Crosshatch raises $2.7M to launch public beta of its personalization platform

By Riley Kaminer

Crosshatch, a Miami-based startup developing an identity layer for personalization, today announced the launch of its public beta and a successful initial funding round of $2.7 million.

The pre-seed round was led by Village Global, with participation from Rackhouse VC, 640 Oxford, Baselayer, and investors including Adobe Chief Strategy Officer Scott Belsky and OpenStore co-founder Michael Rubenstein. CEO Soren Larson was excited about the support from these investors, noting that their experience and belief in the need for a new internet identity layer aligned with Crosshatch’s vision.

Founded in 2023 by Larson and Jesse Halpern, Crosshatch aims to solve a growing problem for consumers and brands alike: how to deliver personalized experiences across multiple services while maintaining control over their own data?

“Our digital lives are fragmented across hundreds of apps and services that we use,” Larson said in an interview with Renew Miami.

“No platform has enough visibility to really predict our needs,” he added, reflecting on how this challenge frustrated the Walmart data team he previously worked with.

Crosshatch’s platform allows users to pool their data and preferences across apps, unlocking hyper-personalized experiences without sacrificing privacy. Whether shopping on an e-commerce site, planning a trip, or streaming a new TV show, Crosshatch enables services to deliver content and recommendations tailored to each user’s unique preferences.

This ability to “carry your context” across digital platforms is at the heart of Crosshatch’s offering. Unlike traditional approaches where businesses must build expensive infrastructure to achieve personalization, Crosshatch integrates seamlessly with just a few lines of code, making it an attractive option for businesses.

The startup has already attracted early interest from companies in sectors such as grocery, retail and travel. These industries, which must manage deep inventories and large SKU counts, see Crosshatch as a way to present more relevant product recommendations to customers while also complying with growing privacy regulations.

“We’re working with a Brooklyn startup that wants to anticipate customers’ needs by connecting their grocery orders, calendar events and other context to make the shopping experience more intuitive,” Larson said.

Crosshatch is part of the “OpenStore Mafia,” a group of former employees of the Miami unicorn who have founded their own venture capital firms. Halpern and Larson met while working at OpenStore.

“We embraced Keith Rabois’ idea of ​​vertically integrating a fragmented market with poor customer satisfaction to deliver a simplified value proposition. We’re essentially following his advice to the letter,” Larson explained.

For now, the startup is focused on scaling its technology, improving the latency of its services and expanding the number of data sources users can connect to their accounts. “We’re creating an internet where users can project their data wherever they go, transforming the digital experience into something truly personalized,” Larson said.

Miami plays a key role in Crosshatch’s growth and vision. Larson emphasized how the city’s unique mix of entrepreneurial energy and lifestyle has made it the ideal place to build the company.

“Miami’s beach and lifestyle are unique. I’ve enjoyed building here,” Larson said. “Keith Rabois is right: When you’re stressed at work, it makes a big difference to live in a place where even your commute is beautiful. I’ve really enjoyed it and I’m very happy to be building in Miami.”

Photo at the top of the post: Crosshatch co-founders Soren Larson (CEO) and Jesse Halpern (CTO).

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I am a Miami-based technology researcher and writer with a passion for sharing stories about the South Florida tech ecosystem. I especially enjoy learning about GovTech startups, cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence, and innovators using technology to change society for the better. Always open for pitches on Twitter @rileywk or www.RileyKaminer.com.

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