Pearl Certification Closes Funding Round

VIENNA, Va., Jan. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pearl Certification jump-started 2018 by closing on the final $225,000 of its $1.75 million Series Seed 2 raise. The round includes Charlottesville, VA-based investors with interest and expertise in cleantech, and New York City based investors focused on firms with high growth potential. Several of the investors also participated in Pearl's 2016 Series Seed 1 round.

"We're delighted to have the confidence and support of these seasoned investors," said Pearl CEO Cynthia Adams. "We've made great progress in the past year, and their investment signals continued enthusiasm for Pearl's potential to become the leading player in residential energy efficiency certification."

Pearl Certification was founded by energy efficiency and residential construction experts with the goal of developing a simple way to help homeowners make their homes more comfortable, healthy and energy efficient. Pearl is using these funds to staff-up its real estate and contractor sales channels, and to provide support services for its customers.

Pearl's most recent hire, Joseph Gentile, joined Pearl as VP of National Sales Strategy. Under Mr. Gentile's leadership, Pearl launched its Broker Advantage program in November.  This program provides top-tier real estate brokers with the training and tools to identify high-performing homes and market them effectively once they have received Pearl Certification. Pearl Certification has been shown to add an average of 5% to the sales price of a home.

In addition, Pearl hired Amy Beley, VP of Contractor Services and Bethany Profaizer, VP of Contractor Sales to lead its contractor channel. Under Beley and Profaizer's leadership, Pearl's Contractor Advantage Network was launched in the fall of 2017.

"Each of our new senior hires is recognized as an accomplished leader in their field," said President and COO Robin LeBaron. "We're proud to work with this outstanding team, and look forward to achieving great things in 2018."

Pearl anticipates closing on a Series A later in 2018 that will provide the resources for full national expansion. Pearl is currently certifying homes in California, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Washington DC, and Wisconsin.

About Pearl Certification - Pearl Certification certifies homes' high-performing features, including energy efficient and renewable energy features. Pearl is an ENERGY STAR partner, an NAR REach Technology Accelerator company, and has a licensing agreement with the Appraisal Institute to populate the Institute's Green and Energy Efficient Addendum.

SOURCE Pearl Certification