Sequoia Backs Signals Group, Leading $15 Million Series B Funding Round

NEW YORK, Oct. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Signals Group, a data analytics company that delivers intelligence and insights to Fortune 500 companies to support product development strategy, today announced it has raised $15 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Sequoia with participation from existing investor TPY Capital. Shmil Levy, a partner at Sequoia Capital Israel, will join the Signals board.

Signals stands out for its ability to support corporate decision-making by turning 'big data' into actionable insights for strategic commercial decisions. This is powered by an intelligence software platform that Signals developed to quickly transform multiple external data and unstructured data sources covering consumers, markets, and technologies into tangible insights on how to grow products and brands. 

"There is tremendous potential for strategic insights to be derived from external big data – yet most data science remains in the proverbial lab and is not made actionable for decision makers," said Gil Sadeh, co-founder and CEO of Signals.  "Our goal was to harness the power of external big data to produce high-level business insights that are immediately actionable for business leaders.  With support from Sequoia, Signals will continue to work with the greatest minds in data and computer science to develop a wider analytic portfolio designed for the Board room."

Signals was founded in 2009 by two former military intelligence officers; Gil Sadeh and Kobi Gershoni, co-founder and Chief Research Officer.  Sadeh and Gershoni built Signals on military intelligence methods to study and correlate external data, connect faint signals, and provide valuable insights quickly. By applying that military methodology to re-imagine and automate market research, Signals not only rivals but outpaces traditional methods. Corporate practitioners now have access to insights to identify opportunities quickly - from market white space and desired product features to innovations in technology and materials. This disruptive approach can provide a much-needed competitive advantage, enabling corporations to make smarter and faster decisions than would be possible with traditional research and consulting firms.  

"We have long recognized a huge market opportunity to use big data insights to augment existing business intelligence tools and to improve the quality of strategic decision-making," said Shmil Levy, partner at Sequoia Capital Israel and new Signals board member.  "Signals is bringing the talent, expertise and the technology needed to make this vision a reality."

Signals is helping leading companies develop products across a range of industries including life sciences, pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer packaged goods, and food and beverage. With this new stage of funding, Signals is growing their US-offices led by Gershoni and expanding their analytics portfolio to serve a wider range of clients. 

"We're delighted to have Sequoia join us in Signals' journey to help executives make better, faster decisions," said Chairman of the Board Guy Yamen of TPY Capital, which led Series A funding. "Paired with Sequoia's vast experience in growing analytics software businesses, the funds raised will help Signals reach more companies with its unparalleled offering."

About Signals:
Signals Group is an Israeli company that specializes in new product development innovation, bringing the best practices of military intelligence and powerful data analytics to businesses around the globe. Signals works with over fifty Fortune 1,000 companies worldwide, and key customers include Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, and PepsiCo.

By constantly collecting, analyzing and connecting disparate external data sources, Signals' intelligence platform provides critical, business insights to decision makers quickly, identifying (among other things): Unmet needs, competitor activity, innovative technology and materials, and more. In a corporate world still heavily reliant on slow, outdated methods to inform product innovation, this actionable intelligence offers a significant advantage to enhance a product's success in the market.

For more information, visit http://www.signalsgroup.com   

About Sequoia Capital:
The Sequoia team helps a small number of daring founders build legendary companies. We spur them to push the boundaries of what's possible. In partnering with Sequoia, companies benefit from our unmatched community and the lessons we've learned over 40 years working with Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, John Morgridge, Jerry Yang, Elon Musk, Larry Page, Jan Koum, Brian Chesky, Drew Houston, Adi Tatarko and Jack Dorsey, among many others. In aggregate, Sequoia-backed companies account for more than 20% of NASDAQ's total value. We're proud that their success also fuels great causes. The vast majority of money we invest is on behalf of non-profits and schools like the Ford Foundation, Mayo Clinic and MIT, which means that the returns generated from the incredible achievements of founders can make a massive difference.

About TPY Capital: TPY Capital is an investment firm dedicated to the growth of its technology portfolio companies. Since its inception in 2011, when it was formed by the Tache family, Dekel Persi and Guy Yamen, TPY Capital has deployed dozen of millions of dollars to fuel the global expansion and R&D innovation of the companies it invested in.

SOURCE Signals Group