Ark Angel Launches Second Investment Fund

By Cal Abbo

In 2020, the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce started the Ark Angel Fund as a way to bring the startup market to Chaldean investors. In addition, it supports emerging businesses that can make a difference in the region.

The first iteration of the Ark Angel Fund succeeded in raising a total of $1 million from 32 investors. All of the funds have since invested in seven different startup companies across several different sectors. While the Fund hears all kinds of pitches, it tends to focus most of its attention on innovative companies in the technology sphere.

The fund is overseen by a small team including Fund Manager Martin Manna and Fund Administrator Tom Haji. Three additional fund advisors help in decision-making.

The first fund spent a lot of time on its due diligence and careful consideration of its investments. It screened over 400 companies; of them, it considered investing in 30; finally, it invested an amount between $100-200 thousand in seven of those.

HOLO Footwear

HOLO’s journey began in 2020, when co-founders Rommel Vega and Yuri Rodriguez wanted to shake up the footwear industry with two goals in mind: sustainability and affordability. They found that eco-friendly footwear is difficult to find, and if you can, the expensive prices are a barrier to entry for those who love the outdoors.

Since it started, HOLO has found reliable manufacturers and cheap-but-quality recycled materials. It has designed dozens of shoes and colorways, all featured on its new direct-to-consumer website. According to HOLO, all of its shoes are made from 70-100% recycled material. Its real claim to fame is its pricing: its most basic model starts as low as $45.
Visit holofootwearinc.com.

Fixmycar

Fixmycar is a local startup that began in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Its mission is “to make car ownership simple.” On a base level, it connects mechanics looking for work with customers who need car maintenance but can’t spend so much time at a shop. Its mechanics will travel to wherever your vehicle is to service it.

On a deeper level, Fixmycar addresses concerns of transparency and convenience on all sides of the car service industry. It allows mechanics and customers to use its service on their own time. Visit fixmycar.io.

VADE Nutrition

VADE’s vision is all about easy access to high-quality nutrition. “We believe that pushing the technological boundaries of nutrition is paramount to building a happier, healthier world,” its website reads.

VADE has succeeded in creating a water-dissolvable film which houses virtually any kind of powdered supplement. Their products range from pre-workout to whey isolate protein powder. Its usefulness demonstrates itself by eliminating the mess of traditional protein and supplement powders. VADE users can simply drop their powder pack into a sealed bottle and shake it up for a simple solution to a protein shake. This company is a great example of how one small innovation can have a large impact.

VADE got its first big break when it appeared on the TV show “Shark Tank” and secured an investment from investor Mark Cuban and legendary baseball player Alex Rodriguez.

Visit vade-nutrition.com.

Brand XR

This up-and-coming digital technology provides a platform for users to create and publish Augmented Reality content without any coding whatsoever. Its user-friendly tools allow anyone with basic computer skills to create something in Augmented Reality.

Augmented Reality is a relatively new technology that, when paired with a piece of technology like a phone or Virtual Reality goggles, adds something new to your environment. The most basic example of Augmented Reality is a Snapchat or Instagram filter.

While this technology is becoming popular in the entertainment and social media spheres, it has lots more uses to explore, and Brand XR is positioned to become the go-to system for this type of content creation. It has many real-world uses in large-scale projects that Brand XR is exploring.

In one instance, Brand XR partnered with Wayne State University to create a driving simulator in order to study the effects of intoxication on driving ability in a safe environment. Brand XR has also partnered with the Kennedy Space Center to create realistic simulations of the International Space Station. Visit brandxr.io.

AptumBuild Solutions

This company made their first prototype in early 2020 and has taken off since then. Why are simple structures so difficult to build, requiring various tools, knowledge, and specific materials? AptumBuild set out to shift the paradigm.

The new venture specializes in ease-of-use mini-structures. It gained some traction and was able to test some of its models in the restaurant industry when COVID-19 forced restaurants into alternative outdoor seating. Its models are specially designed to withstand cold temperatures and wind.

This isn’t the only application of AptumBuild, nor the most important one. The company sees its structures in many other places where its easy tear-down and ability to be flat-packed offer a huge advantage for military, humanitarian, and commercial uses.

Visit aptumbuild.com.

Socialive

Socialive has branded itself as a cloud-based remote video production platform that’s perfect for large teams working on a single project. Its platform integrates with software-based video editing tools and marketing automation tools. It prides itself on ease-of-use and high-quality content.

Socialive’s platform can be used for many purposes, including marketing, virtual events, human resources, communications, video services, product marketing, and company learning, among others. The platform is already used by companies like Nike, Deloitte, CVS, Oracle, Audible, Cisco, Morgan Stanley, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and many more. Visit socialive.us.

XR Health

This Virtual Reality-based healthcare platform is revolutionizing certain aspects of the healthcare industry. Essentially, patients will use a VR device to experience different kinds of care and therapy.

Traditional healthcare requires the patient to travel, often produces unquantifiable outcomes, and leads to subpar patient experiences that leave them uninspired to adhere to their plan of care. XR Health flips the script by gamifying a treatment plan for issues such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Stress and Anxiety, Chronic Pain, Fibromyalgia, and some neurological conditions. Its treatments are considered in-network by most insurance companies, and it is covered by Medicare.

Since its launch, XR Health has observed increased rates of adherence to medical plans and patients with more inspiration to rehabilitate themselves. It has treatments that fall under both physical and cognitive therapy as well as providing one-on-one therapy sessions. Visit xr.health.

Ark Angel Fund II

Having spent the funds from the first round of investment, the CACC has identified investors for Ark Angel Fund II with a total goal of $2.5 million and an upper limit of $5 million. The minimum investment is $50,000 and the fund expects to make 10-20 new investments.

To learn more about the fund, visit arkangelfund.com.