Just released: How to raise venture capital in 2023

Download

Startups giving us more to be thankful for (2019 edition!)

TL:DR

Key Takeaways

Carl Niedbala
Carl Niedbala

Managing Partner; COO & Co-Founder

It’s that time of year again! Time to bundle up, be with family and look back on what you have to be thankful for. We at Founder Shield are lucky enough to work with some of the most exciting and ground-breaking companies in the world…and many of those companies are doing a lot of good in the world.  So, like we do each year, we want to shine a light on just a few of these outstanding teams and say thank you for making the world a better place!


Cove Logo

Cove is the first bottle of water made entirely of biodegradable material.  The material, PHA, will break down into CO₂, water, and organic waste; this will happen in compost or a landfill, and even in the ocean. Plastic takes thousands of years to disintegrate, but it will never really go away; Cove is more like a flower or an orange peel than plastic. Cove’s long-term vision is to move to this method in order to produce carbon-negative bottles.


hello heart logo

Hello Heart is a clinically-based smartphone solution for patients to track, understand and improve their chronic conditions. Users are able to build healthy tracking habits and improve their health in real time with an easy-to-use smartphone application. Our solution empowers users to identify health risks in time and potentially save lives.

Founded in 2013, they have cultivated a transparent, collaborative and fun company culture with a strong, go-getter team, driven to change the way patients address their health.


logo black x

RapidSOS is a technology company in the emergency communications field, providing life-saving data from millions of connected devices directly to 9-1-1 and first responders, resulting in a more effective response for over 150 million emergencies annually.

Whether it’s a connected car in a crash, a smart home during a fire, a wearable in a medical incident, or a mobile app during a natural disaster, information from IoT devices can transform emergency response. RapidSOS puts situational emergency data in the hands of 9-1-1 and first responders to help them save more lives.


freewill

FreeWill is an online service that provides legal forms and legal information. FreeWill is an award-winning social venture founded by graduate students at Stanford University in 2016, with the help and support of many of the world’s leading experts in law, design, and philanthropy.The company is making estate planning warm, accessible, and totally free – so that you can more easily care for the people and causes you love.


gallant

Gallant’s mission is to advance the field of stem cell medicine, and bring its life-changing treatments to pets everywhere. The Gallant team is a collective of respected veterinarians, scientists, and dedicated entrepreneurs whos work is the result of over 100 yeats of regenerative medicine experiences and a commitment to invest millions into the future of stem cell therapies.


clara logo v

Clara Health developed a platform for patients to find clinical trials that fit them best and connect them with the researchers in need of patients. From Forbes 30 under 30 2018: “One of the biggest costs in drug development is finding patients for clinical trials. Sol Chen and Evan Ehrenberg’s Clara Health is working to streamline the process, like a Match.com for patients and experimental treatments.”


We hope you have a great holiday weekend!

Related Articles

Influencer & Media Agencies
September 14 • Thought Leadership

Fireside Chat: What Underwriters Look for in Influencer & Media Agencies

Discover how influencer & media agencies protect against copyright bot lawsuits, manage creator risks, and leverage specialized E&O insurance as a secret sales weapon to win major enterprise client deals.

AI_liability_risks
September 11 • Thought Leadership

Will Your D&O Policy Protect You From Your LLM? Lessons from OpenAI and Microsoft

Explore how recent high-profile lawsuits against tech giants expose severe AI liability risks for founders, making specialized D&O insurance and strict safety governance essential to protect corporate assets.

Startup_Lawsuits_2025
March 31 • Thought Leadership

Unicorns in Court: The Biggest Startup Lawsuits of 2025

As “move fast and break things” yields to “document everything,” the legal precedents of 2025 have fundamentally rewritten the startup playbook. Discover how AI-washing, data provenance, and agentic liability are shaping the 2026 investment landscape.

2026-Technology-Insurance-Pricing-Trends
January 7 • Thought Leadership

Technology Insurance Pricing Trends 2026: Navigating the Evolving Landscape

Analyze the latest tech insurance pricing trends 2026 to navigate softening rates, mandatory security controls, and emerging generative AI risks.

healthcare MA trends
June 25 • Thought Leadership

Rewriting the Script: How Gen AI Is Influencing Healthcare M&A Trends

Generative AI is transforming healthcare, especially clinical documentation. This fuels healthcare M&A trends, but demands strong due diligence to mitigate bias, privacy, and compliance risks.

Tech IPOs
May 21 • Thought Leadership

Tech IPOs 2025: The Changing Face of Public Offerings

Startups are shifting from traditional IPOs to M&As amid a slow 2025 for tech IPOs. Discover how companies like Anthropic, Wiz, and Monzo are thriving, and what the future holds for public offerings.