Mark Gavigan

Prose-fessional ● Public Relator

Blog Posts & Newsletters

Mailchimp • August 2026

The Ridget Spinner: Summer 2026

The summer 2026 edition of "The Ridget Spinner," a newsletter recapping the latest news from Ridge Ventures.

LinkedIn • May 2026

Flip Series A: Voice AI Goes Vertical

Hold the phone—a vertical approach to Voice AI customer service? With measurable traction and oodles of satisfied users? No flipping way.

Medium • May 2024

GoodDay: The Solution to Your #ERProblems

GoodDay supplants legacy ERP systems that haven’t meaningfully improved since the days of boy bands and frosted tips.

Deduce • September 2023

The New Bonnie and Clyde: SuperSynthetic Identities

First came the synthetic “Frankenstein” identities consisting of real and fake PII data. Now banks are battling the next iteration: SuperSynthetic identities.

Moonstruct (Substack) • February 2023

Canada Dry: A Case for Further Revitalizing Canada’s Tech Scene

Some hot takes on the roadblocks keeping the Canadian tech scene from reaching its full potential.

LinkedIn • May 2026

The Ridget Spinner: Summer 2025

The summer 2025 edition of "The Ridget Spinner," a newsletter recapping the latest news from Ridge Ventures.

Moonstruct (Substack) • June 2023

Why Construction Needs a Figma-like Facelift

Construction project management needs an upgrade. Most enterprises still plan and schedule construction projects using the Gantt chart, a tool that pre-dates the Great Depression.

Medium • November 2023

OfferFit: The Smarter, Faster A/B Testing Alternative

It’s been real, A/B testing. But your spot in the lifecycle marketing tool kit has officially been replaced by OfferFit: a smarter, faster, and far more adaptable experimentation solution.

Medium • November 2022

Streamline AI Optimizes Legal Operations (and Beyond)

Streamline turbocharges efficiency for legal departments that have been deprived of technological innovation since the 'Pelican Brief' days.

Medium • March 2019

MaintainX Raises $3.8 Million for Its “Xtraordinary” Workflow Automation Platform

A Star Wars-themed blog post for MaintainX’s seed round.

Cervin Ventures • May 2026

Store of the Future: Why Cervin’s Investment in AiFi is Worth Checking Out

AiFi's in-store solution eliminates checkout lines and increases bottom lines.

Deduce • September 2023

Identity Verification Has a Deepfake Problem

An old-school approach could be the answer for finservs battling deepfakes and SuperSynthetic identities.

Medium • December 2020

2020 Ridge Rewind

The 2020 edition of "The Ridge Rewind," an annual newsletter recapping the biggest news from Ridge Ventures over the past year.

Medium • January 2020

Remembering Leila Janah, Founder & CEO of Samasource

An “in memoriam” blog post celebrating the life of Leila Janah, the late founder/CEO of Samasource.

Thought Leadership

So You Want to Build an AI Company?

The 10 steps to building an AI company.

5 ways construction tech founders can win in 2024

Construction tech founders who solve the most critical priorities for general contractors — building on budget, on time, and on scope — are well-positioned for growth.

How to explain WTF your company does when no one’s listening

“What exactly does your company do?” Nailing this all-important question is more critical than ever. How does a founder hit all the right notes without losing investor or customer attention?

How to buy an AI solution the right way: 7 questions new customers should consider

A high-level guide for evaluating an AI-based solution as a potential customer — an enterprise buyer scorecard, if you will.

Tips and Considerations for Artists Interested in Selling Their Catalog

Big-name musical acts are selling their catalogs, rights and intellectual property to music royalties firms for big bucks. Can lesser-known artists get in on the action?

How to approach customer discovery as an early-stage startup (and beyond)

Some tips for approaching customer discovery in the early days and as your company scales.

To achieve enterprise sales success, tailor your approach to CIOs

Technology vendors who have been successful over the long term all have something in common: they know how to sell to chief information officers.

3 keys to pricing early-stage SaaS products

Early pricing discussions should center around the buyer’s perspective and the value the product creates for them.

Sell Side Of OTT Ads Should Not Differ From Linear TV

In this age of digital transformation, why is the sell-side of OTT advertising so different from that of linear TV? How can ad sales execs differentiate their OTT inventory?

PR Coverage

Forbes • May 2026

Forbes 30 Under 30: Kamil Saeid

Landed Ridge Ventures Principal Kamil Saeid on the Forbes 30 Under 30.

San Francisco Business Times • May 2026

40 Under 40: Akriti Dokania

Landed Ridge Ventures partner Akriti Dokania on the San Francisco Business Times 40 Under 40.

CNBC • June 2016

CNBC Disruptor 50: Ezetap

Landed Ezetap, "the Square of India," on the CNBC Disruptor 50 (#3!).

The Daily Mail • July 2018

Nanit baby camera loved by Kim Kardashian is changing parenting

One of many news hits for Nanit after Kim Kardashian named it her favorite baby monitor.

TechCrunch • July 2017

H2O.ai's Driverless AI automates machine learning for businesses

TechCrunch coverage of H2O.ai's Driverless AI product.

The Verge • June 2016

The Nanit camera watches and studies your baby’s sleep patterns

Verge coverage of Nanit, a computer vision-powered baby monitor.

Business Insider • September 2019

An early AngelList alumni is launching a new group at Ridge Ventures that aims to remove personal biases from early-stage tech investing

Business Insider exclusive announcing Ridge Ventures' new partner.

Forbes • May 2026

Forbes Fintech 50: Signifyd

Landed Signifyd, a fraud prevention solution, on the Forbes Fintech 50.

TechCrunch • September 2016

Google acquires API.AI, a company helping developers build bots that aren't awful to talk to

TechCrunch coverage of the API.ai acquisition (now known as Dialogflow).

VentureBeat • May 2026

MaintainX raises $3.8 million to power OSHA-compliant communication for frontline workers

VentureBeat exclusive covering MaintainX launch and seed round.

TechCrunch • September 2016

Signifyd raises $19 million to help with online fraud protection

TechCrunch coverage of Signifyd's $19M funding round.

Engadget • June 2016

Nanit's baby monitor offers wearable-free sleep tracking - Engadget

More Nanit coverage in Engadget.

Yahoo Finance • May 2026

At Nvidia's annual GTC conference, AI played a major role.

H2O.ai, an AI cloud solution, featured in a Yahoo Finance video at NVIDIA's GTC Conference.

Rafay Launches Kubernetes Management SaaS With NTT as a Customer

Coverage for Rafay's Series A in SDxCentral, a reputable IT trade outlet.

Copywriting

Feel Therapeutics • May 2026

Feel Therapeutics

I wrote the website and app store copy for Feel Therapeutics, which monitors your mental health via a wearable band.

Commerce Ventures • May 2026

Commerce Ventures

I wrote the website copy for Commerce Ventures, A VC firm specializing in payments, retail, and fintech writ large.

Google Drive • May 2026

What's Up With My Login?

Deduce, a cybersecurity company, enlisted me to write and record a rap song about multi-factor authentication.

Sobmittable

I created Sobmittable, a parody of Submittable, the de facto portal for literary submissions. The snarky X account supports writers lamenting their latest "declined" notification.

Press Releases

Business Wire • April 2023

Ridge Ventures Raises $180 Million Fifth Fund Series, the Largest in the Firm’s History

Announcing Ridge Ventures' $180M fifth fund.

Cision PR Newswire • September 2025

Tato Raises $5M to Fix ERP Implementations with AI-Native Platform

Funding press release for Tato's $5M seed round.

WebWire • May 2026

Ridge Ventures Partner Akriti Dokania to Speak at Emerging Tech Venture Summit

Announcing Akriti Dokania as a presenter at Emerging Tech Venture Summit.

Business Wire • January 2022

Chisel, the Leading Primary App for Product Managers, Raises $1.5 Million Pre-Seed Round Led by Array Ventures

Funding announcement for Chisel Labs (acquired by Pendo in 2026).

Cision PR Newswire • September 2022

Theom Raises $16 Million Seed Round to Change the Future of Cloud Data Security

Press release for Theom's $16M seed round.

Business Wire • January 2023

Ridge Ventures Names David F. Anderson Partner

New hire press release for Ridge Ventures partner David Anderson.

Music Journalism

EARMILK • May 2026

Teddi Gold radiates kaleidoscopic vibes on “Technicolor” [Video Premiere]

Teddi Gold's music video for "Technicolor" oozes with brio, bounce, and all the ROYGBIV you can handle.

HotNewHipHop • May 2026

Review: Mac Miller's "GO:OD AM"

Album review of Mac Miller's 'GO:OD AM.'

EARMILK • May 2026

Janet Batch is irresistibly melancholic on “Radio”

Rust Belt crooner Janet Batch stomps her boots onto the pages of EARMILK with "Radio," a slow, deliberate country tune packed with poignant vocals that echo long after the song ends.

EARMILK • May 2026

Steve Spiffler spits blood, sweat and tears on ‘Weekends Are 4 Boom Bap’ [Premiere]

On 'Weekends Are 4 Boom Bap,' Steve Spiffler avoids braggadocio punchlines and gives us front row seats to his everyday hustle.

HotNewHipHop • May 2026

Top 10 Moments From The 2015 MTV VMAs

The top 10 notable moments (both good and bad) from the not-so-hip-hop 2015 VMAs.

EARMILK • May 2026

Shwayze discusses ‘King Of The Summer’ EP, the freedom of indie life [Interview]

My interview with Shwayze, the artist behind the summer classic "Corona And Lime."

Creative Writing

n+1 • March 2025

Mobbin’

A narrative nonfiction story about my sophomore year of high school, when a group of teenage gang members systematically took control of my house.

HuffPost • August 2019

Why I’m Mourning The Death Of My Hedgehog As Much As Any Dog Or Cat

An homage to Boba, my late African pygmy hedgehog.