The Lab Ventures

XRC Labs runs programs that bring together entrepreneurs, investors, brands and retailers to foster rapid innovation and unlock new opportunities in retail. We select startups that are positioned to create significant change in the retail or consumer goods industries. Startups receive capital, mentoring, operational support, and exclusive access to a prestigious network of entrepreneurs, investors, and seasoned industry leaders. They graduate from XRC Labs with solid business plans and a priceless new network. Mission Our mission is to foster companies and products that innovate the face of retail and consumer goods fulfillment in a rapidly changing marketplace using design thinking as a key driving process. Vision The XRC Labs vision is to be at the forefront of change, disrupting the conventional system of supply chain, promoting the best experience for consumers and producers, and creating an ecosystem that matches partners for success. At XRC We… Embrace sustainability so the Earth we leave to future generations is a better place than when we inhabited it Advocate for moderate consumption to promote a flight to quality and legacy - less is more, for a longer period of time Endorse economic well-being that fosters a global improvement in the economic condition of participants in the global economy Demand integrity, honesty, and fairness in our internal and external relationships Recognize and nurture excellence in people, technology and products Mentor the next generation of innovators Share and exchange ideas in an open forum to generate new solutions Encourage solutions from multiple sectors, applied to retail and consumer products Why It Matters Design really matters. Consumers are buying products and shopping at omnichannel stores that deliver a great experience. Disruptive companies are more likely to be founded by designers than by hard-core technologists. Even though the retail world still dwarfs ecommerce in size it will be more and more influenced by software and great design. The old bricks vs. clicks question isn’t relevant anymore. Customers want a single, well-designed experience for the products they use and the shops they visit, both online and offline. The facts speak for themselves: 71 percent of consumers want access to in-store inventory when shopping online 50 percent of consumers expect to buy online and pick up in-store Nearly 50 percent of in-store retail sales are influenced or start online, representing nearly $2 trillion in commerce An omnichannel, ubiquitous, and well-designed experience is the new norm. As companies like Warby Parker, Bonobos, and Athleta demonstrate, an online experience is not sufficient for many customers. Customers expect a common, branded, and engaging experience, everywhere. The new rule is: one brand, one experience. Despite the size of the opportunity, both building a brand online and selling to retail offline is really hard. The brand has to engage, resonate, and compel people to buy, immediately. And yet the needs of each channel – online, mobile, offline – are very different. New entrants into consumer and retail markets need specialized expertise and light-speed innovation. Failing hyperfast and nanosecond reinvention are just table stakes.

An investment fund dedicated to partnering with entrepreneurs transforming the future of health through innovation and technology.

Morpheus Ventures is a venture capital fund that invests in early stage companies and helps them avoid traditional roadblocks on their path to hyper-growth. Our CEOs regularly seek our guidance because our team is made up of specialists across various disciplines that can serve as professional problem solvers when complex situations arise. Do you have that one friend you can call Friday at midnight when you need real help? That’s us; we’re experts at navigating times of challenge, from inception through all phases of growth. Consider the biggest roadblocks that can derail a company as they scale. The way we see the world, gone are the days when startups simply have a clear and linear path from Series A to unicorn. Nowadays, something or someone will try to block their path – a competitor, regulator, customer, rogue employee, or attorney general. That’s where we come in. We’re a team of former CEOs, operators, specialists, engineers, and legal experts trained at startup complexity, and we’re here to help.

Seedstars Africa Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund investing in high-growth companies active across Sub-Saharan Africa. Early-stage entrepreneurs across the region are creating innovative online and offline models responding to critical products and service needs. They enjoy large market opportunities and boast high growth rates, and yet still have scarce access to capital and support compared to other regions of the World. Capitalizing on Seedstars’ pioneering presence in African entrepreneurship ecosystems since 2012, Seedstars Africa Ventures is profoundly an African investor bringing smart capital for entrepreneurs and providing them access to pan-African and international support. Seedstars Africa Ventures is anchored by and part of LBO France, regulated under the AMF. The partnership has benefitted from investments from EIB Global with EU support under the ACP trust fund - UE compartiment in the text. Our blended entrepreneur-focused approach, backed by major corporate and institutional investors, is what helps us create prosperous partnership opportunities and paths to exit for the companies we support.

We help visionary founders build the future. We are specialists Our expertise is what sets us apart. We apply our industry experience and knowledge of emerging technology to develop specific themes that guide our investments. We recognize greatness Our process is selective and primarily outbound. We look for founders at the forefront of fintech, deep tech, and enterprise technologies and move with speed and conviction when we find them. We are every-stage Our capital is flexible. We can enter and lead deals at any stage and can stay with a company through the entirety of their growth journey, from seed-stage to IPO. Our investments are grounded in thematic research and the expertise of our people Investing in the spaces we know best allows us the opportunity to be better partners to our portfolio companies. Fintech We back founders who are disrupting legacy fintech infrastructure, democratizing access to financial products, and providing new tools to financial services consumers. Deep Tech We focus on the real-world application of groundbreaking technologies, including robotics, next-generation manufacturing, and self-learning algorithms. Enterprise We invest in the decentralized future of business through companies specializing in cybersecurity and enterprise applications. We are expert capital Point72 Ventures is a global venture capital fund that builds on Steven A. Cohen’s decades of public and private market investing experience. We are primarily based in New York and Menlo Park, with team members across the U.S. and Europe. We are a diverse group of domain specialists who really like what we do.

We are a group of dedicated investors, entrepreneurs and technologists with decades of experience investing in high growth technology companies. We thrive on working alongside entrepreneurs and management teams as partners executing on a plan. Integrity, transparency and alignment are the guiding values that drive us.