PORTFOLIO
Marketing Services

Next Generation Insurance Group (NGI) is a national insurance sales and marketing firm that enables consumers and organizations to manage risk affordably.  The firm is an authority on a complete portfolio of relevant, "right-fit" insurance products for specific life stages and life events.   The business also does business as Sallie Mae Insurance Services, which provides its life-stage insurance programs directly to colleges and universities and more than 23 million of Sallie Mae's customers.

NGI applies its expertise in affinity, collegiate, internet and young adult marketing to design and market specialty insurance programs.  With headquarters in Boston and Phoenix, NGI is committed to creating innovative consumer services and online destinations including GradGuard.com. 

Other NGI sites include, College Renters Insurance and  Student Health Plan

MassDrive LLC - MassDrive Direct Auto Insurance is based in Massachusetts and sells auto insurance exclusively to Massachusetts drivers.  The disruption of this nearly 4 Billion annual auto insurance market is certain to redistribute how more than $600 million in annual insurance commissions are paid by insurance carriers.   Just as important, MassDrive offers Massachusetts drivers both the choice in auto insurance that consumers deserve and the convenience of a direct service agency. 

Hopscotch Kids -  Hopscotch Kids is an opportunity where the founder is a true believer and dedicated to preserving the joys of being a "girl at play" through developing and distributing natural, safe, and non-toxic cosmetics and personal care products for young girls.   The market for her products is growing rapidly.   This is one of those great opportunities where the potential is real and where everyone involved may do well and do good at the same time. 

BzzAgent.com, through MPI, LLC, we invested in this highly regarded word-of-mouth marketing and research business. To stay on the leading edge of marketing trends we encourage you to register at www.BzzAgent.com.

Media Investments

The Arizona Citizen - this non-profit organization is supported by Access Ventures as a medium to unite Arizona Citizens and to help shape thoughtful discussions on the future of Arizona.

Martini Media - Some companies combine the best of a good idea, with the leadership necessary to fulfill its potential.   That describes why we backed The Martini Media Network.  Led by CEO Skip Brand and birthed in the labs of Venrock, the company has one goal: to corner the passionate, affluent consumer online. The result: a vibrant media network, serving high-end advertisers, quality publishers, and committed enthusiasts.    We like the affinity connection and believe that Skip will find his way to build this into an important solution for publishers and advertisers alike.

TheBump.com - This investment fit well with our interest in life-stage marketing companies.  In addition to providing local online and print guides to pregnant living, TheBump also provides highly designed services that focus on serving the upscale elements of the maternity and baby markets.  In addition to building out a multi-market media company and web presence, the firm also built a TheBump Rewards Program which is among the first of its kind serving the maternity markets.  The company was acquired in February of 2008 by TheKnot. 

Technology

We are also investors in a wireless services business - mig33 which is transforming the way wireless users communicate using their phones. mig33 allows you to make cheap calls, send inexpensive SMS messages and chat online with people, all using your mobile phone. But more than anything, mig33 is a mobile community that's connecting people from all over the globe, and helping users save on their phone bills. This company is growing rapidly around the world, and received $10 million in funding for its mobile Internet telephony and instant-messaging services from Accel Partners and RedPoint Ventures who led the first round investment, which included Technology Venture Partners.  

Through its investment in Ridgeline Ventures, we are also an early investor in Image Space Media, which is an in-image advertising network which provides a new way to generate value from photos and images within digital media.  

Education & Software

Atheneum Learning is the creation of a terrific academic and clinical thought leader in mental health, Dr. Edmund C. Neuhaus,PhD who founded the business to teach the most current and effective evidence-based treatment approaches in behavioral health. The breakthrough TRi Training System couples the content of these approaches with a best-in-class e-learning instructional technology to maximize learning effectiveness and ultimately produce better patient outcomes.


Flypaper - Flypaper is a terrific Phoenix-based company who has a simple goal to give everyday users the power to create engaging, flash-quality content in minutes.  Flypaper is the easiest way to create, edit, and share "Stories That Stick".  Now with Flypaper's free software and ever-growing Model Gallery, anyone can design and publish high-impact, flash-quality content live or over the web.  To learn more, view the Flypaper website www.flypaper.com

Expert Negotiator - We are also investors in a business that will transform the way negotiations are managed and evaluated by organizations around the world. ExpertNegotiator.com will become to negotiations what SalesForce.com is to contact management software. Stay tuned for updates.


Past Ventures

Partnerwise is an investment firm that specializes strategic investments in companies that will benefit from the identification and creation of strategic partnerships, executive consulting in the partnership arena, and executive recruiting of sales and marketing professionals.

Y2M:  Youth Media + Marketing Networks - (today it operates as College Media Network) Y2M is a strategic marketing services company that focuses exclusively on the college and recent graduate market. The company and its College Publisher Network of over 500 online college student newspapers was acquired by Viacom’s, MTV Networks in August of 2006.  To learn more about Y2M, view the website at www.y2m.com


eGrad - eGrad aims to be a trusted advisor to the 2.2 million graduating college students and the universities and companies that seek to serve them.  eGrad was also a successful direct marketer of student loans and was acquired by Collegiate Funding Services in April, 2004 (CFS & Y2M Announcement.pdf) and is now owned and operated by JPMorganChase. 


Ed-Loans MarketPlace  - Ed-Loans became the multi-product hub for affinity endorsed student loans and related services.  JPMorganChase acquired this business as part its acquisition of CFS in April of 2006.