500 Global is a multi-stage venture capital firm with $2.4 billion in assets under management. The firm invests in founders who are building fast-growing technology companies. It focuses on markets where technology, innovation, and capital can generate long-term value and economic growth. 500 Global collaborates with key stakeholders and provides advisory services to governments on fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems to support startups. The firm has invested in over 5,000 founders and more than 2,800 companies across 80+ countries. It has funded over 35 companies valued at more than $1 billion and over 160 companies valued at over $100 million, including those that are private, public, or have exited. The team consists of over 190 members based in more than 25 countries, with experience as entrepreneurs, investors, and operators from leading technology companies.

500 Global

Forefront Venture Partners invests in innovative post-revenue companies led by dynamic, growth-oriented entrepreneurs.  We invest $200k-$500k in Seed and Series A rounds.

Forefront Venture Partners

The Halcyon Incubator is committed to solving 21st century challenges by helping social entrepreneurs with audacious ideas incubate and accelerate social ventures with the capacity for measurable social change.  The Halcyon Incubator is an 18-month, 3-phase fellowship that offers extensive benefits such as 5 months of rent-free housing, 12 months of rent-free workspace, a stipend during the residency phase, one-on-one mentoring and leadership coaching, and more than 1,000 hours of advice from our legal, business, PR/marketing, and accounting partners.

Halcyon Incubator

Looking into the future of retail. Together.   An ecosystem connecting forward-thinking brands, retailers and CPGs with startups and technology influencing the retail industry.  We run a 3-month program, twice a year where we select 25-30 retail startups with a consortium of retail partners and VCs.  Startups are selected from around 2,000 retail startup applications sourced from around the world every year.

Plug and Play Brand & Retail

Craft Ventures is an early-stage and growth venture fund specializing in the craft of building great companies. Craft Ventures aims to support and scale innovative companies in various sectors including consumer, enterprise, and financial services. They often invest in companies with a strong founding team, a clear vision, and a scalable business model.

Craft Ventures

Valor Equity Partners is an operational growth investment firm that focuses on growth companies across various stages of development. For decades, it has served its companies with the expertise to solve the challenges of growth and scale. Valor Equity partners with companies and entrepreneurs who are committed to the highest standards of excellence and the courage to transform their industries.

Valor Equity Partners

Portfolia connects sophisticated investors and leaders with entrepreneurial companies. Their platform enables users to collaborate with other members and lead investors to evaluate innovative products and teams, join diligence teams, and immerse themselves in the investment process. It is an investment fund designed for women while backing innovative companies for returns and impact.

Portfolia

NMP is a venture capital firm that has invested in more than 200 promising start-ups and early-growth-stage companies in the technology, healthcare and business services industries. The firm is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and invests primarily in companies located throughout the United States.

Noro-Moseley Partners

As one of the established firms in the venture industry, Grotech Ventures has built a reputation for being a collaborative, long-term partner for CEOs and entrepreneurs by aligning their definition of success with that of their partners. They initially invest between $500,000 and $5 million in high-growth technology companies, reserving significant capital for subsequent investments to support companies through their early and growth stages. They look to partner with entrepreneurs who have fresh ideas, breakthrough innovations, and unconventional approaches that will yield explosive growth. They believe that their ability to meaningfully contribute to a business’s development is just as important as the capital they invest. As such, they seek investment opportunities that offer them the chance to leverage the experience, insight, and network they have built since their inception in 1984. Their approach is personal and long-term, not institutional.

Grotech Ventures

Staley Capital is a Boston-based growth equity firm focused on technology-enabled business services and software companies. Their team targets high-growth tech-enabled business services and software companies that offer compelling, demonstrable, and innovative value propositions in vertical markets in which growth can be further accelerated by institutionalizing sales and marketing. Through their investments, they typically endeavor to grow companies with recurring, long-term customer relationships, differentiating themselves with the application of technology, and delivering a ''better/faster/cheaper'' B2B solution. Their senior partners have been partners in 10 different private equity funds, investing nearly $700MM of capital in 40 deals over the past 25 years. The breadth and depth of their experience allow them to be high value-added partners for each and every investment. They generally make $5-$19MM growth equity and buy-out investments. We seek to create value by collaborating with executives and exchanging views on key trade-offs and priorities. This allows them to maximize the value they add from being trusted advisors, analytical problem solvers, and sources of executive talent and client lead.

Staley Capital

Since 1999, the team at Stonehenge Growth Equity Partners has been investing in growth stage businesses. Stonehenge aims to catalyze rapid growth of companies in up-and-coming markets by backing passionate entrepreneurs solving business problems.   Stonehenge Growth Equity Partners spun out of Stonehenge Capital Company in 2013. Prior to founding Stonehenge Growth Equity Partners (SGEP), the investment team managed the growth equity investment activities of Stonehenge Capital Company (SCC). Executive management and key professionals from Bank One Capital Markets formed SCC in 1999 as a spinoff from Bank One. SGEP maintains a proprietary deal flow network based on deep relationships in Florida and the Southeast, and continues to receive deal flow support from SCC’s eight regional offices. SGEP also benefits from SCC’s institutional financial and regulatory infrastructure.  The geographic markets that Stonehenge Growth Equity Partners serves enjoy very compelling growth dynamics and a friendly business climate. Yet, competition among growth capital providers is limited both at the stage of company and the dollar amount we are willing to invest.  With a nationwide network of relationships, Stonehenge plays an active role in leading growth stage investments, introducing other financial partners and identifying and recruiting talent. Our rich investment history enables us to collaborate with entrepreneurs to achieve success.

Topmark Partners

Datasembly

Datasembly's goal is to collect every price of every product sold in every store, every day. This product info is then used by CPG, retailers, and serve restaurant clients to make cost-effective business decisions.  The Datasembly technology provides access to millions of grocery and retail-pricing records, aggregated from hundreds of grocery delivery and online shopping websites. This data is highly volatile and notoriously difficult to collect, but using specialized technology, Datasembly aggregates and transforms this data into usable, customized reports, so organizations can use it effectively. The data provided currently powers economic indicators, market research, and consumer apps.

Datasembly is a technology company that provides real-time product pricing, promotions, and assortment data for retailers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands. Their data collection technology enables CPGs and retailers to obtain hyperlocal insights on pricing, promotions, and product availability across a wide range of stores and locations. Datasembly's platform offers an intuitive and comprehensive solution, empowering users with market pricing insights to make informed business decisions quickly and efficiently.

Comprehensive platform to give users market pricing insights

Datasembly’s Data Reveals 31% Out-of-Stock Rate in April 2022 for Baby Formula; Up 11% Compared to November 2021

Datasembly Launches GPI 2.0: The Most Comprehensive, Real-time Grocery Price Index in the Nation

Datasembly grabs $16M to give brick-and-mortar retail pricing a big data intel boost

Empowering the digital revolution in retail

Digital Retail Enhancement Platforms

Datasembly Delivers New Pricing and Promotional Intelligence to the Solution Suite

Datasembly is a technology company that provides real-time product pricing, promotions, and assortment data for retailers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands. Their data collection technology enables CPGs and retailers to obtain hyperlocal insights on pricing, promotions, and product availability across a wide range of stores and locations. Datasembly's platform offers an intuitive and comprehensive solution, empowering users with market pricing insights to make informed business decisions quickly and efficiently.
The company's core offering is the Grocery Price Index (GPI), a free, interactive resource that provides a wide range of standard metrics to help retailers and CPGs understand industry pricing trends. The GPI leverages Datasembly's vast collection of over 12 billion new product observations every week, spanning across more than 150,000 stores and over 200 retail banners in over 30,000 zip codes across the US. The latest version, GPI 2.0, launched in July 2023, offers a more granular view with 34 product categories, including subcategories, and advanced filters for localization and segmentation by population density and median household income.
Datasembly's real-time data analysis has proven valuable in tracking market volatility, such as the baby formula shortage in 2022, where their data revealed a nationwide out-of-stock rate of 31% in April 2022, up 11% compared to November 2021. Their technology has become increasingly important in the face of record-breaking inflation and supply chain disruptions, providing actionable insights to drive pricing strategies, increase revenue, and improve profitability for their customers.

Intelligence Node is a leading provider of retail analytics solutions that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. The company offers dynamic pricing and market analytics tools to help businesses navigate the complexities of ecommerce, set competitive prices, and better understand market trends.
At the core of Intelligence Node's offerings is a massive database containing over 3.5 billion unique product SKUs across 1,400 categories and 29 languages. This extensive dataset, combined with proprietary algorithms and advanced matching capabilities, enables the company to provide highly accurate real-time insights into pricing, product availability, and market trends.
Intelligence Node's solutions are designed to address key challenges faced by retailers, such as the inability to effectively track competitors, difficulties in pricing products optimally, and identifying gaps in product catalogs. The company's tools collect and analyze real-time data on pricing, discounts, and catalog movements across the retail landscape, allowing decision-makers to benchmark against competitors and make informed pricing decisions.
In addition to pricing analytics, Intelligence Node also offers solutions for content optimization and product listing enhancement. By leveraging generative AI capabilities, the company helps retailers create compelling and search-optimized product descriptions, improving visibility and conversion rates across online channels.
Intelligence Node has formed strategic partnerships with major retailers to enhance the online shopping experience and empower third-party sellers. The company's solutions enable retailers to provide clearer and more informative product listings, better insights into product performance, and improved search rankings across digital marketplaces.

Intelligence Node

Obsess is an experiential ecommerce platform that leverages augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology to create immersive, shoppable 3D virtual retail environments for brands and retailers. The platform allows companies to construct photorealistic digital spaces where customers can explore products in a visually engaging and interactive manner. Obsess' virtual stores aim to drive product discovery, customer engagement, clickthrough rates, session duration, average order value, and conversion for its clients.
Obsess' proprietary technology enables brands to offer seamless and memorable branded virtual experiences without requiring customers to download an app or use a headset. The platform supports various features such as walking and talking avatars, gamification elements, educational content, and social media integrations to enhance the shopping experience. As of February 2023, Obsess had created virtual stores in over 45 countries, supporting more than 30 languages.
The company has partnered with renowned brands across industries, including Sam's Club, Charlotte Tilbury, Diesel, Dior, Party City, Tommy Hilfiger, J.Crew, and Elizabeth Arden, to launch immersive virtual shopping experiences. In June 2023, J.Crew unveiled the "Virtual Beach House," a 360-degree virtual store celebrating the brand's 40th anniversary, featuring themed rooms, product displays, historical catalogs, and interactive games. Similarly, Elizabeth Arden launched a shoppable virtual store in May 2023 to engage younger, tech-savvy consumers and showcase its heritage through digital storytelling.
Key customers and partnerships
In February 2024, Mytheresa, an ecommerce platform, collaborated with Obsess to launch an exclusive visionOS app for Apple's Vision Pro headset. The app offers users a hyper-realistic digital luxury shopping experience in virtual environments like Capri and Paris, featuring curated collections from brands such as Loewe, Valentino, and Saint Laurent. The partnership aims to transform traditional ecommerce into an emotional and engaging shopping journey.

Obsess

Namogoo is a pioneer in the Digital Journey Continuity platform space. The company offers a platform that autonomously adapts to each customer visit in real-time, shaping the customer journey to fit each shopper's needs while eliminating any distractions along the way. Namogoo's proprietary machine learning technology predicts each visitor's intent by learning from their unique digital behavior signals, empowering enterprises to act on this intent and ensure online shoppers complete their journeys.
The platform collects data from visitors' devices and their journeys, segmenting them into real-time audiences. It surfaces high-converting audiences that are 3-10 times more likely to purchase than average visitors. Additionally, Namogoo identifies user populations that do not convert due to UX conflicts, browser issues, or site design flaws, enabling brands to rectify these problems seamlessly.
In April 2022, Namogoo launched the "Customer Journey OS," a revolutionary software platform that enables ecommerce teams to deliver hyper-personalized journeys based on shoppers' real-time needs. It orchestrates all digital services running on the customer journey to work cohesively toward shared goals. The platform leverages Namogoo's vast network of over one billion unique visitors to provide real-time insights based on industry benchmarks.
Namogoo's solutions have been successfully implemented by leading brands such as Victoria's Secret, Neiman Marcus, ASICS, Marks & Spencer, Kurt Geiger, Carhartt, Eddie Bauer, GlassesUS.com, and Ariat, consistently driving uplifts in conversion rates, revenue per visitor (RPV), and overall revenue. The company was founded in 2014 and has raised USD 81 million to date.
In January 2023, Namogoo made a second round of layoffs, parting ways with 15% of its workforce, following an earlier round in November 2022 where 25% of employees were let go. Despite these cutbacks, the company reported continued growth and profitability.

Namogoo

Yalo is a software platform that utilizes AI-powered conversational agents to optimize the customer journey, driving increased conversions and customer satisfaction. Its technology facilitates direct communication between businesses and customers through popular messaging applications like WhatsApp. Yalo's platform empowers teams to collaborate on managing and tracking campaigns, automating workflows with insightful metrics.
Primarily catering to marketers, small, and medium enterprises, Yalo's conversational commerce approach seamlessly guides customers through the purchasing process while maximizing product potential. By combining customer service and sales support, the platform offers a unique and engaging experience for users.
As of November 2023, Yalo reported having 1.6 million companies utilizing its platform to manage customer interactions via messaging channels. The company's innovative solutions have garnered a diverse clientele, including industry giants like Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Mondelez, Coppel, Banco Azteca, and GPA.
In May 2021, Yalo secured a USD 50 million Series C funding round led by B Capital Group, bringing its total raised capital to USD 75 million since its inception in 2015. The funds were allocated to expand operations in Latin America and Southeast Asia while developing new products, such as a conversational marketing solution.
Key customers and partnerships
Yalo has established partnerships with major global brands across various industries. Notable customers included Unilever, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, and Walmart. Specifically, John Santa Maria, CEO of Coca-Cola FEMSA, acknowledged the significant sales uplift achieved through their conversational commerce partnership with Yalo, with nearly half a million corner stores placing orders via WhatsApp.

Yalo

NewStore is a modular, mobile-first omnichannel cloud platform that provides an Omnichannel-as-a-Service solution for retail brands worldwide. The platform enables retailers to deliver seamless shopping experiences across online, mobile, and in-store channels, leveraging modern technologies such as iOS devices for point-of-sale, inventory management, and order fulfillment.NewStore's platform comprises several modules, including POS, order management, clienteling, inventory, and native consumer apps. The order management and store fulfillment solutions utilize proprietary routing logic to allocate orders across a brand's brick-and-mortar locations and distribution centers based on predefined criteria, optimizing shipping times, inventory accuracy, and sell-through rates.The platform facilitates omnichannel capabilities like buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS), buy online, return in-store (BORIS), and endless aisle, enhancing the customer experience while driving store traffic. NewStore's solutions seamlessly integrate with existing tech stacks, such as Salesforce systems and middleware platforms like MuleSoft and Azure.Prominent retail brands like Burton, Faherty Brand, G-Star RAW, Marine Layer, Roots Canada, Scotch &amp; Soda, UNTUCKit, and Vince have adopted NewStore's platform, benefiting from its comprehensive omnichannel retail solution. In March 2023, NewStore expanded its offerings to a global scale, assessing the omnichannel competence of 275 retail brands across Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK

NewStore

Solutions for retailers that offer insights to improve the product assortment they offer on their digital shelves, increase sales, improve conversions, and boost brand trust

Platforms for retailers and brands to build immersive ecommerce shopping experiences commonly leveraging AR, AI, digital twin, and 3D technologies

Solutions for retailers to enhance online shopping experiences, personalization, and conversion rates while delivering analytics on individual customer journeys to improve shopper engagement

Offers insights to retailers and brands by aggregating and analyzing data across multiple sales channels to boost sales

Solutions providing analytics for brands and retailers to improve competitive position, such as competitor pricing and assortment insights, high-level customer insights to reduce churn, and optimize web traffic

Platforms that provide retailers and brands with greater visibility on overall ecommerce operations to enhance decision-making—commonly through dashboards—including sales forecasting

Virtual stores may leverage digital twins to deliver immersive shopping experiences

Retail enhancement solutions can be offered in a B2B SaaS model

Retail enhancement solutions leverage AI to deliver better insights to businesses, to enable decision making

Improves the personalized offerings for retail customers

Virtual store solutions leverage 3D and AR to create an immersive digital shopping experience

Datasembly

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