setting, great company, delicious food, and excellent wine. Pictured here are a few scenes from this lovely evening that has become a favorite tradition of the Band.