Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Alzheon.
Neurodegenerative diseases are disorders that result in the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, negatively impacting cognitive and physical abilities.
As per the National Institute of Neurological Disorders, around 50 million Americans are affected by over 600 neurologic disorders. And over 6 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s.
Drug discovery and development for neurodegenerative disorders is a complex process involving multi-stakeholders. Alzheon is an industry-leading clinical-stage biotechnology company involved in developing medicines for neurodegenerative diseases.
This article will tell you everything about Alzheon, from its startup story, founder, and products to funding, growth, investors, and plan.
Alzheon is a private clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a Phase 3 program in Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, it is committed to developing innovative medicines by directly addressing the underlying pathology of neurodegenerative disorders.
The company leverages its expertise in inhibiting protein misfolding and aggregation to develop these disease-modifying treatments.
Alzheon – Industry
In 2021, the global biotechnology market size was estimated to be USD 1,023.92 billion and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 13.9% from 2023 to 2030. The industry is driven by robust government support via initiatives to modernize regulatory framework, improvements in approval processes & reimbursement policies, and standardized clinical studies.
The Covid-19 pandemic positively impacted the global market by presenting increased opportunities and advancements for drug clinical research, development, and manufacturing of vaccines for diseases.
In addition to Alzheon, several other companies are involved in clinical research and developing drugs for neurodegenerative diseases. Biogen, Cleveland Clinic, Aquinnah, Genentech, Lilly, etc., are some companies supporting and conducting clinical trials for developing medicines to treat neurodegenerative diseases.
Alzheon – Founders and Team
Martin Tolar is the founder of Alzheon. He completed his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and his Residency in Neurology from Boston Medical Center. Moreover, he graduated from the University of Michigan-Stephen M. Ross in Executive Management in 2006.
He has been an active Scientific Board member and Business Advisory Board & Scientific Review Board member at The Alzheimer Foundation and Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, respectively.
Presently, he is the president and CEO of Alzheon, Inc. In addition, Martin is the Founder and Chairman of the Executive Board of the International Neurodegenerative Disorders Research Center (INDRC).
Martin Tolar – Founder, President, and CEO of Alzheon
Alzheon is a team of over 20 experienced neuroscientists, pharmacologists, drug developers, clinicians, and business leaders.
Alzheon – Startup Story
A veteran of Alzheimer’s drug programs, Martin Tolar, is the founder of Alzheon. He founded the company in July 2013. It was in April 2015 that the company completed its $10 million Series A round and used the funds to commence the Phase 1b bridging clinical program for ALZ-801. This clinical program was completed in July 2016, and in 2017, ALZ-801 received a Fast Track designation for the FDA.
The company appointed former IV AX President Neil Flanzraich, JD, as the Board of Directors Vice Chairman in August 2018. Moreover, in August 2020, the US National Institute on Aging, a part of the National Institutes of Health, awarded a $47 million grant to Alzheon over five years. This grant was given to support the Phase 3 clinical trial of ALZ-801 that started in May 2021.
Alzheon – Mission and Vision
Alcheon strives to bring transformational therapies to patients with Alzheimer’s and other devastating neurodegenerative disorders.
Alzheon – Business Model
At Alzheon, the team uses its scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to apply a precision medicine approach to individual genetic and biological information so that the company can advance in the challenging field of therapeutics for Alzheimer’s and many other neurological disorders.
Alzheon – Products and Services
ALZ-801- Alzheon’s lead investigational product- is in Phase 3 for Alzheimer’s. It is an oral small-molecule prodrug of tramiprosate capable of entirely blocking the formation of neurotoxic soluble amyloid oligomers in the brain.
An easy-to-take tablet, ALZ-801, is evaluated on clinical trials constituting 2,000+ Alzheimer’s patients and, thus, builds on the safety and efficacy profile of its active compound tramiprosate.
Alzheon has undertaken 9 funding rounds in which it has raised a total amount of $138.2 million. Its latest funding round – Venture Round, was conducted on January 11, 2023, and raised $1.7 million. 3 investors fund the company, including National Institute on Aging and Ally Bridge Group.
FDA approval of debated Alzheimer’s drug is tremendous for society: Alzheon CEO
Alzheon – Growth
The estimated annual revenue of Alzheon in 2022 is $1.6 million per year ($73,182 per employee), with its current valuation standing at 1.3 billion. Moreover, the monthly web visits grew by 509.72%, with 18,505 visits. And its employee count increased by 22% last year.
Alzheon – Partners
Alzheon has entered into a collaboration and license agreement with IOCB (Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences) to develop the first Alzheimer’s diagnostic assay to measure neurotoxic beta-amyloid oligomers in the human brain.
Alzheon’s next-generation candidate is ALZ-1903- a new chemical entity that is a more potent inhibitor of amyloid misfolding.
FAQs
Who is the founder of Alzheon?
Martin Tolar founded Alzheon in 2013.
What is Alzheon and what does it do?
Alzheon is a private clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a Phase 3 program in Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, it is committed to developing innovative medicines by directly addressing the underlying pathology of neurodegenerative disorders.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by the organization it is based on.
The modern economy runs on technologically advanced semiconductors that are the brains of millions of devices, from space vehicles to computers, smartphones, video games, and appliances.
The semiconductor industry’s global market size was $527.88 billion in 2021 and is estimated to grow to $1,380.79 billion in 2029, with a CAGR of 12.2%. As semiconductor applications proliferate, semiconductor manufacturing units continue to prosper.
Semiconductor market size worldwide from 2002 to 2022
Several companies worldwide compete to produce smaller, cheaper, and faster chips to manufacture powerful and affordable technology products. AMD is one of the world’s most impressive semiconductor companies offering people technologically advanced and innovative computing and gaming products.
Read further to uncover everything about AMD- its startup story, founders, funding, investments, products, challenges faced, acquisitions, and more.
AMD – Company Highlights
Company Name
AMD
Headquarters
Santa Clara, California, United States
Sector
Semiconductor
Founders
Jerry Sanders, Edwin Turney, Jack Gifford, John Carey, Sven Simonsen, Frank Botte, Ray Davis, Jim Giles
Advanced Micro Devices, popularly recognized as AMD, is an American multinational semiconductor company. For over 50 years, it has driven innovation in high-performance and adaptive computing, graphics, video gaming, and visualization technologies for businesses and consumer markets.
AMD serves worldwide with its offices in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America, South & Central America, and Asia Pacific. This public-based company services millions of people, leading Fortune 500 businesses, and cutting-edge scientific research institutions worldwide, improving how they live, work, and play.
AMD – Founders and Team
Jerry Sanders and seven other technology experts founded AMD. Walter Jeremiah (Jerry) Sanders III, an American businessman and engineer attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and graduated with a Bachelor of Science.
Before co-founding AMD, he worked for the Douglas Aircraft Company, Motorola, and Fairchild Semiconductor.
Jerry Sanders – Co-founder, AMD
The co-founders who contributed to the company’s establishment are:
Edwin Turney
Jack Gifford
John Carey
Frank Botte
Ray Davis
Jim Giles
Sven Simonsen
AMD operates under the guidance of Lissa Su (President, Chair & CEO) and Mark Papermaster (CTO). Currently, its employee strength is over 25,000.
AMD – Startup Story
When working as director of marketing at Fairchild, Jerry Sanders grew frustrated with the increasing lack of support, flexibility, and opportunity with the organization and later left it to commence his own semiconductor company. He and his seven colleagues from Fairchild incorporated AMD on May 1, 1969.
In 1970, AMD released its first product and went public after two years. The company started producing computer chips in the mid-1970s. It began supplying second-source chips for Intel Corporation in 1982, and the agreement ended in 1986. In 1991, the company launched the Am386 microprocessor family and introduced the Athlon processor in 2000.
In 2008, AMD announced its plan to split the organization into – microprocessor designing unit and a manufacturing unit. The company further restructured into two parts – computing and graphics in 2014. AMD was established as the first major hardware manufacturer to join the Blockchain Game Alliance in December 2019.
AMD aims to build great products to accelerate next-generation computing experiences. Moreover, the company’s vision statement is, ‘High-performance and adaptive computing is transforming our lives.‘
AMD – Business Model
AMD is involved in designing and producing computer processors, graphic processors, and other computer-related components. Moreover, the company reports under four business segments, i.e., Data Center, Gaming, Client, and Embedded.
AMD – Products and Services
AMD has diverse product offerings, including central processing units, graphics processing units, chipsets, microprocessors, systems-on-chip (SoCs), motherboard chipsets, network interface controllers, embedded processors, solid-state drivers, drivers, and TV accessories.
Moreover, the company offers Workloads, Deployments, Network, Infrastructure, and Storage solutions to Data Centers & Cloud. In addition, it provides Gaming, Technologies, and Systems support.
AMD – Challenged Faced
AMD and Intel have been involved in multiple legal battles over the three and a half decades of the license agreement. Moreover, at the beginning of 2010, the company’s overall financial position was tenuous, impacted by the 2008-09 recession.
Even it laid off 1100 jobs worldwide at the end of 2009. In October 2012, the company announced an additional layoff round that represented 15% of its workforce in the face of declining revenues.
AMD – Funding and Investments
AMD has undertaken 1 funding round, i.e., Post-IP Equity Round, on March 2, 2023, and Daniel Loeb funded it. Moreover, it has made the following 7 investments:
AMD’s intellectual property includes 5,215 registered patents, primarily categorized into the ‘Computing; Calculating’ class. Moreover, the company is registered with 121 trademarks, and ‘Scientific and Electric Apparatus and Instruments’ is the most popular class.
AMD – Growth
AMD’s estimated annual revenue in 2022 is $14.8 billion ($591,799 per employee). In January 2022, its valuation stood at $165.3 billion. Moreover, the employee count elevated by 23% last year, and monthly website visits grew by 7.36%, with 28,935,594 visits.
How Chip Giant AMD Finally Caught Intel
AMD – Partners
AMD has 37 partners, of which 22 are technology partners, and 15 are channel partners. Some of them are:
Adobe
ASRock
ASUS
Biostar
Gigabyte
MSI
PowerColor
Sapphire
Vastarmor
XFX
Yeston
AMD – Awards and Achievements
AMD has won multiple prestigious awards:
‘CPU of the Year award in 2018 for AMD Ryzen 7 2700X by Trusted Reviews Awards
‘Value CPU of the Year award in 2018 for AMD Ryzen 5 2600 by Trusted Reviews Awards
‘Company of the Year award at PCR Awards 2018 in London
‘Brand of the Year award in 2018 by Trusted Reviews Awards
In 2023, AMD expects to take on 5 different SOCs. It will combine all-new design winds and refreshed 2022 systems based on what the laptop builder is looking for. Moreover, the company plans to release Zen 5-based CPUs in 2024.
FAQs
What does AMD stand for?
AMD stands for Advanced Micro Devices.
What is AMD and what does it do?
AMD is an American multinational semiconductor company. For over 50 years, it has driven innovation in high-performance and adaptive computing, graphics, video gaming, and visualization technologies for businesses and consumer markets.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Amdocs.
With a technologically advanced and competitive corporate sector, almost every company looks forward to transforming its business communication and IT structure. Cloud-migrated, digitized, and automated companies leveraging innovative technologies tend to have better operational efficiency and productivity.
Enterprises can find several platforms to access innovative solutions, including 5G, communication tools, digitization, cloud migration, and automation solutions. One such platform is Amdocs. It is a software and services provider that enables customers’ digital and network transformation via innovative solutions, expertise, and intelligent operations.
Let’s dig in for more details about Amdocs, from its founders, mission, and startup story to investments, products, competitors, and more.
Amdocs is a multinational corporation specializing in innovative software and services for media, communication, financial service providers, and digital enterprises. The company unlocks customers’ innovative potential and empowers them to transform their boldest ideas into reality by accelerating their migration to the cloud, digitalizing and automating their operations, differentiating in the 5G era, and providing end users with the next-generation communication and media experiences.
Amdocs has a global presence with 53 offices located in the United States, Israel, India, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and other areas. It serves billions of consumers worldwide through its relationships with 600+ content creators and 350+ communications & media providers across 85+ countries.
Amdocs – Founders and Team
Avinoam Naor, Boaz Dotan, and Morris Kahn are the founders of Amdocs.
Avinoam Naor
Avinoam Naor earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at Technion. He was one of the Amdocs founders and was its President and CEO from 1995 to 2002.
Avinoam Naor – Co-founder, Amdocs
Boaz Dotan
Boaz Dotan graduated from Tel Aviv University. He is the co-founder of Amdocs, and in 1982, he was appointed the company’s first President and CEO. Currently, he is a board member at Retalix Ltd and a partner at AfterDox.
Boaz Dotan – Co-founder, Amdocs
Morris Kahn
Morris Kahn is an Israeli entrepreneur. In addition to Amdocs, he founded Golden Pages Israel, the Aurec Group, Coral World, and a few more companies.
Morris Kahn – Co-founder, Amdocs
Shuky Sheffer is the CEO, and Tamar Rapaport-Dagin is the CFO & COO of Amdocs. Presently, it works with a global team of over 31,000 employees.
Amdocs – Startup Story
In 1982, Amdocs was founded in Israel as an offshoot of Golden Pages- the phone directory company owned by the Aurec Group, which Morris Kahn headed. Boaz Dotan was appointed as the company’s first President and CEO. Morris, along with others at Golden Pages, developed a billing software program for phone directory companies. He and Boaz incorporated Aurec Information & Directory Systems for marketing the product.
50 percent ownership of Aurec Information & Directory Systems was acquired by Southwestern Bell Corporation in 1985, and its name was changed to Amdocs. Within two years, the Aurec Group sold Amdocs’ remaining holdings for approximately $1 billion.
Amdocs diversify for the first time between 1990 and 1995 by expanding first into the wireline telephony arena and then the mobile space. In June 1988, it went public on the New York Stock Exchange and moved to the NASDAQ Global Select Market in 2014.
In 1999, Amdocs entered the managed services space and entered many different markets by acquiring multiple companies.
Amdocs – Mission and Vision
Amdocs aims to enrich lives and progress society with creativity and technology.
Amdocs – Business Model
5G, Automation, B2B Portfolio, Cloud, Digital, Media, and Financial Services form Amdocs’s core business, which has been expanded through several acquisitions and partnerships. The company’s technology, design-led approach, and expertise help service providers accelerate their journey to the cloud, deploy and manage existing and next-generation networks, improve their entertainment offerings, and service customers across multiple channels.
Moreover, Amdocs sometimes engages third-party vendors and system integrators to provide complimentary products and services, including hardware and software.
Amdocs provides multiple products and services, and these are:
Amdocs Customer Experience Suite
Amdocs Digital Brands Suite
Catalog Management
Amdocs Subscription Marketplace
Commerce & Care
IoT
Monetization
Amdocs Network
Network & Service Automation
Network Deployment & Optimization
OTT & Digital Subscription
Amdocs Microservices Management Platform
Amdocs Consulting Services
Amdocs Low-Code Experience Platform
AmdocsContent Mangement Services
Amdocs Operations Services
Amdocs Delivery Services
Amdocs Mobile Network Services
Amdocs Systems Integration Services
Amdocs Quality Engineering Services
Amdocs – Challenged Faced
In early 2000, a counterintelligence investigation was conducted by federal agencies to determine whether Israel was using Amdocs to eavesdrop on U.S. government communications. But no evidence was found in the inquiry.
Moreover, as per Spy Cables, in 2009, the South African State Security Agency suspected Amdocs of being used by Mossad to spy on South African citizens by tapping their mobile phones to collect information.
Amdocs – Funding and Investments
Amdocs has undertaken 1 funding round, i.e., Post-IP Equity Round, on January 1, 2023. Moreover, the company has made the following 10 investments:
Amdocs created a subsidiary named ‘Vector Creations Limited’ in 2016.
You’re touched by Amdocs when…
Amdocs – Patents and Trademarks
Amdocs’ intellectual property includes 3 registered patents, primarily categorized into the ‘Computing; Calculating’ class.
Amdocs – Growth
Amdocs’ estimated annual revenue in 2022 is $4.3 billion ($101,736 per employee). In January 2022, its valuation stood at $9.4 billion. Moreover, the monthly website visit grew by -4.8%, with 548,432 visits.
Amdocs – Partners
Amdocs has 175 partners, of which 159 are technology partners, and 16 are channel partners. Some of them are:
Hewlett Packard
Amazon Web Service
Google Cloud
Microsoft Azure
Creatio
Amdocs eSIM
CommBox
Perx
PayFast
TechSee
Continual
vHive
NCTC
Zixi
Amdocs – Awards and Achievements
Amdocs received many prestigious awards:
TWO Coveted Leading Lights 2021 awards for Outstanding Digital Enablement Vendor and Innovative Hybrid Networking Strategy.
Amdocs + Airtel won TM Forum’s Excellence Award in the ‘Customer Experience and Trust’ category.
The Carbon Disclosure Project recognized Amdocs as a sustainable leader.
Amdocs Media’s MarketONE platform won Media Excellent Award in the ‘Payment/Crypto/Commerce category.’
Amdocs is a multinational corporation specializing in innovative software and services for media, communication, financial service providers, and digital enterprises.
Who are the founders of Amdocs?
Avinoam Naor, Boaz Dotan, and Morris Kahn founded Amdocs in 1982.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Alto Pharmacy.
As the world advances in the digital era, more and more people are turning to the internet for healthcare information and services. Online pharmacies are one such sector that has gained more traction throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
It has been stated that around 50% of people fail to take prescribed medications, leading to hospitalization and death. However, with digital pharmacy platforms, individuals can order their prescriptions online and deliver them to their doorsteps.
Alto Pharmacy is one such digital pharmacy platform born out of convenience and affordability. This article will shed light on vital details of Alto Pharmacy, including its startup story, founders, funding, services, and more.
Alto Pharmacy is the United States leading digital pharmacy. Its business model is centered on pharmacists’ crucial role as the final link in the individual’s health journey. The company combines expert pharmacist care with purpose-built technology to deliver an economical and convenient experience for people needing medication.
Alto Pharmacy has its presence in twelve markets, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, Las Vegas, Seattle, New York, Houston, Dallas, Austin, Sacramento, and Santa Barbara.
The company has fulfilled over three million prescriptions and built a mobile app experience making it easier to manage medications. It has achieved a 70% Patient Adherence rate and enabled $53 million in drug savings, with over 41% of patients benefiting from prescription savings.
Mattieu Gamache-Asselin and Jamie Karraker are the co-founders of Alto Pharmacy.
Mattieu Gamache-Asselin
Mattieu Gamache-Asselin graduated from the University of Ottawa with BASc in Software Engineering + Biomedical. Before co-founding Alto Pharmacy, he worked as Software Engineer at Adobe Systems and Engineering @ Parse at Facebook.
Jamie Karraker completed the Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked as a Researcher at MIT Computer Science and Artificial Laboratory (CSAIL) and Software Engineer at Facebook.
In 2015, he co-founded Alto Pharmacy and currently working as its Co-CEO.
Jamie Karraker – Co-founder and Co-CEO, Alto Pharmacy
Alicia Boler Davis is the CEO of Alto Pharmacy, a company with a team of over 900 expert engineers, pharmacists, and care specialists.
Alto Pharmacy – Startup Story
Mattieu Gamache-Asselin and Jamie Karraker were drawn to healthcare and shocked to uncover that 50% of people in the U.S. don’t get or take their medications as prescribed due to high costs and friction in the pharmacy experience. Moreover, they realized how inefficient and inhumane the pharmacy system was.
Therefore, they both ran some Facebooks ads, offering simple services to pick up people’s prescriptions and deliver them to their doorstep. In the first week, Mattieu and Jamie succeeded in delivering medications to happy and paying customers.
Before setting up Alto Pharmacy, the co-founders realized they needed to learn from the best, and thus, they spent months learning from a family-run pharmacy in Mission District, San Francisco. There they realized that people expect pharmacists to know them- their budgets, preferences, and routines.
Mattieu and Jamie raised enough capital to purchase AG Pharmacy in 2015 by partnering with Vivian and her team. They quickly built their team and brought together expertise across technology and healthcare. In the first year, AG Pharmacy built the core pieces of its technology stack- a pharmacy operating system, a physician collaboration tool, and an app for Alto patients.
Alto Pharmacy – Mission and Vision
Alto Pharmacy aims to fulfill medicine’s true purpose, i.e., to improve the quality of life for each person who needs it.
Alto Pharmacy – Business Model
A user creates an account on the Alto mobile app to transfer his existing prescription or can ask his doctor to send a new prescription to the platform. The company’s team finds customers the best price by combing through its database of coupons, copay cards, and other saving options. Moreover, it handles customers’ insurance paperwork to identify ways to save them money.
Users can see the savings and delivery options, and once ordered, the prescription is delivered by hand on the chosen day and time without any delivery fee. In addition, Alto Pharmacy’s team ensures their customers never miss or run out of medication by reaching out to schedule the delivery. Customers can use the Alto app to set reminders to take their medicines and chat with a pharmacist.
CEOs struggle with the suddenness of this change: Alto Pharmacy CEO
Alto Pharmacy – Products and Services
The Alto app specializes in delivering HIV, Hepatitis C and Infectious Diseases, Asthma and COPD, Rheumatology, Cardiology, Multiple Sclerosis, Gastroenterology, Covid-19 antivirals, and other medications.
Moreover, it launched the Auto Connect app for prescribers and clinical staff for seamless on-the-go prescription management and pharmacy communication.
Alto Pharmacy – Funding and Investors
Alto Pharmacy raised a total amount of $560 million in 7 funding rounds. Its latest funding round – Series E Round, was conducted on January 27, 2022, and raised $200 million. 58 investors fund the company, the most recent being What If Ventures, Sand Hill Angels, SoftBank Vision Fund, Zola Global Investors, and Greenoaks.
Alto Pharmacy is registered with 1 trademark, categorized into the ‘Scientific and Electronic Apparatus and Instruments‘ class.
Alto Pharmacy – Growth
The estimated annual revenue of Alto Pharmacy in 2022 is $189 million per year ($210,221 per employee), with its current valuation standing at $1 billion. Moreover, the monthly web visits grew by 0.88%, with 317,938 visits. And its employee count increased by -9% last year.
Alto Pharmacy is recognized as a customer-obsessed, industry-leading digital pharmacy with an NPS score of 86. Some of its most recent recognition and accolades are:
Alto Pharmacy is a digital pharmacy platform that combines expert pharmacist care with purpose-built technology to deliver an economical and convenient experience for people needing medication.
Who founded Alto Pharmacy?
Mattieu Gamache-Asselin and Jamie Karraker are the co-founders of Alto Pharmacy.
The oil and gas industry is a critical sector that plays a pivotal role in the global economy. It encompasses a wide range of activities, from the exploration and extraction of crude oil and natural gas to the refining and marketing of petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and more. The industry is complex and highly competitive, with companies operating at various stages of the value chain, from upstream exploration and production to downstream refining and marketing.
One prominent company in this industry is Valero Energy Corporation. Established in 1980, Valero has grown to become one of the largest independent petroleum refining and marketing companies in the United States.
In this article, we will delve into Valero’s story, business, and revenue model, and more to gain insights into its success in the dynamic energy sector.
Valero Energy Corporation is a prominent American multinational corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. The company owns and operates 15 petroleum refineries located in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, which collectively produces approximately 3.2 million barrels (500,000 m3) of gasoline per day. Valero also operates 12 ethanol plants in the U.S. Midwest, with a combined ethanol production capacity of approximately 1.6 billion gallons (6 billion liters). As one of the largest independent refiners and marketers of petroleum products in the world, Valero holds a significant market presence.
Valero Energy Corporation is a renowned player in the oil and gas industry, with a diverse portfolio of refining, ethanol production, and marketing operations. The company continues to make necessary improvements and innovations in line with the dynamic energy landscape to maintain its position as a leading player in the industry.
What Does Valero Do to Continually Fuel Modern Life and Make a Better Future Possible?
Valero Energy – Industry
The oil and gas industry is one of the largest sectors in the world and plays a key role in international economics, politics, and employment levels. The dollar value of jobs created by this sector is very high, and it provides both direct and indirect employment opportunities.
This industry has been a major contributor to economic growth throughout the world for many years, providing stability to global markets and increasing overall wealth. In the United States, crude oil is a major contributor to economic growth. Oil supply provides a stable energy market for countries around the world, while natural gas fuels many industries.
The global oil and gas market increased at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.9% from $6,989.65 billion in 2022 to $7,330.80 billion in 2023.
William Greehey is the founder of Valero Energy Corporation.
William Greehey
William E. Greehey – Founder, Valero Energy Corporation
William Eugene “Bill” Greehey is an American businessman who founded the Valero Energy Corporation. He also founded NuStar Energy. Greehey, after his graduation, worked as a CPA for Price Waterhouse and became an Auditor for Exxon. In 1963, he joined Coastal State Corporation and worked as a senior vice president. In 1973, he was the president and CEO of Coastal Corporation’s subsidiary, LoVaca Gathering Company, which became Valero Energy Corporation on December 31, 1979. He was the founding CEO and Chairman of the Valero Energy Corporation and Group and held those posts until January 2006 and January 2007, respectively.
The team of Valero Energy includes:
Joe Gorder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Lane Riggs, President and Chief Operating Officer
Jason Fraser, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Gary Simmons, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer
Julia Rendon Reinhart, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
Mark Schmeltekopf, Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer
Cheryl Thomas, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
Valero Energy – Startup Story
Valero Energy Corporation was established on January 1 as the corporate successor of Lo-Vaca Gathering Company, a natural gas pipeline subsidiary of Houston-based Coastal Corporation. Greehey, who had prior experience in the oil and gas industry, became the founding CEO of Valero. Initially headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, Valero has grown over the years to become a multinational corporation with a diverse portfolio of refining, ethanol production, and marketing operations. Valero’s growth and success over the years have established it as a prominent player in the oil and gas industry.
Under Greehey’s leadership, Valero experienced remarkable growth and emerged as one of the world’s best-performing energy companies.
Valero Energy – Mission and Vision
The vision of Valero Energy meets the innovation and unmatched execution of its responsibility to meet the demands of a growing world.
The vision statement goes as follows: “The world needs reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy. We are advancing the future of energy through innovation, ingenuity, and unmatched execution.”
Valero Energy Corporation’s success is driven by its core cultural values of Safety, Accountability, Teamwork, and Excellence. The company maintains the highest standards of safety, responsible operations, integrity, and environmental care. Valero’s commitment to doing the right thing and caring for its employees, communities, and stakeholders has been instrumental in its achievements in the oil and gas industry.
Valero Energy – Name, Tagline, and Logo
Valero Energy Corporation Logo
Valero Energy Corporation was founded in 1980 as the corporate successor of LoVaca Company. It was named for the mission of San Antonio de Valero. It is the original name of the Alamo-Valero Energy Corporation. Valero binds through its guiding principles of reliable, affordable, and sustainable fuels.
The current Valero logo contains yellow and blue colors. The color choices of the company for the logo depict the new beginnings and abundance that the company stands for.
Valero Energy – Business Model
The business model of Valero keeps the company successful all the time. Being a Fortune 500 international manufacturer Valero Energy is the main marketer of transportation fuels and power.
Its business model revolves around being a leading manufacturer and marketer of transportation fuels, petrochemical products, and power. The company operates a diverse portfolio of refining, ethanol production, and marketing operations globally. Valero focuses on producing and selling high-quality products to meet the energy needs of consumers and businesses worldwide.
Valero Energy – Revenue Model
Valero’s revenue model is primarily generated through the sale of transportation fuels, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and other refined products, to customers in various markets. Additionally, the company generates revenue from the sale of petrochemical products and power.
Valero follows disciplined capital management practices and strives to achieve operational excellence and cost efficiency across its operations. The company aims to deliver value to its shareholders through cash returns, including dividends and share repurchases, while also reinvesting in growth opportunities and maintaining a strong balance sheet. It also has a proven history of profitability and higher income-generating projects. The annual revenue for the year 2022 was $176,383 million.
Valero Energy – Employees
The company benefits its employees in various ways and plays at the top of its game. The company considers its employees to be its greatest assets. The real-world benefits of Valero include financial wellness education workshops, tuition reimbursement, a Valero scholarship program for the children of the employees, a family gift program, adoption assistance, and a VAL-U employee suggestion program.
Valero Energy – Acquisitions
In 1981, Valero executed lease agreements for two other refineries: St. Charles Refinery near New Orleans, LA, and Wilmington Refinery in Los Angeles County, CA. The company then set about constructing pipelines and terminals to transport refined products from these refineries to customers around the country. In 1998, Valero purchased a refinery from Union Texas Petroleum at Corpus Christi (TX), which was renamed Valero’s Corpus Christi Refinery; and in 2005 acquired a refinery from Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corporation at Memphis (TN), which was renamed Valero’s Memphis Refinery. The company also purchased ownership interests in Huntway Refining Company at Benicia (CA) and San Francisco (CA), which were eventually merged into Valero’s Benicia-Martinez refinery; as well as a refinery near Aruba that was closed down by its previous owner ConocoPhillips Co., later re-opened by Valero as its Aruba Refining facility.
Valero Energy – Awards and Achievements
Valero Energy has been recognized as the World’s top refining and marketing company. It has received the honor of OSHA’s highest plant safety designation for its nine refineries and three asphalt terminals. Valero has won the “Award of Excellence – Downstream” from S&P Global Patts Global. The award is for its contribution and commitment to advancing the energy industry through investments to create a sustainable future.
Valero Energy – Competitors
The competition is high in the field of oil and gas. The main competitors of Valero Energy include Phillips 66, Marathon Petroleum, Chevron Corporation, BP p.l.c., Shell plc, Eni, ConocoPhillips, and more.
William Greehey is the founder of Valero Energy Corporation.
When was Valero Energy founded?
Valero Energy was founded in 1980.
Which industry does Valero Energy operate in?
Valero Energy Corporation is a renowned player in the oil and gas industry with a diverse portfolio of refining, ethanol production, and marketing operations.
Who are the top competitors of Valero Energy?
The main competitors of Valero Energy include Phillips 66, Marathon Petroleum, Chevron Corporation, BP p.l.c., Shell plc, Eni, ConocoPhillips, and more.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by AlphaSense.
The term ‘big data’ has become a buzzword in recent times. Businesses can confidently make informed decisions by leveraging the wealth of digital insights and embracing the power of business intelligence.
Improved performance, commercial growth, evolution, and a healthier bottom line depend on data-driven smart business decisions. According to Mckinsey Global Institute’s survey, data-driven organizations are 23 times more likely to get and retain customers.
But the question here is how to search through the extensive volume of data and access quick insights. It’s when AphaSense comes in handy. It is an AI-driven search engine that helps companies extract valuable insights from the enormous volume of data to make informed business decisions.
Let’s learn more about AlphaSense- its startup story, mission, founders, funding, investors, partners, plans, and more.
AlphaSense is a market intelligence and search platform that leverages machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP) technology and is used by leading companies and financial institutions.
Founded in 2011, the AI-based technology enables clients to make smarter business decisions by delivering insights from the extensive volume of public and private content, including news, equity research, transcripts, and trade journals.
Headquartered in New York City, AlphaSense has a presence in the U.S., Germany, the U.K., India, and Finland. The company delivers services to multiple industries, including Consulting, Consumer/CPG, Energy, Financial Services, Life Sciences, Tech, Media, and Telecom, by providing access to 10,000+ premium data sources.
AlphaSense – Founders and Team
Jack Kokko and Raj Neervannan co-founded AlphaSense.
Jack Kokko
Graduated from Helsingin Kauppakorkeakoulu in B.Sc. Finance and The Wharton School in MBA, Jack Kokko is the co-founder and CEO of AlphaSense. Previously, he was co-founder and CEO of Silecs, Inc and Founding Chairman of BetterDoctor.
Jack Kokko – Co-Founder and CEO, AlphaSense
Raj Neervannan
Completed an M.S. in Computer Science from Bowling Green State University and MBA from The Wharton School, Raj Neervannan is the co-founder and CTO of AlphaSense. Moreover, he previously worked as CTO at ePolicy Solutions, ChoicePoint, Inc, and MajescoMastek.
Raj Neervannan – Co-founder and CTO, AlphaSense
AphaSense employs more than 1,000 candidates across its offices in different countries.
AlphaSense – Startup Story
CEO and Founder, Jack Kokko, realized the inconvenience of manual research early on. He commenced his career as an investment banking analyst in Silicon Valley, and there he spent hours CTRL+Fing thousands of PDFs, a single keyword at a time to find a single insight.
After a few years, Jack met his co-founder and CTO, Raj Neervannan, at The Wharton School. They both were in disbelief that the research process and tools available had not advanced all these years. It’s in 2011, both Jack and Raj sought to solve this issue by launching AlphaSense- a new type of search engine driven by ML and NLP, enabling companies to cut through the noise and quickly extract insights from thousands of resources and billions of data points.
AlphaSense – Mission and Vision
The company aims to empower professionals to make smarter business decisions with confidence and speed.
AlphaSense – Business Model
With AlphaSense, companies run a search as they do on Google. But the results that come back are relevant information for their business use case. ThisAI-driven platform not only searches for users’ exact search terms but also for business or financial synonyms. So, users need not have to think about what words their executives use when discussing the concept they are searching for.
AlphaSense uses hundreds of algorithms to read every line of text and categorize information. So, it knows what organization or organizations are being discussed in a given document, what industry it’s operating in based on the language, and other factors that help users quickly narrow their search to a given industry and specific set of enterprises.
AlphaSense offers flexible subscriptions for accommodating team sizes, content needs, and more, ranging from pre-seat options to enterprise packages. ‘Pre-Seat Options’ are for small and medium-sized teams, and ‘Enterprise’ packages are for large teams and global companies.
AlphaSense – Products and Services
The solutions offered by AlphaSense are categorized into ‘Corporate’ and ‘Financial Services.’ It enables to track, monitor, and share insights related to the following:
Corporate – Competitive Intelligence, Investor Relations, Corporate Strategy, Corporate Development
AlphaSense has undertaken 10 funding rounds and raised $620.1 million. Its latest funding round – Series D Round, was conducted on April 11, 2023, and raised $100 million. 24 investors back the company; the main ones are Viking Global Investors, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, CapitalG, BlackRock, and GrowthX Accelerator.
Date
Round
Number of Investors
Money Raised
Lead Investor
April 11, 2023
Series D
3
$100 million
Capital G
June 15, 2022
Series D
2
$225 million
Viking Global Investors, Goldman Sachs Asset Management
June 15, 2022
Debt Financing
1
–
BlackRock
January 12, 2022
Non-Equity Assistance
1
–
GrowthX Accelerator
September 30, 2021
Series C
11
$180 million
Viking Global Investors, Goldman Sachs Asset Management
AlphaSense acquired 2 companies – Sentieo on May 11, 2022, and Stream by AlphaSense on October 25, 2021.
AlphaSense – Growth
The estimated annual revenue of AlphaSense in 2022 is $111.6 million per year, with its current valuation standing at 1.7 billion. Moreover, the monthly web visits grew by 65.27%, with 255,417 visits. Moreover, AphaSense’s customers grew to 3,500 in 2022 from 1,000 in 2019.
AlphaSense wants to focus more on its internal company search to help companies better organize and access their data.
FAQs
Who founded AlphaSense and when?
Jack Kokko and Raj Neervannan co-founded AlphaSense in 2011.
What does AlphaSense do?
AlphaSense is a market intelligence and search platform that leverages machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP) technology and is used by leading companies and financial institutions. It is an AI-driven search engine that helps companies extract valuable insights from the enormous volume of data to make informed business decisions.
Who are the main competitors of Alphasense?
Some of its main competitors are:
Wolfram Alpha
LexisNexis
Algolia
Elastic
CI Radar
M-Brain
TechnoMile
Wide Narrow
Comintelli
What is the pricing offered by AlphaSense?
AlphaSense offers flexible subscriptions for accommodating team sizes, content needs, and more, ranging from pre-seat options to enterprise packages. ‘Pre-Seat Options’ are for small and medium-sized teams, and ‘Enterprise’ packages are for large teams and global companies.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Alloy.
The financial sector, over the decades, has been considered to have secure and protected systems as it continuously deals with private information and handles large sums of money.
However, due to technological evolution, financial institutions conducting online operations and offering financial services are now always at risk of fraud attempts and attacks. The statistics backed up by Fortunly’s assessment show that the annual cost of cyberattacks in the banking industry is approximately $18.3 million.
It’s not about when the bank and fintech organizations will be attacked; it’s about whether or not it is prepared. Alloy is an API company that allows financial institutions to verify users’ identities while meeting their fraud-fighting needs.
Let’s read further to know more about Alloy. This article will tell you everything about the company, from its mission and funding to products, competitors, and startup story.
Founded in 2015, Alloy is a global identity verification API platform that helps fintech companies and banks automate their onboarding, transaction monitoring, and credit underwriting decisions.
Moreover, the company helps financial institutions worldwide to reduce friction between them and their customers by assessing them beyond their address and social security number.
Alloy offers services to more than 200 clients worldwide, including Marqeta, Ally Bank, HMBradley, Evolve Bank & Trust, and Gemini, while processing approximately 1,000,000 decisions. The platform helps banks automate 98% of onboarding decisions while reducing 50% of fraud and boosting overall customer conversion.
Alloy – Founders and Team
Tommy Nicholas, Laura Spiekerman, and Charles Hearn founded Alloy in 2015.
Tommy Nicholas
Tommy Nicholas graduated from The University of Virginia by completing Bachelor’s in History and African American Studies. After working as a Research Assistant, Enumerator, and Booking Manager, his career thrived in 2011 when he founded The City Swig.
After that, he held the role of Software Developer at SHOCKOE.COM LLC and owned Web/Mobile Freelancing. It was in 2015 he co-founded Alloy and is currently working as the company’s CEO.
Tommy Nicholas – Co-founder and CEO, Alloy
Laura Spiekerman
Laura Spiekerman completed her B.A. in Political Science and Human Rights from Barnard College. She has interned at Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office and Kasirer Consulting.
In 2008, she held the role of Paralegal at Clayman & Rosenberg. Moreover, before co-founding Alloy, she was Investment Analyst at Imprint Capital Advisors. Presently, she is the President of Alloy.
Laura Spiekerman – Co-founder and President, Alloy
Charles Hearn
Charles Hearn is B.A. Computer Science graduate and completed his graduation from the University of Virginia. He has diverse experience working as an Independent Researcher at UVA Research, Mobile Lead and General Developer at The City Swig, and Program Manager at Microsoft.
After working as a Lead Product Engineer at Knox Payments, he co-funded Alloy and is currently its CTO.
Charles Hearn – Co-founder and CTO, Alloy
Presently, Alloy is working with a team of over 310 employees.
Alloy – Startup Story
Allow was initially founded by Tommy Nicholas, Laura Spiekerman, and Charles Hearn mainly to fix a ‘broken’ onboarding process that historically involved manual review when people used to apply for bank accounts online. Simply put, the company’s main mission was to help fintech institutions and banks make better identity and risk decisions with the help of a single API service and SaaS platform.
Over the last few years, it has evolved into a platform that not only helps automate onboarding identity decision but also automate transaction monitoring. Moreover, by the start of 2022, Alloy came up with one more solution, i.e., credit underwriting. Between 2020-21, the company witnessed a three-times increase in annual recurring revenue (ARR) and a two-times increase in customer base.
Alloy – Mission and Vision
The company’s mission is to make banking as inclusive and secure as people deserve it to be. Alloy strives to create a future in which banking is borderless and accessible.
Alloy – Business Model
Alloy connects its users to data procured from around 120 providers. Then the company utilizes that data to aid financial institutions in understanding customers and their behaviors while avoiding fraud during initial customer onboarding and when conducting ongoing financial transactions.
And the same is done by allowing them to create customized instant decisioning systems tailored according to users’ needs associated with regulatory compliance and risk perspective.
Tommy Nicholas, Co-Founder & CEO, Alloy
Alloy – Products and Services
Allow offers two main solutions, i.e., Onboarding and Ongoing Monitoring, to solve fraud, compliance, credit underwriting, crypto, and global expansion.
Alloy – Products and Services
Alloy – Funding and Investors
Alloy has undertaken 8 funding rounds in which it has raised $207.8 million. The latest funding round – Series C Round, was conducted on June September 1, 2022, and raised $52 million. 21 investors fund the company, and the main ones are Bessemer Venture Partners, Lightspeed, CANAPI, Eniac Ventures, Felicis Ventures, AVID Ventures, and PRIMARY Venture Partners.
Alloy’s estimated annual revenue in 2022 is $53.2 million ($173,167 per employee). Currently, its valuation stands at $1.4 billion. Moreover, the employee count increased by 54% last year, and monthly website visits grew by 5.69%, with 29,511 visits.
Alloy – Partners
Alloy has partnered with the best technology and data providers across the world. Some of these are:
Acuant
Argyle
Basis Theory
Berbix
ChexSystems
Codat
Cognito
ComplyAdvantage
Ekata
Enigma
Equifax
Alloy – Awards and Achievements
Alloy is recognized in the 100 Best Places to Work, 50 Best Paying Companies, and 100 Best Midsize Companies to Work For in NYC by Built In.
Tommy Nicholas, Laura Spiekerman, and Charles Hearn founded Alloy in 2015.
What does Alloy do?
Alloy is a global identity verification API platform that helps fintech companies and banks automate their onboarding, transaction monitoring, and credit underwriting decisions. It helps financial institutions worldwide to reduce friction between them and their customers by assessing them beyond their address and social security number.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Algolia.
In this digital age, the fastest way to promote business is to have a well-functioning website. But you can hear many companies complaining about their website’s search.
According to statistics, there are 3.5 billion daily searches and 1.2 trillion searches per year. You can improve your site’s search capabilities with the help of a reliable search-as-a-service platform.
Algolia is at the top of the heap when it comes to search and discovery APIs for web and mobile applications. Let us dig into more details about the company, like how it started, the competition it faces, its market value, and so on.
Algolia is the AI-powered, search-as-a-service platform that allows companies to provide an instant, relevant, and impactful customer experience. Moreover, it developed dynamic experiences that let companies immediately anticipate visitors’ intentions on their web or mobile application.
Millions of developers use the platform globally to distribute their content efficiently over digital media. Algolia is API-first and handles 40 million search queries monthly for over 5,000 firms, including big names such as Periscope, Medium, Twitch, Under Armour, and Strip.
Algolia – Founders and Team
Julien Lemoine and Nicolas Dessaigne founded Algolia in 2012.
Julien Lemoine
Julian Lemoine originally belonged to Paris, France, and graduated in Computer Engineering, Specialization in Cognitive Science and Advanced Algorithms from EPITA. He has over ten years of experience in the search industry.
Before co-founding Algolia and working as the company’s Advisor and Board Member, Julien was CTO of MASA Group.
Julien Lemoine – Co-founder, Advisor, and Board Member, Algolia
Nicolas Dessaigne
Nicolas Dessaigne completed his M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Sciences and is the co-founder and Board Member of Algolia. He also worked as CTO at Arisem and VP of R&D at Exalead. Moreover, currently, he is the Independent Board Member of Artifakt and a Group Partner of Y Combinator.
Nicolas Dessaigne – Co-founder and Board Member, Algolia
Presently, Algolia has over 800 listed employees, including Bernadette Nixon, CEO, and Board Member.
Algolia – Startup Story
Before the establishment of Algolia, Nicolas, and Julien thought about what sort of product or business they could develop after having experience working in all sorts of firms. It made them create something unique, i.e., a search engine offering through the SaaS model.
Initially, they had an ambitious yet straightforward goal: to revolutionize how people used to get information when looking for something online. It gave birth to Algolia in 2012. Initially, the company was focused on offline search using mobile phones.
The company commenced with two data centers in Europe, and in 2014, it opened a third center in Singapore. In 2019, Algolio claimed a global presence with 70+ data centers across 16 countries.
Algolia – Mission and Vision
Algolia aims to empower every enterprise to create delightful Search and Discovery experiences for users.
Algolia – Business Model
The Algolia model provides search-as-a-service with which the client’s entire website can be searched via a third-party-hosted search engine. Search engines such as Google and Yahoo crawl the whole web, including the client’s web, and then tailor the information according to the search query.
However, Algolia made the search process easier as it exclusively crawls the customer’s website. By bringing the results the client seeks, the platform drastically cuts down the time the customer spends seeking information.
With its RESTful JSON API model, once the data is passed from the client to Algolia, the search box is integrated into the client’s website. The model is intended to offer the advantages of a full in-house search engine by using a more manageable infrastructure.
What is Algolia
Algolia – Revenue Model
The company has three pricing plans- Build, Grow, and Premium.
Plan
Pricing
Build
Free, 10,000 search requests/mo
Grow
$0.50 /1000 search requests/mo
Premium
Customized Pricing
Algolia – Products and Services
The Alogolio platform is the company’s primary offering. Moreover, it offers multiple solutions, like Enterprise Search, Headless e-Commerce, Mobile & App Search, and Voice Search.
Algolia – Products and Services
Algolia – Funding and Investors
Algolia has undertaken 8 funding rounds and has raised $334.2 million. Series D is the latest funding round conducted on July 28, 2021, and raised $150 million. 40 investors back Aloglia; some big names are Lone Pine Capital, Accel Partners, and Alven Capital.
Algolia is responsible for 1.5 trillion searches a year, 16 times more than Yahoo and 6 times more than Bing. Now, one out of every eight online users uses this technology.
Moreover, its estimated annual revenue in 2022 is $152.8 million per year ($184,707 revenue per employee). Algolia was valued at $2.3 billion in 2022. Its website growth rate is 14.63%, and employees increased by 26%.
Algolia is the AI-powered, search-as-a-service platform that allows companies to provide an instant, relevant, and impactful customer experience. It is API-first and handles 40 million search queries monthly.
Who are the founders of Algolia?
Julien Lemoine and Nicolas Dessaigne founded Algolia in 2012.
What is the pricing offered by Algolia?
The company has three pricing plans- Build, Grow, and Premium. The Build Plan is absolutely free. In the Grow plan the company charges $0.50 per 1000 search requests and in the Premium plan, the pricing can be customized as per the request.
The financial services industry has been transformed by the advent of financial technology (fintech) companies that leverage cutting-edge technology to revolutionize traditional financial systems. These companies offer innovative solutions that streamline processes, enhance financial inclusion, and optimize operations.
One such company that is a prominent player in this industry is C2FO. It is an on-demand working capital platform that provides fast, flexible, and equitable access to low-cost capital to businesses worldwide.
In this article, let’s explore the story of C2FO, its business and revenue model, its funding details, and more.
C2FO, which stands for “Collaborative Cash Flow Optimization,” is a financial technology company that works towards creating working capital for clients and managing their accounts payable and receivable on demand. It helps companies gain control over their cash flows whenever required. The platform is the first of its kind in the world.
Why Buyers Love C2FO
C2FO – Industry
C2FO belongs to the financial technology industry as it attempts to deal with the issues of the traditional financial market through key technological interventions. Moving at an impeccable pace, the US fintech market is expected to grow at a rate of 8.6% until 2024. Within the fintech industry, the digital payment sector is growing the fastest. The total transaction value in the digital payments segment is projected to reach US$2,041 billion in 2023. The financial technology industry in the US constitutes 57% of the global fintech market.
With more attention and popularity paid to the nuances of the industry like convenience, simplicity, security, transparency, and customization, people are more attracted to the various fintech tools that have been launched in the market in the last decade. With the entire world gearing up for a sea of technological change, the fintech industry is only starting to grow at full throttle in the years to come.
Alexander C. Kemper – Founder, Chairman of the Board and CEO, C2FO
Alexander (Sandy) Kemper holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Northwestern University. He founded C2FO in 2008, which was then named Pollenware. Currently, he serves as the Chairman of the Board and CEO of C2FO. He is also the Chairman of the Board of The Collectors Fund.
Prior to founding C2FO, Kemper also founded eScout.com, which is now known as Perfect Commerce, and served as its Chairman and CEO from 2000-2006. Apart from his role at C2FO, Kemper is an active angel and venture investor, holding reputed positions on the boards of UMB Financial, UMB Bank, NIC, and Dwolla.
Since C2FO started gaining momentum in their business, Kemper has hired an extremely talented pool of professionals into the executive board of the company who now collectively run the startup to garner better growth prospects.
The leadership team of C2FO includes:
Sanjay Gupta, President, and Chief Operating Officer
Dan Karas, Chief Credit Officer
Raffaele Sadun, Chief Financial Officer
Leslie Olsen, Chief Marketing Officer
Ragui Selwanes, Chief Product and Technology Officer
Colin Sharp, Chief Sales Officer
Bri Simoneau, Chief Accounting Officer
Krissy Young, Chief People Officer
Anne Steinhaus, Head of Product – Platform
David Greer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Aditya Devurkar, Head of Data Science and Operations
Alex Donnelly, Chief Operating Officer, Americas
Chris Atkins, President of Capital Finance and Capital Markets
C2FO – Startup Story
C2FO began its journey by curating an on-demand working capital platform that aligned with accounts receivable and accounts payable for many companies. The primary idea behind the startup was the realization of the importance of maintaining cash flow in businesses and the absence of one such facilitator in the industry. Soon, they created an online space where large corporate buyers could negotiate prices with suppliers for quicker payments in return for feasible discounts. Hence, they were able to help the suppliers receive early payments on their invoices at discounted rates depending on their needs and abilities. Today, they have become the world’s largest platform for working capital, operating in more than 180 countries.
C2FO – Mission and Vision
The company’s mission is to equip all businesses, big and small, with enough capital for their growth. They hope to serve as the right fit in an industry where companies generally struggle to find and access capital at the right place and at the right time.
C2FO – Name and Logo
C2FO Logo
The name “C2FO” stands for “Collaborative Cash Flow Optimization.” The name reflects the company’s focus on collaboration and cash flow optimization, which is at the core of its services.
C2FO – Business and Revenue Model
C2FO operates as a business-to-business (B2B) marketplace that provides a unique approach to optimizing cash flow for businesses without extending actual credit. The company addresses what is known as the “liquidity paradox,” which involves careful negotiation between areas of surplus and deficit funds to facilitate early payment to suppliers in exchange for a discount.
In terms of its revenue model, C2FO primarily earns fees from both buyers and suppliers who use its platform. Buyers pay a fee based on the early payment discount offered to suppliers, and suppliers pay a fee based on the early payment they receive. These fees are typically proportional to the transaction amount, the creditworthiness of the buyer, and the discount rate offered.
C2FO also adopts a collaborative market approach wherein both buyers and suppliers benefit from the deals made. By creating a win-win situation, C2FO aims to strengthen relationships within the supply chain ecosystem while facilitating early payment and optimizing cash flow for both parties.
C2FO’s platform can help clients optimize their cash flow and potentially generate additional profit. The company’s revenue primarily comes from the fees charged for facilitating early payment transactions.
The Federal Open Market Committee voted to boost the overnight borrowing rate by half a percentage point, taking it to a targeted range between 4.25% and 4.5%. Officials have indicated that they expect to maintain higher interest rates through this year, with no reductions anticipated until 2024. As a result, the cost of borrowing for clients may also increase.
Furthermore, supply disruptions and rising inflation are increasing the amount of working capital that firms need, resulting in higher costs and increased risk pressure. In light of these challenges, C2FO may need to curate programs like Dynamic Supplier Finance to reduce the impact and help clients navigate through these market conditions effectively.
C2FO – Funding and Investors
C2FO has received funding from various world-famous venture capitalists and investors. In 2010, C2FO got its first funding from Union Square Ventures. In 2012, it received $9.1 million in funding from the same party, which was used to expand its workspace and create a risk-free profit market. In 2015, it raised $40 million in a round of equity funding led by Temasek Holdings. The fund was used to build upon the existing market domain of the company.
In another round of funding led by Allianz X and Mubadala Investment Company, along with the existing investors from C2FO, the firm completed a funding round worth $100 million in 2018. So as to improve access to working capital as far as the companies are concerned, C2FO went for another round of funding, which was led by SoftBank Vision Fund, through which the company completed the round worth $200 million.
C2FO has only made one acquisition so far. In October 2019, C2FO acquired Priority Vendor, which is one of the largest early payment platforms in India. It was C2FO’s initial step to scale up its global presence. The acquisition also ensured that now C2FO will have more than 200 corporate clients like Acer, Costco Wholesale, Flex, Kellogg’s, Mondelez, Pfizer, and Office Depot.
C2FO – Growth
C2FO had made its own space in the market by 2010. Soon, it had passed $1 billion in payments by the end of 2011. In 2015, with a vision to gear up for growth at the global level, it opened its London office.
In 2015 itself, the company handled more than 8 million transactions a week. The company proudly flaunts that it has generated $210 billion in working capital since its first transaction in 2010. Today, the company serves over 2 million businesses with more than $10.5 trillion in annual sales. Over the years, it has expanded its offices to Europe, China, India, and Australia.
C2FO – Competitors
Some of the competitors of C2FO include:
Taulia
PrimeRevenue
CashFlo
Fundbox
BlueVine
C2FO – Future Plans
In 2023, C2FO aims to expand its product suite to enhance its ability to facilitate working capital for its clients. The firm also aims to address the issues of liquidity in a more nuanced manner so as to propel business further in a positive manner by ensuring that there is better cash flow on a day-to-day basis. C2FO recently got permission to develop a TReDS platform in India. In 2023, C2FO will leverage its understanding of supplier constraints to build upon the TReDS, which will inadvertently benefit various MSMEs that work with C2FO.
FAQs
What does C2FO do?
C2FO is a financial technology company that works towards creating working capital for clients and managing their accounts payable and receivable on demand.
Who is the founder of C2FO?
Alexander C. Kemper is the founder of C2FO. He serves as the Chairman of the Board and CEO of C2FO.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by the organization it is based on.
Sport underpins everything we do. Sport is becoming increasingly significant in the lives of more and more people, both on and off the field of competition. Every culture and community depends on it, and it is essential to our well-being.
Adidas is the second-best sports brand in the world, and its culture and workforce are what make it successful and enable it to carry out its strategy of “Own the Game.” It gives life to the brand’s identity, which is established through its mission, attitude, and purpose.
Here’s the success story of Adidas that covers all about the company, its Startup Story and Growth, its Products, its Competitors, its Revenue, it’s Business and Revenue Model, and more, you can check ahead!
Adidas is a multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing, and accessories. The company is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and the second-largest in the world, after Nike.
Adidas products are marketed under several brands, including Adidas, Reebok, and TaylorMade. The company also owns the Rockport and Nine West brands. In addition to manufacturing and marketing its products, the company also licenses its brands to third parties. The company has a focus on sustainability and environmental responsibility and is committed to reducing its environmental impact.
The company’s clothing and shoe designs typically feature three parallel bars, and the same motif is incorporated into Adidas’s official logos. Adidas has been a publicly traded company since 1995 and has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 1988. The company has a global supply chain, including manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Some of the key markets for Adidas include the United States, Germany, and China.
Adidas – Industry
The sportswear industry is a global market that produces and sells clothing, footwear, and accessories designed for sports and physical activities. The industry is highly competitive and is dominated by a few major players, such as Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour. The sportswear market is driven by factors such as increasing participation in sports and fitness activities, advancements in technology that improve the performance and comfort of sportswear, and the growing popularity of athleisure, a trend where athletic clothing is worn in non-athletic settings.
The sportswear market is segmented by product, including footwear, apparel, and accessories. The footwear segment is the largest, accounting for the majority of the market share, followed by apparel and accessories. Within the sportswear market, there are different sub-segments, such as running, training, and outdoor wear. The market is also segmented by distribution channels, including online and offline retail. Online retail is expected to witness significant growth due to the increasing popularity of e-commerce platforms and the convenience of online shopping.
The sportswear industry is a global market, with key markets in North America, Europe, and Asia. Asia is the fastest-growing market due to the increasing disposable incomes and the growing popularity of sports in the region. The industry is expected to continue to grow in the coming years, driven by factors such as an increasing focus on health and fitness, and the growing popularity of athleisure. However, the industry is also facing challenges, such as increased competition, changing consumer preferences, and the impact of COVID-19 on consumer spending.
Adidas – Founder and Team
Adidas was founded by Adolf “Adi” Dassler in 1948.
Adolf Dassler
Adolf “Adi” Dassler was a German cobbler and entrepreneur who was the founder of Adidas, one of the world’s leading sportswear brands. He was born in Herzogenaurach, Germany, in 1900 and began his career as a cobbler, working in his mother’s laundry room. He was also an avid athlete and recognized the need for high-performance athletic footwear.
Adolf Dassler – Founder, Adidas
Some other team members include :
David Sobeski – SVP Machine Learning & Analytics
Jacqueline Smith-Dubendorfer – Global VP, Digital Partner Commerce
Kasper Rorsted – CEO
Thomas Holleczek – Director B2B Data & Services
Walter Wählt – Senior Director Advanced Creation – Technologies Apparel
Jithesh Ramachandran – Senior Business Consultant
Markus Rautert – Senior Vice President Technology Enablement
Annie Melnic – Senior Digital Analyst
Adidas – Startup Story
In 1924, Dassler and his brother Rudolf Dassler started a shoe company, Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory, that produced sports shoes. The company was successful and supplied athletes with shoes for the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. However, the brothers had a falling out in 1948 and went their separate ways, with Adi Dassler founding Adidas and Rudolf Dassler founding Puma.
Adi Dassler’s focus was on creating high-performance athletic footwear and equipment that would give athletes an edge on the field. He was heavily involved in the design and development of Adidas products, and the company quickly gained a reputation for producing innovative, high-quality sports footwear. He also supported many athletes and teams, and Adidas shoes were worn by several Olympic medallists and world champions.
Adi Dassler passed away in 1978 but his legacy lives on through the Adidas company, which is now one of the world’s leading sportswear brands. He is considered to be a pioneer in the sportswear industry and his innovations in design, materials, and manufacturing continue to influence the industry today.
Adidas – Name, Logo, Tagline
The name “Adidas” is a portmanteau of the founder’s name, Adolf “Adi” Dassler. The company was originally founded as “Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory” by Adi Dassler and his brother Rudolf Dassler in 1948. However, the two brothers had a falling out and decided to go their separate ways, with Adi Dassler keeping the company and renaming it “Adidas”. The name was created by combining the first three letters of his first name “Adi” and the first two letters of his last name “Das” to form “Adidas”.
The company’s logo, which features three parallel bars, was also inspired by the founder’s name, as it represents the letters of his name.
Adidas’ current tagline is “Creating the New” which was first introduced in 2019. It is meant to reflect the brand’s commitment to innovation and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the world of sport and fashion. This tagline is meant to inspire customers to push their boundaries and to be their best selves.
Adidas Tagline – Creating the New
Before that, the company had several other taglines, such as “Impossible is Nothing” (2004-2010) and “Adidas is all in” (2011-2019) which were meant to convey the brand’s message of perseverance, determination, and the celebration of the power of sport.
Adidas – Impossible Is Nothing
Adidas – Mission and Vision
Adidas’ vision statement is “To be the best sports company in the world.”
Adidas’ mission statement is “To be the leading sports brand in the world.”
Adidas – Products
Adidas offers a wide range of products for both men and women, including athletic footwear, clothing, and accessories. Some of the main categories of products offered by Adidas include:
Athletic Footwear: Adidas offers a wide variety of athletic shoes for different sports and activities, including running, basketball, soccer, golf, and more. The company’s footwear line includes both performance and lifestyle shoes.
Apparel: Adidas offers a range of athletic clothing for men and women, including t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, pants, and shorts. The company also offers sports-specific clothing, such as soccer jerseys and basketball uniforms.
Accessories: Adidas offers a variety of accessories, such as bags, hats, and socks.
Equipment: Adidas also offers a range of sports equipment like football, basketball, and other sports
Training and Fitness: Adidas also offers products like workout clothes, yoga mats, and fitness accessories
Sustainability: Adidas also has a range of sustainable product lines, which includes products made from recycled materials and using sustainable production processes.
Adidas also has collections and collaborations with various designers and celebrities like Yeezy, Alexander Wang, and many more.
Adidas – Business Model
Adidas operates using a multi-channel business model, which involves the use of multiple channels to reach customers and sell products. The company’s main channels include:
Retail Stores: Adidas operates its retail stores, which are designed to create an immersive brand experience for customers. These stores carry a wide range of Adidas products and are strategically located in high-traffic areas.
E-commerce: Adidas operates its e-commerce website, which allows customers to purchase products online. The website offers a wide range of products and features, such as product reviews, size charts, and detailed product information.
Wholesale: Adidas sells products to retailers and distributors, who then sell the products to customers. This channel makes the company reach a wide range of customers through a network of retail partners.
Licensing: Adidas also generates revenue through licensing agreements with third parties, who use the Adidas brand and logo on their products.
Sponsorship: Adidas is also involved in sports sponsorship and partnerships with sports teams, athletes, and events, which supports the company to promote its brand and products.
Adidas is also focused on sustainability, and the company is using sustainable materials, processes, and practices throughout its entire product line. They are also creating products that are designed to be recycled or repurposed, to reduce their impact on the environment.
Adidas – Sponsorships
Adidas is heavily involved in sports sponsorship and partnerships, which helps the company to promote its brand and products. Some of the major sports sponsorships and partnerships that Adidas is currently involved in include:
Team Sponsorship
Adidas sponsors several sports teams and organizations, including major soccer teams such as Real Madrid, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Juventus. They also sponsor various national teams such as Spain, Germany, and Argentina.
Athlete Sponsorship
Adidas also sponsors several individual athletes across various sports, including Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba, James Harden, and many more.
Event Sponsorship
Adidas is also involved in sponsoring major sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, and the Olympic Games.
FIFA World Cup™ 2022 | Family Reunion | adidas
Grassroots Sponsorship
Adidas also sponsors local and amateur sports teams and events to help promote the sport and encourage participation at all levels.
Ambassadors
Adidas also uses brand ambassadors to promote their products, such as David Beckham, Kanye West, and many more.
25 Years Of Predator
Through these partnerships and sponsorships, Adidas can build a strong connection with fans, athletes, and events, which helps to increase brand awareness and drive sales. Additionally, these sponsorships allow Adidas to showcase its products and technologies at the highest level of competition, and to gain valuable feedback from athletes and teams.
Adidas – Funding and Investors
Date
Round
Amount
Lead Investors
Apr 15, 2020
Post-IPO Debt
–
–
Adidas – Investments
Date
Organization Name
Round
Money
Mar 22, 2022
Yuga Labs
Seed Round
$450M
Jul 5, 2021
Infinited Fiber Company
Series B
€30M
Oct 21, 2019
GreenPark Sports
Seed Round
$8.5M
Nov 19, 2018
PlayVS
Series B
$30.5M
Dec 4, 2017
OneFootball
Series C
–
Adidas – Acquisitions
Acquiree Name
About Acquiree
Date
Amount
Runtastic
Runtastic is a mobile fitness company
Aug 5, 2015
$240M
Adams Golf
Adams Golf, Inc. is a golf club manufacturer based in Plano, Texas.
Jun 1, 2012
–
Five Ten USA
Five Ten USA is an American manufacturer of outdoor and athletic footwear.
Nov 4, 2011
–
Textronics
Textronics develops and commercializes wearable textile sensor components and clothing solutions for fitness and health monitoring.
Dec 8, 2008
–
Mitchell & Ness
Mitchell & Ness is a sports apparel company that produces premium apparel and headwear.
Nov 12, 2007
–
Reebok International
Reebok is a global brand that creates and markets sports and lifestyle products.
Aug 3, 2005
$3.8B
TaylorMade Golf
TaylorMade Golf is a manufacturer of high-performance golf equipment and golf balls.
Jan 1, 2005
–
Salomon AG
Salomon AG designs, develops, produces, and markets athletic and sports lifestyle products worldwide.
Sep 17, 1997
$1.4B
Adidas – Competitors
Adidas is one of the leading sportswear companies in the world and competes with several other major brands in the industry. Some of the main competitors of Adidas include:
Nike
One of the biggest and most well-known sportswear brands in the world, Nike is a direct competitor of Adidas in nearly all sportswear categories and market segments.
Puma
Another major sportswear brand, Puma is a direct competitor of Adidas in several categories, including footwear, apparel, and accessories.
Under Armour
An American sportswear company that is primarily focused on performance apparel, footwear, and accessories.
A Japanese company that designs and manufactures footwear, apparel, and accessories for a wide range of sports and activities.
New Balance
An American company that designs and manufactures athletic footwear and apparel.
Skechers
An American company that designs and markets footwear for men, women, and children, and also has a focus on lifestyle and performance footwear.
Li-Ning
A Chinese company that designs, develops, and markets footwear, apparel, and accessories for sports and fitness activities.
These are some of the major competitors of Adidas, but the company also faces competition from many other smaller brands, as well as from generic and unbranded products in the market.
Adidas, being a well-established and successful global company, may not face the same types of startup challenges as a new and emerging company. However, like any other company, they may still face some challenges that may affect the growth and profitability of their business. Some of the challenges that Adidas may face include:
Competition: Adidas faces intense competition from other established sportswear companies such as Nike and Puma, as well as from many smaller brands and generic products. This competition can make it difficult for Adidas to maintain market share and drive sales.
Changing Consumer Preferences: Consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of the environmental and social impact of the products they buy, and this is leading to a shift in consumer preferences towards sustainable and eco-friendly products. Adidas must adapt to these changing consumer preferences to remain relevant and competitive in the market.
Digital Disruption: The rise of e-commerce and online marketplaces has disrupted traditional brick-and-mortar retail and changed the way consumers shop for products. Adidas must adapt to these changes in consumer behavior to remain competitive and drive sales.
Supply Chain and Logistics: The company has to ensure that the supply chain and logistics are efficient and effective.
Intellectual Property: Adidas has to protect its brand and intellectual property, especially in the global market, where counterfeiting and intellectual property infringement are major concerns.
Sustainability: Adidas has to balance its profitability with sustainability, and that means having a sustainable supply chain and products, which might increase the cost of production.
Political and Economic Instability: As a global company, Adidas may be affected by political and economic instability in different regions and countries where it operates, which can lead to uncertainty and instability in the market.
Labor Laws and Regulations: Adidas must comply with labor laws and regulations in different countries, which can vary widely and be complex, and they also have to ensure fair and humane working conditions in their supply chain.
These are some of the main challenges that Adidas may face, but the company is constantly adapting and evolving to meet these challenges and remain a leading player in the sportswear industry.
Adidas – Future Plan
Adidas has several plans for the future to continue growing its business and staying competitive in the sportswear industry. Some of the main plans for 2023 and beyond include:
Digitalization: Adidas is focusing on digitalization to drive growth and improve efficiency across the business, including in areas such as e-commerce, data analytics, and digital marketing.
Sustainability: Adidas is committed to sustainability and plans to continue developing sustainable products and reducing its environmental impact, through the use of sustainable materials, recycling and recycling programs, and reducing its carbon footprint.
Innovation: Adidas is investing in innovation to drive growth and stay ahead of the competition, including in areas such as product design, manufacturing, and technology.
Expansion in Emerging Markets: Adidas plans to expand its presence in key emerging markets, such as China, India, and Africa, where they see significant growth potential.
Direct-to-consumer Strategy: The company is planning to increase its direct-to-consumer sales and reduce its dependence on retail partners, through the expansion of its own retail stores and e-commerce platform.
Collaboration: Adidas plans to continue collaborating with other brands, designers, and influencers to create new and innovative products, as well as to expand its reach and appeal to new customers.
Personalization: Adidas plans to use data and technology to personalize its products and services for customers, to improve the customer experience, and drive sales.
Sportswear for Everybody: Adidas is committed to creating sportswear for everybody, including inclusive sizes and designs for people of all sizes, abilities, and backgrounds.
These are some of the main plans that Adidas has announced for 2023 and beyond, but the company may also make other changes and adjustments to its strategy as the market and business environment evolves.
FAQs
What does Adidas do?
Adidas designs and manufactures sports and lifestyle products, including footwear, apparel, and accessories.
Who founded Adidas?
Adidas was founded by Adolf “Adi” Dassler in 1948.
Who are the main competitors of Adidas?
The main competitors of Adidas include Nike, Puma, Under Armour, Asics, Skechers, New Balance, Reebok, and Li-Ning.