These investments have attracted over $700 million in additional funding from other entities, e.g., angel groups, venture capital and private equity firms, to support the growth of these companies.
Below are key facts to consider in determining whether to evaluate this investment opportunity in QCA First Fund VI.
QCA membership: The work to attract and assess possible investments and support portfolio companies is done by QCA members.
QCA membership has grown significantly, with increased diversity:
2015 | 2021 | |
---|---|---|
Total Members: | 50 | 139 |
% Female | 6% | 19% |
% African-American | 0% | 5% |
QCA has subject matter expertise within its membership for most industries we review for investment. As all members are investors, it is in their vested interest to spend time and energy building and managing a strong portfolio.
Numerous studies validate that diverse teams get better results.
QCA sees strong deal flow and is highly selective about which companies are selected for investment.
# of Companies | % of Total | |
---|---|---|
Pre-screening | 192 | 100 |
Screening | 28 | 15 |
Presentation to Due Diligence |
19 | 10 |
Funding | 16 | 8 |
Year after year QCA sees numerous companies seeking funding. QCA’s rigorous and well-documented processes allow for an increasingly thorough assessment of companies as they progress past each gate in our workflow.
QCA’s historical results for its previous Funds are noteworthy, and are all above the median for comparable venture funds. Results below reflect realized returns from successful exits and write-offs combined with projections of future outcomes from active portfolio companies.
QCA First Fund I-IV | VC Benchmark IRR | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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While past performance cannot ensure future success, prospective investors can assess potential results based on QCA’s previous investment decisions. Importantly, QCA’s processes and expertise have only strengthened since First Fund III. As an example, QCA recently developed and deployed to its members a 150+ page guide to all key steps of the assessment process.
QCA’s current and most recent Funds have a very high number of companies still active, compared with national data that indicate half of start-up companies fail within their first five years.
First Fund | Total Portfolio | Sold | Failed | Still Active | % Active |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
V (2016-2018) | 20 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 90% |
VI (2019-present) | 25 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 92% |
QCA’s meticulous selection process is designed to identify and assess the strengths and weaknesses of prospective companies and make informed investment decisions. Further, QCA takes board positions in many portfolio companies (especially where QCA is the lead investor), allowing QCA to provide advising and oversight post-investment.
QCA’s First Fund VI is the most robust and diverse set of companies we have invested in to date.
15 different industries/sectors
18 have a fully qualified product or service offering
17 already generating revenue
Since QCA’s initial investment, many of these companies have been significantly derisked. QCA’s funding has helped a number of them undertake import product qualification, hire sales people to accelerate scaling, etc. In total, this allows the final investors in the Fund to benefit from the progress portfolio companies have made after two plus years of funding.
*Investors in QCA must be accredited. According to the SEC, an accredited investor must have net worth, or joint net worth with the person’s spouse, that exceeds $1,000,000, excluding the value of the individual’s primary residence; OR have income exceeding $200,000 in each of the two most recent years or joint income with a spouse exceeding $300,000 for those years and a reasonable expectation of the same income level in the current year. For more information contact QCA, 4555 Lake Forest Dr Suite 650, Cincinnati, OH 45242, (513) 373-6972.
Company | Website | Industry | Value Proposition | Location | Offering Developed/ Qualified? |
Selling/ Generating Revenue? |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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3barbiologics.com | AgTech | More viable microbes to increase crop yield | Columbus, OH | ✓ | ✓ |
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Akru.co | FinTech | Fractionalize real estate assets to simplify investing | Cincinnati, OH | ✓ | |
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Bertthinfilms.com | Advanced Materials | Breakthrough IP to replace expensive silver with affordable copper in solar panels | Louisville, KY | In process | |
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Cloverleaf.me | HR Tech | Thriving teams via coaching at scale | Cincinnati, OH area | ✓ | ✓ |
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Conveymd.com | EdTech | Education podcast platform for medical professionals. | Memphis, TN | ✓ | ✓ |
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Coupa.com (acquirer) | Supply Chain Tech | Tech platform to increase supplier diversity | Cincinnati, OH | Successful sale to large company; Positive return | |
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Contentstatus.com | Digital Marketing | Automated digital shelf audit/ content management tool | Cincinnati, OH | ✓ | ✓ |
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Crakn.net | Workflow Tech | Funeral home workflow platform to simplify and improve processes | Cincinnati, OH | ✓ | ✓ |
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Dartdisplays.com | Retail Tech | Increased retail sales via dynamic in-store digital signage | Raleigh, NC | ✓ | ✓ |
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Anchormydata.com | Data Security | Tech platform to protect company data | Columbus, OH area | ||
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Divineservices.com | IT | Parking solutions and on demand valet | Cincinnati, OH | ✓ | ✓ |
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Groupize.com | Workflow Tech | Comprehensive meeting and event management platform | Boston, MA area | ✓ | ✓ |
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Guardianmedicalusa.com | Advanced Materials | Designs, develops, manufactures, and sells novel terminally sterile packaging and packaging services for medical implants. | Toledo, OH | ✓ | ✓ |
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Healthyroster.com | Health Tech | Injury prevention at work and school via virtual diagnostics and treatment regimens | Columbus, OH area | ✓ | ✓ |
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Includehealth.com | Health Tech | Better patient outcomes while improving physical therapist utilization | Cincinnati, OH | ✓ | ✓ |
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Ischemiacare.com | Health Care/Life Science | Breakthrough blood testing platform that provides highly accurate stroke diagnosis | Cincinnati, OH | ✓ | ✓ |
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Joot.io | FinTech | Tech platform to optimize compliance at investment firms | Cincinnati, OH | ✓ | ✓ |
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Kurometherapeutics.com | Life Science | Pre-clinical cancer therapeutic leveraging immune response | Cincinnati, OH | In process | |
Medilink Systems | medacheck.com | Med Device | Device to measure usage compliance | Cincinnati, OH | In process | |
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Peerro.com | Hr Tech | Technology platform for young people and opportunity seekers of all ages to build their careers. | Cincinnati, OH | ✓ | ✓ |
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Plankk.com | IT | Helping fitness influencers develop customized training apps | Franklin, TN | ✓ | ✓ |
PopBase | N/A | Digital Marketing | Los Angeles, CA area | Ceased operations | ||
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Qualifi.hr | HRTech | Faster hiring by more efficient phone interviews | Indianapolis, IN | ✓ | ✓ |
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Readysetsurgical.com | Health Tech IT | Offers advanced scheduling, device tracking, real-time notifications, invoice reconciliation and system reporting for OR, SPD and supply chain personnel. | Cincinnati, OH | ✓ | ✓ |
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Resonado.com | Audio Tech | Streamlined speaker architecture enabling innovative design and optimal acoustic performance | Chicago, IL | ✓ | ✓ |
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Senseneuro.com | Med Device | Saving lives at reduced cost via better stroke diagnosis | Cincinnati, OH | In process | |
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Sharethis.com | IT | Ubiquitous sharing button enabling free engagement and growth tools for site owners | Palo, Alto, CA | ✓ | ✓ |
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Standardbariatrics.com | Med Device | Breakthrough tool for better bariatric surgery outcomes | Cincinnati, OH | ✓ | ✓ |
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Sureimpact.com | FinTech | Case management platform enabling organizations to communicate their social impact to funders and stakeholders | Columbus, OH area | ✓ | ✓ |
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Tpastream.com | Insure Tech | Automates employee benefits for simpler and more cost effective employee benefits management | Cleveland, OH area | ✓ | ✓ |