Blackrun Ventures Launches Women-Focused Half the World Holdings Investment Platform

– Invests in businesses that meet women’s needs

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Blackrun, a leading non-traditional investment platform, has announced
the launch of a new investment vehicle, Half the World Holdings. The
platform supports businesses for which women are the end consumer. As
part of the launch, Blackrun has signed two term sheets: EmbraceHer,
a maternal health technology company, and Siren,
a modern-day relationship platform.

Blackrun Ventures Co-Chairman Mark Pawley, sees the clear opportunity:
“We recognise the multidimensional nature of women’s lives and that the
pragmatic solutions they seek at different life stages often come from
companies founded by women who themselves experienced a similar
problem. We have a strong pipeline of complementary investments on the
horizon, and we believe the markets will respond positively to the
collective power of ventures that address critical issues for women
globally.”

Women comprise 49.6 percent of the world’s population, yet make more
than 80 percent of household buying decisions. This represents $20
trillion in annual consumer spending, rising to $28 trillion by
2020. Women’s take-home pay of $13 trillion per year is expected to grow
to $18 trillion in the same timeframe. Yet, according to research from
Boston Consulting Group, women continue to feel underserved by companies
developing products and services. Added to this, women-led companies,
which invariably focus on the woman consumer, have historically
struggled to access venture capital funding.

Co-Chairman René Schuster, partner, ilion holding GMbH, highlights:
“Repeated studies have shown that women-led businesses increase
profitability. When women entrepreneurs are brought together, their
natural collaborative leadership style has a multiplier effect on
business activity. The Half the World platform leverages this by
providing the capital, advisory and international networks needed for
accelerated growth to reach women everywhere.”

The first two investments announced offer inventive solutions to meet
consumer needs. EmbraceHer CEO Denise Terry, a serial Silicon Valley
entrepreneur, co-founded the maternal health company in 2010 with Chief
Medical Officer Dr. Jan Rydfors, an assistant adjunct clinical professor
at Stanford University Medical Center. EmbraceHer empowers mothers with
personalized maternal health guidance through its app, Pregnancy
Companion M.D. It is used by more than half a million pregnant women and
recommended by thousands of U.S. OB-GYNs.

According to Terry: “Pregnancy can be a stressful and unpredictable
medical condition for many expectant mothers. Unfortunately, many women
see their doctors once a month for a short period of time. All moms can
benefit from having 24-hour access to the world’s top maternal-fetal
doctors, directly from their smartphone.”

Siren was co-founded by CEO Susie Lee, a Yale and Columbia-educated
entrepreneur, and COO Katrina Hess, a seasoned management and design
consultant. Based in Seattle, the application delivers a more seamless
online-to-offline experience. By posing conversation starters, Siren
encourages authentic personality insights generating stronger
compatibility signals.

Lee notes: “The time is right for an engaging technology that creates
the real life connections that matter, and we see this confirmed by our
community’s enthusiastic support and satisfaction. As a business, we are
excited about the U.S. and international growth opportunities ahead to
generate strong returns for members and investors alike.”

About Blackrun Ventures

Blackrun Ventures is a global investment platform founded in 2015. We
are interested in scaling the innovative and unconventional. Our
partners come from the worlds of private equity, investment banking,
multinational businesses and entrepreneurship, and we have offices in
Berlin, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, New York, Sydney and
Singapore. Half the World Holdings is our women-focused investment
portfolio, which sits alongside other key verticals. Please visit http://blackrun.co
to learn about our innovative approach and investment philosophy.

Contacts

Vested Communications
Binna Kim, +1-917-765-8720
binna@fullyvested.com
or
Bowlah
PR
Caroline Bowler, +65 83327688
caroline@bowlah.com