Open Air Equity Partners

Capital for connecting people and things

Open Air Equity Partners describes its purpose as providing capital for connecting people and things to achieve transformational results. It is an equity investor, and the main content of its site is a set of profiles of companies it has partnered with, covering payments, data, retail, travel and mobile. The profiles are older and some of the details may have moved on, so they are best read as a record of the kinds of business the firm has chosen.

Exchanges and marketplaces

Two holdings are built as exchanges. C2FO operates a collaborative global exchange for working capital, through which buyers and suppliers accelerate payment between them and raise profit. CommerceSignals runs a real-time exchange for transaction data, where businesses can optimize and monetize their data assets through a marketplace that matches buyers and sellers by relevance and use.

Retail and gifting

Gift Card Impressions provides packaging and merchandising for gift cards. It builds customized, brand-differentiating concepts meant to increase gift card sales at third-party points of purchase, in a company's own stores and online, and it describes using the latest technologies to make gift giving more memorable and personal.

Connectivity and devices

Gogo turns a commercial airplane into a Wi-Fi hotspot so passengers can browse the web, check email, send instant messages and reach a corporate VPN from laptops, phones and similar devices. The profile notes the company went public in 2013. HYLA Mobile, formerly eRecyclingCorps, captures and resells used mobile phones, with the aim of helping consumers realize the residual value of their old devices through a reliable and responsible collection and distribution process.

Mobile software

InSequent offers a mobile marketing platform for local and small businesses. It converts an existing desktop website into a mobile version from a web address in a short time, includes a simple content management system, and adds an SMS suite with keywords, short codes, QR codes, mobile coupons and opt-in widgets. It sells directly and through channel partners.

Other holdings on the page

The page goes on to describe an agriculture data analytics company working on crop yield data, an operating system for the internet of things, a third-party logistics firm and a card payments business.

Open Air Equity Partners is an equity investor whose stated aim is to supply capital for connecting people and things. Its site profiles a group of technology and services companies it has backed.

Services

• Working capital exchange: C2FO runs a marketplace where buyers and suppliers speed up cash flow between themselves.
• Data exchange: CommerceSignals lets businesses trade transaction data in real time.
• Gift card merchandising: Gift Card Impressions designs packaging and displays for gift card sales.
• Inflight internet: Gogo turns aircraft into Wi-Fi hotspots for passengers.
• Mobile device recycling: HYLA Mobile collects and resells used phones.
• Mobile marketing software: InSequent converts websites for mobile and adds text-message tools for local businesses.

Customers and markets

The firm partners with companies in payments, data, retail, travel and mobile.