Loot Crate
$18.5 million
Type: Equity
Location: Montecito Heights
Investors: Round was led by Upfront Ventures of Santa Monica, with participation from Breakwater Investment Management, Time Inc., Downey Ventures, M13, and SterlingVC.
Description: Subscription box startup Loot Crate, which sends toys and fan gear to subscribers in monthly mystery boxes, said it surpassed $100 million in sales last year. The e-commerce company also said it has more than 600,000 monthly subscribers in 35 countries. To better serve demand in its second biggest market, the United Kingdom, the startup will be using its funding to open a marketing and business development office in that country this summer. An annual subscription plan for the service costs $12 a month.
Docupace
$16.5 million
Type: Equity
Location: West L.A.
Investors: Palisades Growth Capital and TVC Capital.
Description: The financial tech and cyber security company raised $16.5 million to expand its marketing and sales efforts, as well as to add several new cybersecurity products. Demand for software that helps financial firms manage their paperwork and stay in compliance of regulations has grown substantially since the passage of the Dodd–Frank financial-services reform bill in 2010, said Michael Pinsker, chief executive of Docupace. Growing demand for protecting financial information from cyberattacks has also caused Docupace to expand its suite of cybersecurity products, said Pinsker.
Chef’d
$12.3 million
Type: Equity
Location: El Segundo
Investors: There are 14 investors in the round so far, including online grocery delivery service Fresh Direct of New York and HomeAway co-founder Carl Shepherd.
Description: The company sells pre-measured meal ingredients and recipes online for customers looking for convenience, minimal food wastage, and a cooking experience, said company Chief Executive Kyle Ransford. The startup’s financing comes on the heels of securing a partnership this month to sell meal kits for “NYT Cooking,” a popular online and app-based recipe book published by the New York Time Co. The company has also established similar services for other publications such as Men’s Health and Good Housekeeping. The startup delivers meals in one or two days, and offers more than 300 recipes on its website.
