XRC Ventures is a New York City-based venture capital firm and startup accelerator focused on pre-Seed to Series A startups in the retail technology, consumer goods, and consumer healthtech sectors. Launched in 2015, XRC Ventures has invested in more than 130 startups. Notably, it was an early investor in: razor and personal care DTC brand Billie, tech-enabled resale service Recurate, and telemedicine solution MD Integrations.  XRC Ventures invests in startups spanning: consumer brands, next gen commerce, generative AI, consumer healthtech, marketplace, e-com tech, store tech, data infrastructure, on-demand manufacturing, supply chain, analytics and marketing technology. The company champions diversity, inclusion and belonging in venture capital. Currently 49% of XRC Ventures’s portfolio companies have female founders, 35% female CEOs, 40% BIPOC founders and 34% BIPOC CEOs. XRC Ventures itself has an over 50% female staff, and the investment team is led by a female executive.  XRC Ventures has three investments funds, which include:  1) Accelerator Fund: for pre-Seed to Seed startups in the retail technology, consumer healthtech and consumer product sectors 2) Opportunity Fund: for Seed to Series A startups also specializing in the retail technology and consumer healthtech sectors 3) Brand Capital Fund: focuses on Seed to Series A consumer product companies in Beauty, Personal Care, Home Goods, and Health and Wellness categories  XRC Ventures has built a world-class ecosystem with 25 strategic partners including The Estée Lauder Companies, The TJX Companies, Inc., GS1 US and 370+ business mentors. They also partner with national conferences like NRF Retail's Big Show, Shoptalk, HLTH and others.

XRC Ventures

Carnegie Mellon Alumni investing in Carnegie Mellon Founders

99 Tartans

Tribeca Venture Partners is a multi-stage venture capital firm that invests in digital media, e-commerce, fintech, education, ad tech, and mobile apps sectors. The firm was founded in 2011 by Brian Hirsch and Chip Meakem and is based in New York, United States.

Tribeca Venture Partners

Dundee Venture Capital invests $500,000-$1M in high-growth, early-stage technology companies. Most of Dundee VC's investments are related to e-commerce, e-commerce infrastructure, supply chain, logistics, and fintech.  Dundee VC formally began in 2010. The root of the idea started much earlier when Mark Hasebroock, Dundee VC’s founding, and managing partner, was raising money for his two e-commerce companies, giftcertificates.com and Hayneedle.com, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, respectively.

Dundee Venture Capital

Xplorer Capital is a venture capital firm investing in early stage B2B companies that are transforming traditional industries on a global scale.

Xplorer Capital

Expa is a startup studio and venture fund designed for entrepreneurs to create and launch new companies. Started in 2013 by Uber co-founder Garrett Camp, Expa is a team of experienced founders and entrepreneurs dedicated to identifying the next big idea and partnering with the future generation of leaders to build great companies. Our partners have founded or led some of the most valuable and well-known companies including Uber, Twitter, LinkedIn, FourSquare, StumbleUpon, AddThis, MetroLyrics, and Envoy.  Expa has raised $350 million from a number of investors including Expa Founder/CEO Garrett Camp and other LPs.

Expa

Bling Capital is a venture capital investment firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. It primarily invests in consumer tech, internet, mobile, marketplace, data, fintech, SaaS, and automation sectors.

Bling Capital

Bain Capital Ventures invests in seed to growth-stage startups that are using tech to disrupt existing markets or create entirely new ones.  The firm invests from seed to growth in enterprise software, infrastructure software, and industries being transformed by data.  Bain Capital Ventures has helped launch and commercialize 200-plus companies since 2000, including investments in DocuSign, Jet.com, Kiva Systems, LinkedIn, Rapid7, SurveyMonkey, Taleo, and TellApart. Bain Capital Ventures has more than $5.2 billion of assets under management with offices in San Francisco, New York, and Boston.

Bain Capital Ventures

Gather AI

Gather AI is a software-only autonomous inventory management platform developed for warehousing. Gather AI is an inventory management on auto-pilot that can automate tasks. Users can use off-the-shelf drones and can do a 24-hour replacement. The company is a team of PhDs and research engineers in the sector of autonomous vehicles and vision systems from the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute. Gather AI is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Gather AI offers an inventory management platform that uses a combination of drones and AI to enable users to automate inventory visibility in warehouses. Users can program the drones to fly autonomously and scan through inventories. It can also use AI to infer inventory-related information such as bar codes, text, and empty locations in the images. Moreover, the platform enables users to access inventory information via a web dashboard and compare it with data recorded in their own warehouse management systems (WMSs). The company claims its solution enables users to achieve an ROI of 3x–5x, as well as a 66% reduction in warehouse inventory.&nbsp;

AI, robotics, and IoT to streamline the flow of goods and information

Logistics Tech

Andrew Raaker on LinkedIn: Technology is key at Taylor! Working with Gather AI has allowed us to be…

Gather AI offers an inventory management platform that uses a combination of drones and AI to enable users to automate inventory visibility in warehouses. Users can program the drones to fly autonomously and scan through inventories. It can also use AI to infer inventory-related information such as bar codes, text, and empty locations in the images. Moreover, the platform enables users to access inventory information via a web dashboard and compare it with data recorded in their own warehouse management systems (WMSs). The company claims its solution enables users to achieve an ROI of 3x–5x, as well as a 66% reduction in warehouse inventory.&nbsp;In June 2023, the company acquired Ware, another AI-powered autonomous inventory management solution provider, for an undisclosed amount to combine its development teams and integrate the latter’s customers into its platform.&nbsp;Key customers and partnershipsAs of March 2024, the company served over 25 customers such as NFI, GEODIS, DSV, Barrett Distribution, and DPI Specialty Foods (KeHE).

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 Boxbot develops automated sorting and storage solutions for warehouses. The company, which previously focused on developing autonomous delivery vehicles (ADVs) for 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/industry/1">
 last-mile delivery automation,
 </a>
 announced the shift in focus to develop warehouse robots 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/22292">
 in September 2023.
 </a>
 It offers intelligent 3D parcel handling conveyor systems, specifically designed to increase storage density within a smaller footprint. Its platform can store, sort, and sequence high-throughput payloads while requiring minimal physical space. The company claims the system can handle up to 4,000 parcels per hour. The system is powered by &ldquo;Boxbot OS,&rdquo; which provides advanced analytics, systems controls, and predictive maintenance features.
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 Boxbot was in discussions with partners and had identified several sites for testing its warehouse automation technology as of September 2023. The company has conducted pilot tests in various use cases and notes the technology can be deployed at last-mile delivery centers, bonded storage warehouses, and customer pickup locations.
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/22292">
 In September 2023,
 </a>
 Boxbot raised USD 12 million in a Series A funding round led by Playground Global to strengthen its engineering and business operations and accelerate its go-to-market approach.
 
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Boxbot

Based in France, Exotec Solutions (Exotec) develops warehouse automation solutions. Its main offering “Skypod,” is an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) with the ability to prioritize orders by automating the movement of goods from bin storage to workstations. Skypod units are powered by autonomous mobile robot (AMR) technology and have the ability to travel at high speeds and move in 3D environments.Skypod system is supported by Exotec’s end-to-end warehouse software, “Deepsky,” which uses technologies such as Webservices, RESTful API, and nodeRed to control elements of the Skypod system. Exotec can be integrated with warehouse management and warehouse control systems and enables Skypod to be integrated with third-party automation equipment. It also collects real-time data for performance visibility.Exotec’s other warehouse solutions include “Skypicker, ” an automated picking arm that uses machine learning-based vision to pick items from the Skypod robots and place them into fulfillment containers, and “Skypath,” an API-based modular plug-and-play conveyor system. It also builds stations made up of a ramp, a screen, and scanners for smaller warehouse spaces that use Skypod robots.The company offers its products on a robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) basis and has a presence in multiple countries in the Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America.Key customers and partnershipsAs of February 2022, Exotec served over 50 companies. Its customers include Decathlon, Carrefour, Cdiscount, Uniqlo, Gap, Monoprix, Logilec, and <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/26080">Lane Automotive.</a>The company also has partnerships with system integrators such as 1) <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/24045">Bastian Solutions </a>and Advanced Handling Systems (AHS) to deploy Skypod systems in North America for retailers such as Gap, Ariat International, and GEODIS; 2) Korea-based engineering and IT service provider POSCO DX to expand its presence in South Korea. Its other integrator partnerships include Hy-Tek Intralogistics, Bastian Solutions, Klinkhammer Intralogistics, Unitechnik Systems GmbH, A1Sorter, LAC Conveyors &amp; Automation, Dexter Intralogistics, POSCO DX, Okura Yusoki, and IHI.Funding and financialsExotec reportedly generated USD 120 million in revenue in 2021. In January 2022, the company raised USD 335 million in Series D funding led by Goldman Sachs at a valuation of USD 2 billion. The funds were earmarked for hiring 500 engineers by 2025 and continuing its expansion drive in North America.

Exotec

Berkshire Grey provides AI-powered robotic solutions for ecommerce fulfillment automaton, smart store replenishment, package sortation, and micro-fulfillment solutions, targeting retail, ecommerce, and third-party logistics (3PL). Its product portfolio includes robotic pick-and-pack solutions, robotic induction stations, robotic pick-and-sort solutions, and mobile robotic fulfillment solutions. Berkshire Grey specializes in configuring, installing, commissioning, and servicing these solutions for customers. It also provides additional professional services, such as system maintenance, system operation, and cloud-based monitoring and analytics.The company offers its product with a variety of purchase options, including outright sale and robotics-as-a-service (RaaS), which allows customers to use the offerings without incurring large, up-front capital expenses.Berkshire Grey generated revenue of US 65.9 million in 2022; however, it was yet to turn profitable, as its operating loss amounted to USD 113.8 million. The company has been listed on the Nasdaq since August 2021 via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), which valued the combined entity at USD 2.7 billion (February 2021). However, the company entered a definitive merger agreement with its investor SoftBank Group in March 2023, which also took the company private (transaction closed in July 2023).Key customers and partnershipsBerkshire Grey’s customers include Global 100 retailers and logistics service providers, such as Walmart, FedEx, Ceva Logistics, Target, Maersk, and Bealls.The company also has partnerships with system integrator of fulfillment and distribution solutions AHS (September 2021), technology service provider Atos (October 2021), data-driven robotic solutions provider Swisslog (March 2022), autonomous mobile robot developer Locus Robotics (January 2023), and intralogistics solution company Kardex <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/33225">(September 2024)</a> to expand markets by combining technologies.

Berkshire Grey

ShipBob is a cloud-based third-party logistics (3PL) platform that offers a fulfillment order platform for small and medium-sized ecommerce businesses. ShipBob's proprietary technology covers the entire fulfillment process, including order and inventory management, warehouse management, predictive data and analytics, and optimized shipping (package delivery within 1–2 business days) for ecommerce companies. The company operates as a B2B software-as-a-service (SaaS) company.ShipBob operated a network of 50+ fulfillment centers across the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Australia (as of April 2024). These centers serve as storage and distribution hubs for ShipBob's customers. ShipBob also <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/32676">facilitates Section 321-compliant order fulfillment</a> from Canada and Mexico, which allows merchants to reduce paperwork, speed up delivery times, and save on transportation and duties for high-tariff goods shipped to US consumers.The company also provides a merchant application that enables users to monitor inventory levels and facilitates communication with the warehouses for selecting items to fulfill orders and arrange their shipment. ShipBob then integrates with various shipping companies to ensure the delivery of orders to customers.Key customers and partnershipsThe company had 7,000+ customers as of April 2024. Its customers include PetLab, Bloom Nutrition, Storelli, zBiotics, Semaine Health, Postal, Bruce Bolt, Baby Doppler, Earthley, Spikeball, Pit Viper, Oxford Healthspan, RIFRUF, Food Huggers, NutriPaw, FlutterHabit, Quadrant, Juspy, and SuperSpeed Golf.The company has integrations with multiple platforms to ensure a smooth fulfillment process. Such integrations include the following:1) Ecommerce platforms and marketplaces such as Shopify, Amazon, BigCommerce, eBay, Magneto, Squarespace, Walmart, Wix, WooCommerce, Netsuite, <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/22208">TikTok Shop,</a> and <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/30330">Adobe Commerce</a> integrations2) Ecommerce operations, inventory, and order management platforms such as Brightpearl, Birj, Cogsy, PackageBee, SPS Commerce, Zentail, Shipyard, Logicbroker, Order Desk, Fulfil.io, and Cin73) Returns management platforms such as HappyReturns, Loop returns, ReturnLogic, and Returnly4) Freight and shipping solutions such as DHL, FedEx, UPS, Flexport, Freightos, Route, Rush, Shippo, ShipStation, Anvyl, AfterShip, and Echo Global LogisticsIts other integrations include ecommerce marketing and customer support providers; custom packaging and design solutions providers; branding, marketing, and web development agencies; and accounting, tax, and financing service providers.

ShipBob

Locus Robotics develops autonomous mobile robots (AMR) for warehousing and manufacturing operations. It offers three main AMR solutions: 1) “Locus Origin,” an AMR designed for collaborative, high-volume order fulfillment; 2) “Locus Vector,” designed to handle small to medium payloads; and 3) “Locus Max,” designed for larger payloads. The AMR solutions are backed by “LocusONE,” a warehouse automation platform that uses AI and data science to deploy and manage the AMRs. LocusONE also generates real-time actionable insights to support operational decisions. The AMRs allow integration with warehouse management systems and warehouse control systems. The company also offers warehouse automation solution “LocusEmpower,” which supports a range of fulfillment types including zone-picking, discrete order picking, batch picking, and wave picking. It also offers <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/27481">"LocusHub,"</a> an AI/ML-powered cloud-based business intelligence engine grounded with LocusONE for advanced analytics.The company offers its products on a robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) basis. In April 2024, Locus’s AMRs achieved the landmark of completing more than 3 billion unit picks.In September 2021, Locus Robotics acquired AMR provider Waypoint Robotics, which offers AMRs that are industrial-strength with omnidirectional mobility features, enabling Locus Robotics to gain access to new market segments. Key customers and partnershipsAs of May 2023, the company had deployed its technology at 250+ locations in partnership with 100+ brands. Its global customers include Ceva Logistics, Boots, Cardinal Health, <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/27443">GEODIS, </a>DHL, DSV, JAS, Ryder, UniPharma, UnitedDrug, Go Retail Group, Bluegrass Supply Chain, FM Logistics, UPS, UPS Healthcare, VF Corporation, <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/27275">Booktopia,</a> <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/27659">John Lewis &amp; Partners</a> and ​<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/33695">​KSP Fulfillment</a>.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/30676">June 2024</a>, Locus Robotics entered a strategic partnership with Zion Solutions Group to integrate Locus's robotic solutions with Zion's supply chain solutions.Funding and financialsAs of November 2022, the company reported having USD 100 million+ in contracted recurring revenue.In November 2022, Locus Robotics <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/14949?industryIds=6">raised USD 117 million </a>in Series F funding co-led by Goldman Sachs Asset Management and G2 Venture Partners, valuing the company at “close to” USD 2 billion. The funds were to be used to facilitate the company’s continued growth and further expand global operations.

Locus Robotics

Companies developing automation technology for warehouses like robots (including inventory drones), cobots, automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), and related software.

Include companies providing automated ecommerce fulfillment, store replenishment, and package sortation solutions.

Companies offering automated vendor evaluation and management, demand forecasting, and inventory management.

Companies that offer warehousing and ecommerce fulfillment with technology developed in-house.

Uses connected devices and sensors to gather information—mainly relevant for the visibility segment

Uses robotics solutions for warehouse operations and fulfillment

Automated fulfilment solutions and warehouse automation broadly fall under industry 4.0

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 Gather AI, an inventory management platform provider, secured USD 17 million in a Series A-1 funding round. The funding round was led by Bain Capital Ventures with contributions from Tribeca Venture Partners, Dundee Venture Capital, Expa, and Bling Capital. This fundraising has brought the total funding received by the company to USD 34 million.
 With the new funds, the company intends to expand its operations further.
 The platform offered by Gather AI uses drones and artificial intelligence (AI) to automate the process of inventory visibility in warehouses. The drones can be programmed to fly autonomously and scan inventories, utilising AI to interpret vital information related to inventory such as bar codes, text, and empty location spots in images. The platform also allows users to view their inventory details through a web-based dashboard and compare it with data in their warehouse management system (WMS).

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Gather AI

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