True Ventures Leads $12 Million Investment in Brava

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 20, 2016 -- Brava, a new startup, announced its formation and the initial closing of $12 million in financing led by Silicon Valley-based True Ventures. Other Series A investors include Chris Anderson, who curates and runs the TED conference and Rob Reid, founder of the Rhapsody music service along with Aileen Lee, founder and partner at Cowboy Ventures.

The Brava executive team in Silicon Valley, Calif.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ac9ee37c-6486-4b47-89ed-b22d480b0281

Silicon Valley veteran John Pleasants joins forces with former colleague Dan Yue and serial hardware entrepreneur Thomas Cheng to bring you Brava, a startup that’s on a mission to significantly impact people’s home lives by removing stress from and enabling more enjoyment of their daily activities.

“The home is ripe for meaningful automation,” said Pleasants, who joins Brava from Samsung where he held the role of executive vice president of Media Solutions. “Automation is meaningful when it combines hardware and software services to save people material time and energy in their daily lives, all the while enhancing their fulfillment in areas that families are deeply passionate about.  And we’ll start with cooking and food.”

True Ventures co-founder Jon Callaghan said, “John’s accomplishments in tech, digital media and executive leadership thus far have primed him for founding a company that will influence how we go about our daily lives in years to come. Supporting his venture was a no-brainer.”

Pleasants and Yue previously built social gaming pioneer Playdom where Pleasants led as CEO and Yue defined the charge as co-founder and chief procurement officer. Playdom was acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2010 for $563 million.

Pleasants has also served as co-president of Disney Interactive Media Group, chief operating officer of Electronic Arts and CEO of Ticketmaster. Yue is a co-founder and investor of meal kit delivery service Green Chef. Cheng was the technical co-founder of Streetline, a smart parking platform, and head of hardware at August, a smart lock startup.

Brava is currently seeking top-tier talent in software and hardware engineering, product, marketing and community development to join its growing team as it ambitiously pursues the domestic automation revolution.

About Brava
Brava is a Silicon Valley-based IoT and domestic automation company specializing in food and kitchen experiences.  Visit their website at www.bravahome.com. 

About True Ventures
Founded in 2005, True Ventures is a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm that invests in early-stage technology startups. With five funds and capital under management in excess of $1.3 billion, True provides seed and Series A funding to the most talented entrepreneurs in today’s fastest growing markets. With a mission to make the world a better place for entrepreneurs, True encourages each founder’s vision and has built resources to empower the employees, families and communities of its portfolio companies. The firm maintains a strong founder community and offers innovative educational opportunities to its portfolio, helping entrepreneurs achieve higher levels of success and impact. With more than 200 companies funded and multiple companies acquired, the current True portfolio has helped create over 8,500 jobs. To learn more about True Ventures, visit www.trueventures.com.

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