Sandpiper Ventures

Lumma is a global accelerator program designed to help founders and operators build, scale, and expand high-potential businesses into sustainable, internationally competitive companies. Founded with the vision of creating globally connected accelerator ecosystems, Lumma operates structured accelerator programs that combine execution-focused mentorship, market-driven strategy, and performance management. Our model enables local operators to run accelerators in their own markets while remaining aligned with a unified global framework. By connecting founders, investors, corporate partners, and regional ecosystems, Lumma accelerates growth, strengthens execution, and supports long-term value creation. Our approach balances global standards with local insight, allowing businesses to scale efficiently and responsibly across markets.

Phira Ventures is a Lisbon and New York based venture studio, partnering with exceptional talent to build businesses that deliver tangible value to communities and markets. We provide ideas, capital, and operational firepower to help bring a vision to life. Finding outstanding talent Find young, talented aspiring entrepreneurs who are very driven and would love to run their own business but have no good business ideas, access to capital or talent or a co-founder team. We will provide ideas (we have plenty!), capital, co-founders and an infrastructure to get a venture off the ground fast. We provide plenty of training, mentoring and an access to a network. What we expect in return? Dedication, an unshakeable will to succeed and a growth mindset. Investing in smart founders We invest in founders who already have a concept or even an existing startup but need both capital and some targeted support. E.g. in marketing, finance, legal, supply chain, software & design, product development, recruitment, international expansion or general strategy. Here we would seek to be most helpful investors on a startup's cap table. Incubate bold ideas ‍We completely incubate a venture ourselves. In some cases, we will have enough team capacity to build a business from scratch without finding a founder. We have many oven-ready ideas and have developed a lean and fast go to market strategy. We know what it takes to build We sit at the intersection of entrepreneurship and venture capital. As entrepreneurs, we know what it takes to build from the ground up: the uncertainty, the learning, the perseverance. As investors, we bring capital, structure, and a long-term view, grounded in the reality of building real companies. Investors who’ve been in the founder’s seat This dual perspective is what makes Phira different. We aim to be the most helpful investors on any cap table We don’t just advise from afar; we roll up our sleeves, apply our operational expertise, and help founders navigate the challenges we’ve faced firsthand.

We are active investors; we develop collaborative partnerships and share our investment experience with the companies we invest in to support their entrepreneurial spirit and ambitions We invest in early-stage companies that are well-positioned to benefit from a deeper relationship with PULSAR We run the leading venture capital accelerator worldwide and operate the PULSAR venture platform, reducing the barriers of entry for next generation investors to launch and grow meaningful early-stage investment firms

Can a country achieve further development when not failing is valued more than taking on a challenge? Should entrepreneurs waste their time on financing rather than working to fulfill their dreams? In 2019, Delight Ventures was founded as a venture capital firm aiming to help startups and entrepreneurs emerge from Japan and go out into the world. Founded by an entrepreneur who developed DeNA from zero to a major tech company, the firm now attempts to make use of that knowledge for Japan's future – to support startups who are about to create great value for society, and entrepreneurs passionate about making their visions a reality. Now is the time to create business that moves the world with us. 5 Promises Delight Ventures is an independent venture capital firm by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs, and we have committed to the following five promises to support entrepreneurs and produce large-scale businesses. We will sincerely engage in our work with a high ethical standard on the basis of these five promises. Entrepreneurs first: This is what we value most. We stand on the side of the entrepreneur, put their success as our top priority, and give our all to supporting them. We build on the practical business experience of Tomoko Namba who built the now large company DeNA from the ground up, and will consult as needed, being an equal partner to help entrepreneurs strive towards global scale business expansion. Speedy decision-making: We are an independent venture capital firm able to make decisions ourselves. This enables us to make speedy decisions, with no need to demand strategic synergy. We support entrepreneurs by ensuring they are not exhausted by the back and forth of fundraising and instead can focus their valuable time on making their vision come true. Future value over short-term profits: We often hear that other venture capital firms tend to push for a quick listing on the stock exchange, or make contracts that require executives to make stock purchases or personal guarantees. We give our all to supporting entrepreneurs who take on the challenge of creating major value, rather than focusing on short-term profits. Our mission is to maximize the mid to long term business, and we pay close attention to make sure our contracts are not against the interests of the entrepreneur. Failure is valuable: We put a premium value on people who have experienced failure. Entrepreneurs who have experienced failure are better positioned to learn from that experience and achieve great success on their next try. Our wish is to support entrepreneurs courageous enough to go off the beaten path, and we want to be a solid foundation for them to devote their attention to taking on new challenges. Global standard: We aim to support entrepreneurs who are trying to create great value for society. At times, Japanese customs may become a bottleneck for that goal. We provide knowhow about global standards to startups, and work with them to strive towards global scale business expansion.

Pinecone is a "venture studio" – a company dedicated to building impactful businesses by collaborating with driven founders. We focus on turning ambitious ideas into successful and meaningful ventures. STUDIO VS. INCUBATOR/ACCELERATOR – WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? Unlike incubators and accelerators, venture studios generate their own ideas, create startups from scratch, provide funding, recruit founders, and actively participate in operations without a fixed timeline. Studios also assume a significant portion of the responsibilities and risks associated with ideation, validation, and launch, making them more deeply involved in the long-term success of their startups compared to other startup support models. WHY CO-FOUND WITH PINECONE? Co-founding with Pinecone is akin to getting 10+ co-founders on your team, for the "price" of one. Through mentorship, network and access to capital, we greatly increase your chances – and speed – of success. WHO CAN CO-FOUND WITH PINECONE? We partner with people who are determined to create something big, something meaningful. You should possess an unfair advantage, whether industry insights, skills or network/distribution. We mainly base our decision on trust, a shared vision and ambition are must-haves. We also look for traits like: resilience, adaptability, resourcefulness, curiosity, humility, passion, and drive. Last, but not least, we consider the ability to rally people behind a vision, a rare, yet decisive, skill. CAN PINECONE INVEST IN MY STARTUP? While our main focus is to build companies from scratch, with or without a co-founder from the start, we occasionally will look at investment opportunities that align with our portfolio. Such strategic investments should bring value to our existing portfolio companies or vice versa. WHERE IS PINECONE LOCATED? Pinecone is based in Oslo, Norway. However, we operate globally with partners of several nationalities and locations, and we invest and build companies globally, too.

We fund early stage ventures determined to change the way we live and do business. We are doers, here to help you grow Having been at the forefront of technological innovations, we hold a passion that matches yours to solve problems, sometimes, in unconventional ways. We believe in questioning the status quo, doing the right thing, and getting stuff done efficiently while pushing onward and upward. Accelerating innovation in SoCal and beyond We think Los Angeles is an optimal place to build a company, and also enjoy life. We are committed to pushing innovation in Southern California, but support founders across the globe.