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# Illuminate Ventures

New Thinking in Venture Capital

## Posts

- [High Performance Entrepreneurs](https://illuminate.com/high-performance-entrepreneurs/) - Women in High Tech Summary Research shows what many have long suspected: women entrepreneurs are poised to lead the next wave of growth in global technology ventures. The full report, prepared by Illuminate Ventures, documents the performance of women entrepreneurs in the past decade and the trends that are propelling them towards critical mass in
- [Gender Differences in Entrepreneurship](https://illuminate.com/gender-differences-in-entrepreneurship/) - Voices of Founders and Funders Download the complete survey findings or read the summary below: Summary The level of diversity in venture-backed companies remains extremely low, with less than less than 5% led by a woman and only 15% with a woman co-founder in 2017. In a survey of high-tech founders and ventures capital investors
- [Insider’s Guide to Silicon Valley’s Investors](https://illuminate.com/insiders-guide-to-silicon-valleys-investors/) - What Every Startup Entrepreneur Should Know
- [Stanford Technology Ventures – Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Series: An Enterprising Approach to Investment](https://illuminate.com/stanford-technology-ventures-entrepreneurial-thought-leaders-series-an-enterprising-approach-to-investment-2/) - Cindy Padnos Interview
- [Facebook-Blind VCs Missed Opportunities in B2B Cloud Investments](https://illuminate.com/facebook-blind-vcs-missed-opportunities-in-b2b-cloud-investments/) - Advantages of B2B Cloud Investments
- [Illuminate Ventures -- New Thinking in Venture Capital](https://illuminate.com/illuminate-ventures-new-thinking-in-venture-capital/) - Illuminate Ventures

## Pages

- [Home Page](https://illuminate.com/) - What We Do Illuminate’s focus is on finding, funding, and accelerating visionary founders building game-changing companies in the B2B/Enterprise software computing space. Illuminate Ventures leads Series Seed investments, bringing resources to bear that are designed to help transform startups into market leaders. We focus on platforms and applications that leverage data and AI to quickly
- [Advisors](https://illuminate.com/advisors-4/) - Meet the world-class Advisors to our firm and founders.
- [Advisors-test](https://illuminate.com/advisors-test/) - Meet the world-class Advisors to our firm and founders.
- [Highlights](https://illuminate.com/highlights/) - Learn more about Illuminate's views on the startup world and VC investing.
- [Team](https://illuminate.com/team-2/) - Cindy Padnos - Rebecca Norlander - Cliff Higgerson - Jennifer Savage
- [Portfolio](https://illuminate.com/portfolio-2/) - Meet the amazing companies in the Illuminate Ventures portfolio.
- [Our Internship Program](https://illuminate.com/internship/) - Join us! We work with creative, self-motivated graduate students during the school year as part-time interns. At Illuminate Ventures, we provide seed capital and know-how to B2B software startups. Some of our market-leading portfolio companies include BrightEdge, Xactly Corporation (Vista Equity Partners acquisition, NYSE: XTLY), and Contentstack ($80M Series C led by Insight Partners and
- [News & Events](https://illuminate.com/events/) - Get to know Illuminate Ventures by checking out our recent News and Events. You'll learn about our investment strategy, active portfolio companies, and more!
- [Contact](https://illuminate.com/contact/) - Here's how to reach us.
- [Home Page -News and events Draft](https://illuminate.com/news-events-4/) - Enterprise Cloud and Mobile startup venture capital investor.
- [Our Research on Diversity in Entrepreneurship](https://illuminate.com/whitepaper/) - High Performance Entrepreneurs: Women in High Tech white paper
- [DRAFT:Publications on Gender in Entrepreneurship](https://illuminate.com/draftgender/) - High Performance Entrepreneurs: Women in High Tech white paper
- [Home Page](https://illuminate.com/home-page/) - Enterprise Cloud and Mobile startup venture capital investor.

## Services

- [Our Results Speak for Themselves](https://illuminate.com/services/service-one/) - · More than half of our new investments have been referred to us directly from our prior portfolio founders and advisors. · Across more than 10 years of early stage investing we’ve gained multiple M&As and IPOs.
- [We Don’t Just Follow The Herd](https://illuminate.com/services/service-three/) - · We recognize that great investment opportunities come in a variety of packages – sometimes looking a bit different from the norm. · Our unique approach broadens our deal flow to gain access to all the best teams and their innovative companies - not just a subset.
- [We’re Not Tourists – We Live Here](https://illuminate.com/services/were-not-tourists-we-live-here/) - · Our investing team and advisors have spent their careers operating, advising, and investing in the Enterprise/B2B software world. · Our investments are thesis based - grounded in relevant experience and leveraging our own research.
- [We are Doers - Not Watchers](https://illuminate.com/services/service-two/) - · We’ve been there ourselves as founders, so we love supporting talented teams as they build great companies. · You won’t hear a lot of hot air from us – we’ll jump in if we can help or find someone who can.

## Employees

- [Jennifer Savage](https://illuminate.com/employees/jennifer-savage2/)
- [Cindy Padnos](https://illuminate.com/employees/cindy-padnos-2/)

## Testimonials

- [Kristine Steuart, Cofounder & CEO Allocadia (acquired by Uptempo)](https://illuminate.com/testimonials/kristine-steuart-cofounder-ceo-allocadia-2/) - “Illuminate has delivered exactly what we were seeking. Cindy's experience as founder of a SaaS company and seasoned investor in the enterprise software space is invaluable in shaping our success.”
- [Edmund Zagorin, Cofounder & Chief Strategy Officer Arkestro](https://illuminate.com/testimonials/edmund-zagorin-founder-ceo-bid-ops/) - "The Illuminate team has been a tremendous partner in accelerating Arkestro's growth, rolling up their sleeves to make key customer intros and spotlighting our throughout the SaaS industry. They have been amazing when it comes to strategy discussions. It makes a big difference that they have such robust startup operating experience."
- [Kira Makagon, Cofounder & CEO Red Aril (Acquired by Hearst Corporation)](https://illuminate.com/testimonials/kira-makagon-founder-ceo-red-aril-now-chief-innovation-office-ring-central/) - “It was great to have Illuminate Ventures as an investor. We quickly recognized the value that Cindy and her firm could bring, allowing Illuminate access to our much sought-after initial funding.”
- [Shanna Tellerman, Cofounder & CEO Wild Pockets (Acquired by Autodesk)](https://illuminate.com/testimonials/shanna-tellerman-founder-ceo-wild-pockets/) - “Illuminate Ventures went above and beyond in every way. Their impact was tremendous for the company on a large scale and for me personally as a first time entrepreneur."
- [Chris Cabrera, Cofounder & CEO Xactly Corporation (NYSE: XTLY - now part of Vista Equity)](https://illuminate.com/testimonials/chris-cabrera-founder-ceo-xactly-corporation-3/) - “Illuminate has offered value that goes well beyond typical Board participation - teeing up a host of C-level contacts to accelerate both the time frame and the likelihood of our market leadership.”
- [Tony Mackenzie, Cofounder & CEO Jacobi](https://illuminate.com/testimonials/tony-mackenzie-founder-ceo-jacobi/) - The Illuminate team and their advisors added the depth and experience of enterprise SaaS veterans combined with passion and energy of early stage entrepreneurs. Sometimes you need the expert whose been there before and other times you want someone to roll up their sleeves alongside you. Illuminate is there for both."
- [Neha Sampat, Cofounder & CEO Contentstack](https://illuminate.com/testimonials/neha-sampat-cofounder-ceo-contentstack/) - "Cindy and the team at Illuminate have been incredible believers in the Contentstack journey from the very beginning. As some of our best advocates, they not only provide valuable mentorship, but are always willing to go the extra mile to make meaningful connections that help fuel our growth."
- [Tristan Zajonc, Cofounder & CEO Continual IO and prior Cofounder & CEO Sense Platform (acquired by Cloudera)](https://illuminate.com/testimonials/tristan-zajonc-cofounder-ceo-continual-io-and-prior-cofounder-ceo-sense-platform-acquired-by-cloudera/) - "Every great relationship starts with trust. After working with Illuminate from seed funding to acquisition of Sense, I knew I wanted to work with Illuminate again if the opportunity arose. I couldn't be happier to have Illuminate as an investor in Continual IQ and would recommend Illuminate to any enterprise SaaS founder."
- [Jim Dai, Cofounder & CEO, CalmSea (Acquired by Coupang)](https://illuminate.com/testimonials/jim-dai-coupang/) - “Cindy has been a great mentor and a trusted friend for more than a decade. She has shared great advice drawn from her experiences as an executive, entrepreneur, CEO and venture investor.”
- [Jim Yu, Cofounder & CEO BrightEdge Technology](https://illuminate.com/testimonials/jim-yu-founder-ceo-brightedge-technology/) - “Illuminate Ventures has been with us since the very beginning and has provided incredible support. We continue to benefit tremendously from their mentorship, enthusiasm, confidence, and connections.”
- [Lemuel Park – Cofounder & CTO BrightEdge Technology](https://illuminate.com/testimonials/lemuel-park-cofounder-cto-brightedge-technology-2/) - “Illuminate Ventures has been a great advocate - always offering practical advice. They have helped us to accelerate our business and to better understand how to scale the company overall.”
- [Jim Stoneham, Cofounder & CEO Opsmatic (Acquired by New Relic)](https://illuminate.com/testimonials/jim-stoneham-cofounder-ceo-opsmatic-acquired-by-new-relic/) - “The refreshing thing about Illuminate is their singular focus on Enterprise Software. With most VCs, Enterprise is part of their portfolio, but with Illuminate, it is 100% of their focus and that shows in their expertise, connections and depth of knowledge.”

## Projects

- [Perceptive Panda](https://illuminate.com/projects/perceptive-panda/) - Perceptive Panda helps companies catalyze the growth mindset. Customer interviews are a crucial part of the growth mindset because they provide the data and insights needed for continuous improvement. But interviews are impossible to scale in a cost effective manner. AI holds the potential to address this challenge. But this is a hard problem, and
- [Allocadia](https://illuminate.com/projects/allocadia-2/) - Allocadia’s Marketing Performance Management cloud software transforms how marketers plan, budget, analyze, and optimize return on investment. Allocadia connects to leading customer relationship management, finance, social media, resource management, and marketing automation systems delivering the only way to provide complete visibility into marketing performance. Acquired by Uptempo (formerly BrandMaker) July, 2021
- [CalmSea](https://illuminate.com/projects/coupang-2/) - CalmSea‘s Social Commerce Optimization solution helps leading retailers and brands monetize their social fanbases. CalmSea’s predictive platform applies deep customer behavior analysis to optimize the right promotion for the right consumer with the right enagement tactic, resulting in higher conversions and top-line revenues. Acquired 12/2013 by Coupang
- [Coupang](https://illuminate.com/projects/coupang/) - CalmSea‘s Social Commerce Optimization solution helps leading retailers and brands monetize their social fanbases. CalmSea’s predictive platform applies deep customer behavior analysis to optimize the right promotion for the right consumer with the right enagement tactic, resulting in higher conversions and top-line revenues. CalmSea acquired by Coupang December, 2013 Coupang IPO March, 2021
- [Perceptix](https://illuminate.com/projects/perceptix/) - Perceptix can do what no other inspection software can: see patterns, interpret environments, and evolve in real time so our customers can: Save time Cut costs Reduce liability Improve customer experience
- [CaféX](https://illuminate.com/projects/cafex-2/) - CafeX enables organizations in regulated industries — healthcare, banking, insurance, and government — to re-imagine & optimize how they digitally engage with employees, customers and partners by leveraging existing investments in operational systems and unifying fragmented, often custom, siloed solutions that hinder internal efficiency and compromise customer and partner experiences.
- [Contentstack](https://illuminate.com/projects/contentstack/) - Contentstack is a market-leading API-first content hub that sits at the intersection of CMS (content management systems) and DXP (digital experience platforms). This new breed of CMS platform gives developers and marketers a way to engage audiences in real time across virtually any delivery platform including mobile devices, wearable devices, chat bots, digital assistants, kiosks,
- [Intelo](https://illuminate.com/projects/intelo/) - Intelo.ai is an enterprise AI platform transforming retail planning and merchandising. The company helps merchants, planners, and buyers make faster, smarter, and more collaborative decisions by embedding specialized AI agents directly into their workflows. Unlike traditional analytics dashboards, Intelo.ai’s Collaborative Intelligence system learns from human context and automates complex operational processes — from forecasting and
- [JetStream](https://illuminate.com/projects/jetstream/) - JetStream Software develops cloud-native software to enable cloud service providers to have the ability to deliver disaster recovery and mobility services. JetStream solutions are all-software, hypervisor-integrated designed to empower infrastructure spanning multiple data centers and cloud services. Interested in career opportunities at JetStream? Learn more here.
- [PBN](https://illuminate.com/projects/pbn/) - PBN – Acquired (NASDAQ: TLEO – ORCL)
- [Provarity](https://illuminate.com/projects/provarity/) - Provarity is the first intuitive presales platform built on an AI native architecture, revolutionizing how technical evaluations are analyzed and automated.
- [Pyze](https://illuminate.com/projects/pyze/) - Pyze is the leading Digital Transformation analytics platform for Enterprise Applications to maximize process efficiency and productivity of modernization initiatives through low-code process mining and productivity analytics. Pyze is a pioneering developer of Process Intelligence solutions, dedicated to helping businesses navigate their digital transformation journeys through insightful, data-driven decision-making frameworks. By offering deep visibility into
- [BrightEdge](https://illuminate.com/projects/brightedge/) - BrightEdge is the leading enterprise SEO platform and the trusted partner of the largest and most recognizable brands in the world. BrightEdge helps marketers rise above the increasing clutter of the web and drive organic revenue from search engines across the globe in a measurable, predictable way. BrightEdge exited via management buyout in 2024.
- [mpathic](https://illuminate.com/projects/mpathic/) - mpathic AI builders train, evaluate, and calibrate models for nuanced human behavior and high-risk environments, so they perform safely in the real world.
- [Tazi](https://illuminate.com/projects/tazi/) - At TAZI.AI, we believe in ML for All. Our vision is a world in which every human uses ML as a means to make better choices. Shaped by real-life experience with our customers, TAZI's SaaS solutions keep business experts in the driver's seat while empowering data science teams. Our 60+ years of experience in Machine
- [PEX](https://illuminate.com/projects/pex/) - PEX provides video content creators and marketers the ability to identify use of their content across any public sharing platform. The powerful technology recognizes content independent of meta data, editing, or length. Acquired by Vobile in 2025.
- [Xactly](https://illuminate.com/projects/xactly/) - Xactly Corporation is the market leader in on-demand sales performance management. The company’s flagship product, Xactly Incent, enables sales and finance executives to design, implement, manage, audit and optimize sales compensation management programs easily and affordably. Xactly helps companies improve operational performance, optimize sales effectiveness, proactively manage risk and compliance, and maximize profits. The Xactly
- [Brevity](https://illuminate.com/projects/brevity/) - Brevity is an AI-driven role playing platform that helps everyone master conversational skills.
- [WildPockets](https://illuminate.com/projects/wildpockets/) - Wild Pockets is bringing 3D to your web browser. Game developers and designers can sign up on the Wild Pockets website and instantly begin developing interactive 3D content, such as games, simulations and interactive ads. Content developed in Wild Pockets can be embedded and distributed instantly on any website anywhere online, similar to a YouTube
- [Vivant](https://illuminate.com/projects/vivant/) - Vivant Corporation – Acquired (NASDAQ: EVLV – ORCL)
- [Sense](https://illuminate.com/projects/sense-2/) - Sense Platform is building the right way for teams and enterprise to do data science — a radically better data science platform that supports the most powerful tools available and is delivered at a fraction of the cost of traditional solutions. Acquired 3/2016 by Cloudera
- [Red Aril](https://illuminate.com/projects/red-aril-2/) - Red Aril delivers a Data Management and Audience Optimization Platform (DMP) that puts websites and advertisers in charge of their audience data, enabling them to profit from audience targeting and site personalization. Red Aril’s DMP helps its customers reach quality target audiences by using predictive modeling that integrates all data — any source, any type. Utilizing these models,
- [Opsmatic](https://illuminate.com/projects/opsmatic-2/) - Opsmatic builds tools to free ops teams from time-consuming mundane tasks so they can play a more strategic role, proactively improving performance, deployments, and reducing downtime. Product is currently in Beta. Acquired 10/2015 by New Relic (NEWR)
- [Joinder](https://illuminate.com/projects/joinder/) - Joinder provides a cloud collaboration solution for legal departments. Joinder’s product centralizes work and work product in a single system consisting of workrooms for each matter and a file system to organize completed work and records and associated workflows. Acquired by BrightFlag November, 2021
- [Influitive](https://illuminate.com/projects/influitive-2/) - Influitive helps considered-purchase companies (B2B, high price B2C) generate qualified leads and shorten buying processes. The Influitive AdvocateHub massively increases the amount of customer advocacy that is so critical to accelerating today’s social buying processes – more referral leads, more reference calls, social proof assets and social media interaction. The defining characteristic of the product
- [Hoopla](https://illuminate.com/projects/hoopla-2/) - Hoopla.net helps organizations worldwide improve performance by steering the actions and behaviors of employees through visualization and game mechanics. Tightly integrated into 3rd party data systems such as Salesforce.com, companies can create stats, goals, actions, and competitions and display a variety of performance information on large screen animated displays and through a web browser. Acquired by Raydiant March, 2021
- [Digital Fuel](https://illuminate.com/projects/digital-fuel/) - Digital Fuel – Acquired (NYSE: VMW)
- [Jacobi](https://illuminate.com/projects/jacobi/) - Jacobi is a next-generation intelligence platform for investment managers. Their risk and portfolio-construction tools enable practitioners to work and communicate through intuitive storyboards. Built with a multi-asset focus Jacobi's platform facilitates the transfer of manager insights, generating better investment ideas and deeper levels of engagement between an investment manager and client.
- [Continual](https://illuminate.com/projects/continual-iq/) - Continual AI is a commercial AI platform designed for building, deploying, and managing AI copilots for business applications. The platform enables organizations to automate tasks, enhance human capabilities, and drive continuous improvement by creating AI agents that work alongside employees.
- [IP Author](https://illuminate.com/projects/ip-author/) - IP Author is a generative AI platform transforming how companies and law firms create, manage, and protect intellectual property. Purpose-built for corporate patent teams and IP professionals, IP Author automates the most time-intensive parts of the patent lifecycle — from invention disclosure and prior art search to drafting, classification, and prosecution. Using proprietary large language
- [Birdie](https://illuminate.com/projects/birdie/) - Birdie helps companies achieve indisputable product leadership and drive sustainable business growth by using cutting-edge AI to analyze millions of consumer and competitive data points, generating actionable insights and business recommendations.
- [Bedrock](https://illuminate.com/projects/bedrock-2/) - Bedrock Analytics is a sales analytics and visualization platform for consumer products manufacturers and retailers. Bedrock’s cloud software simplifies the process of extracting actionable insights from existing retail sales data by combining proven CPG analyses with next generation visualization software. Interested in career opportunities at Bedrock? Learn more here.
- [Arkestro](https://illuminate.com/projects/bid-ops/) - Arkestro is the leading Predictive Procurement Orchestration platform. Built to amplify the impact of procurement’s influence, Arkestro helps enterprises deliver a 2-5x lift on cost savings attributed to everyday purchasing and sourcing cycles. Top enterprises leverage Arkestro’s behavioral science, game theory and machine learning to predict and win faster value across every category of addressable
- [Labra](https://illuminate.com/projects/labra/) - Labra, the hybrid-cloud commerce marketplace platform is reshaping B2B Cloud GTM, infusing automation, clarity, and intelligence to simplify transactions for cloud-native software stakeholders — from buyers and sellers to partners.

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://illuminate.com/category/uncategorized/)
- [Whitepaper](https://illuminate.com/category/whitepaper/)
- [Portfolio](https://illuminate.com/category/portfolio/)
- [Exited](https://illuminate.com/category/portfolio/exited/)
- [Current](https://illuminate.com/category/portfolio/current/)

## Tags

- [Venture Capital](https://illuminate.com/tag/venture-capital/)
- [Enterprise Software](https://illuminate.com/tag/enterprise-software/)
- [Enterprise Mobile](https://illuminate.com/tag/enterprise-mobile/)
- [SaaS](https://illuminate.com/tag/saas/)
- [Early Stage](https://illuminate.com/tag/early-stage/)
- [VC](https://illuminate.com/tag/vc/)
- [Entrepreneur](https://illuminate.com/tag/entrepreneur/)
- [Venture](https://illuminate.com/tag/venture/)
- [Startup](https://illuminate.com/tag/startup/)
- [Illuminate Ventures](https://illuminate.com/tag/illuminate-ventures/)