You know what I always say. No. Not that. The other thing. The thing about serial founders. You know, the thing about how the Portland startup community needs to get to a point where it’s not burning out founders so much that they never start other projects. How we need more serial entrepreneurs and folks with startup experience starting new things. Again and again. That thing.
Well, that thing is happening. Here and there. The latest example? Kivo. And equally compelling? Local investors helped fund their $3 million Seed Round. Like Cascade Seed Fund, Oregon Venture Fund, and Rogue Venture Partners.
“We made it an Oregon deal,” CEO Toban Zolman told the Portland Business Journal.
What’s that? That name sounds familiar? That’s because Toban has been at ShopIgniter, Cloudability, and Rigado, among other companies. You know, Portland startups.
So what does Kivo do?
Kivo, Inc., a provider of regulatory software, today announced it has closed a $3 million seed round of funding. Kivo will use the investment to scale engineering and sales to meet the growing demand for Kivo’s Regulatory Information Management (RIM) platform.
Kivo spun out from regulatory strategy and consulting leader Facet Life Sciences at the beginning of the year and launched its new regulatory information management platform in March. Built from the ground up to support how emerging life science companies manage regulatory workflows, Kivo has received a warm reception from customers struggling to find a cost-effective way to maintain compliance. Momentum for the new company has been swift, with revenue nearly doubling in the first quarter alone.
Another interesting tidbit? Greg Rau is the COO of Kivo.
Meaning? Meaning that I know I’m getting old and forgetful, but I am seriously struggling to think of any other individual who has been a more significant operator in the Portland startup community over the last 15 years or so. I mean, let’s just look at the list: Unicru, StepChange Group, Upstart Labs, Chirpify, Rivetry, Rigado… where he’s been a significant contributor and/or cofounder.
I guess all of that goes to say that — for someone like me who looks at Portland startups day in and day out — this one is really capturing my attention. I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.
For more information, read the Kivo post on the fundraise.
