How Much Did Highlight Raise? Funding & Key Investors

Highlight has successfully raised funds through four distinct funding rounds, with its latest being a Series A round. The company is backed by a diverse group of 16 investors, including notable names like Ingeborg Investments and Jag Bath.

Keep reading to explore the intricacies of Highlight's fundraising journey and the investors backing this innovative platform.

What Is Highlight?

Highlight is an AI-powered product intelligence platform based in New York, New York. The company operates in various industries, including artificial intelligence, consumer research, data management, and market research. With an employee count ranging from 51 to 100, Highlight provides fast and meaningful insights to consumer brands.

The platform is designed to help brands, retailers, and innovators build, launch, and renovate products with confidence. It integrates end-to-end solutions, including a proprietary tester community, logistics engine, study design tools, and AI-powered analytics, offering real-time, decision-ready insights across the entire product lifecycle.

How Much Funding Has Highlight Raised?

1. Series A
   • Amount Raised: USD 18,000,000
   • Date: August 2023
   • Lead Investors: Acre Venture Partners, HearstLab
   • Valuation at Round: Not publicly disclosed
   • Motivation Behind the Round: To accelerate technology development, enhance self-service features, and expand the consumer base.
2. Seed (May 2023)
   • Date: May 2023
   • Lead Investors: Alumni Ventures
   • Valuation at Round: Not publicly disclosed
   • Motivation Behind the Round: To support the company's growth and development in delivering fast, meaningful insights to consumer brands.
3. Seed (March 2022)
   • Amount Raised: USD 7,000,000
   • Date: March 2022
   • Lead Investors: First Round Capital
   • Valuation at Round: Not publicly disclosed
   • Motivation Behind the Round: To enhance the company's capabilities in AI-powered product intelligence.
4. Seed (November 2020)
   • Amount Raised: USD 1,200,000
   • Date: November 2020
   • Lead Investors: HearstLab
   • Valuation at Round: Not publicly disclosed
   • Motivation Behind the Round: To support the initial development and launch of the platform.

Total Amount Raised: USD 26,200,000. Current Valuation: Not publicly disclosed.

Key Investors

• Acre Venture Partners
  • Details: Acre Venture Partners is a venture capital firm that focuses on innovative companies in the food and agriculture sectors. They aim to transform the food system through strategic investments.
  • Investment Focus Areas: Food, agriculture, sustainability.
  • Notable Investments: Beyond Meat, MycoTechnology.
• HearstLab
  • Details: HearstLab invests in early-stage, women-led startups in media, technology, and data. They provide resources and support to help these startups grow and succeed.
  • Investment Focus Areas: Media, technology, data.
  • Notable Investments: The Muse, Everlywell.
• Alumni Ventures
  • Details: Alumni Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in a wide range of sectors, leveraging the power of alumni networks. They focus on providing capital to high-growth startups.
  • Investment Focus Areas: Technology, healthcare, consumer products.
  • Notable Investments: Not publicly disclosed.
• First Round Capital
  • Details: First Round Capital is a seed-stage venture firm that invests in technology startups. They are known for their hands-on approach and extensive network.
  • Investment Focus Areas: Technology, software, consumer internet.
  • Notable Investments: Not publicly disclosed.
• Ingeborg Investments
  • Details: Ingeborg Investments is a diverse investment firm involved in various sectors. They focus on long-term growth and value creation.
  • Investment Focus Areas: Not explicitly detailed.
  • Notable Investments: Not publicly disclosed.

What's Next for Highlight?

Highlight stands at the cusp of significant growth, driven by the increasing demand for automated product testing solutions in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector. With approximately 30,000 new products entering the market each year and a 95% failure rate, the opportunity for Highlight to provide real-time data management and business insights is immense. The company’s platform, which already serves major brands like Nestlé and P&G, is poised to expand its consumer base and enhance user experiences.

Future fundraising opportunities appear promising as Highlight continues to develop its technology and expand its market presence. The company has already raised over $30 million and may seek additional funding to support its growth trajectory. However, challenges such as managing rapid growth, ensuring the accuracy of automated testing processes, and competing with other market research solutions could pose hurdles along the way.

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