We're a Detroit-based Venture Capital firm on a crazed mission.  We back seed and early-stage technology companies who have a purpose.  Our purpose is to help rebuild the Detroit area through entrepreneurial fire.  We view business building as a palate for creative expression and an opportunity to make a difference and change the world.  If not, why bother?  We are creative business builders, not money managers.  We are entrepreneurs helping other entrepreneurs build and grow meaningful companies.   It's not just about the idea or the industry.  To us, it's about backing passionate entrepreneurs that can both dream and execute. Great thinking trumps fancy diplomas. Imagination beats pedigree.  Looking for investment opportunities in these sectors: internet, digital media, marketing technology, direct-to-consumer, sports & entertainment, social media, e-commerce, software.  Your biotech or advanced manufacturing idea may be groundbreaking, but that's not our focus.  We'd just screw it up if we got involved.

Detroit Venture Partners

Stage 1 Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm that is seeking to build partnerships with great entrepreneurs that are flexible and who want to build meaningful companies. They want to assist you with their global network of relationships as well as provide the capital you need to fuel the growth of your company. Their market focus today is in Mobile, the Executable Internet or Software as a Service (SaaS) , IPTV and Internet Video, Pay-For-Performance Marketing and Advertising, and Security.

Stage 1 Ventures

Anorak Ventures is a seed-stage venture firm based in San Francisco. We invest early and dilute alongside founders, helping find smart capital for every stage of company growth. To date, 40 investments have been made with $250M raised in follow on funding resulting in an aggregate portfolio market capitalization of $1.8B.  ​

Anorak Ventures

Bellini Capital

3D Cloud

3D Cloud is a cloud-based 3D product visualization platform and asset management system (AMS) designed for furniture, kitchen, bath, outdoor, and office configuration. The 3D Cloud platform specializes in combining 3D visualization with a suite of AR and VR technology to help configure, design, and visualize eCommerce products, allowing clients to design and customize their products to increase appeal and sales.

Marxent provides a 3D commerce platform (“3D Cloud”) that is used by leading furniture and DIY retailers to enable their customers to plan, visualize, and buy real-world items from furniture to fully designed rooms in a virtual setting. 3D Cloud also acts as a content management system (CMS) that allows retailers to manage 3D workflows, configure and deploy branded 3D apps in mobile, web, and in-store, and receive analytical insights related to app performance and user journeys. The platform also features turnkey integrations with existing e-commerce platforms, systems, and applications.

Technologies bringing about a new reality

Extended Reality

<div>Marxent offers an Enterprise 3D platform for furniture and DIY retailers. It enables them to deploy all types of 3D apps from the 3D Cloud ranging from 3D Product Configurators to 3D Room Planners. Marxent’s 3D Cloud provides premium 3D solutions for furniture, kitchen, bath, office, and outdoor retailers and manufacturers. It consists of CMS, Data Analytics, 3D Applications, and 3D Catalogs with Business Rules and Assemblies Setup. Marxent is a privately held company and has served clients such as Macy’s, Lowe’s, La-Z-Boy, and John Lewis & Partners.</div>

Technology to customize and procure furniture

Furniture Tech

Marxent

One-Click 3D Cloud Product Renders Update Simplifies E-commerce Visuals at Scale

Marxent provides a 3D commerce platform (“3D Cloud”) that is used by leading furniture and DIY retailers to enable their customers to plan, visualize, and buy real-world items from furniture to fully designed rooms in a virtual setting. 3D Cloud also acts as a content management system (CMS) that allows retailers to manage 3D workflows, configure and deploy branded 3D apps in mobile, web, and in-store, and receive analytical insights related to app performance and user journeys. The platform also features turnkey integrations with existing e-commerce platforms, systems, and applications.Marxent’s 3D apps include WebAR, a complete suite of AR solutions for large catalogs of configurable products, and a VR shopping solution that can be used on mobile, desktops, and Oculus devices. The company claims implementation of its WebAR suite has resulted in four AR views per session on average and increased the number of products viewed by consumers by 5x and the add-to-cart rate by 3x.As of February 2022, 3D Cloud manages 1 million+ 3D products (~10% of total products managed to date), 2 million+ 3D projects, and has facilitated over USD 3 billion in 3D-enabled sales.Key customers and partnershipsMarxent’s client base included Lowe's Home Improvement, Ashley HomeStore, Macy's, La-Z-Boy, HNI Corporation, Fortune Brands, American Woodmark, and Herman Miller.Funding and financialsIn January 2021, Marxent raised USD 15 million in Series C funding led by Bellini Capital whose Managing Partner Arnie Bellini (Founder, Connectwise) joined Marxent’s board as part of the deal. The funds were raised for product development and international expansion with a focus on the UK and the rest of Europe.

Interplay Learning (Interplay) provides on-demand, interactive, and hands-on simulation learning courses for skilled trades, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, solar, and facilities maintenance, through VR, mobile, and desktop applications. The learning courses also include simulated walkthrough videos where experts lead users through procedure guides methodically, with knowledge testing features and additional learning material such as wiring diagrams, equations, sample system configs, and charts at the end of each lesson. The platform also enables managers to track user progress.The company operates a subscription-based model with monthly packages for individuals (USD 54) and teams (USD 229), alongside a custom plan for larger organizations.Key customers and partnershipsNotable customers include Tesla and Rheem Manufacturing. Interplay’s customer usage rose by 445% YoY in 2020. As of February 2021, the platform had over 2,000 customers and 110,000 users across the US.Funding and financialsIn its last funding round (February 2021), Interplay raised USD 18 million in Series B funding co-led by S3 Ventures and Owl Ventures, the world’s largest venture capital firm focused on education technology. As part of the deal, Managing Director of Owl Ventures, Ian Chiu, joined Interplay’s board. The funds were raised to expand its offering to new markets and to accelerate its vision to combine immersive learning experiences with a human connection.

Interplay Learning

Switzerland-based WayRay develops holographic AR technology and hardware for the automobile sector. Its technology is used in head-up displays (HUDs) that project images into a driver’s field of vision to assist with navigation. Although its initial focus was on developing HUDs that can be purchased and installed in any vehicle, it has since pivoted to producing embedded HUD systems (i.e., hardware built into vehicles). WayRay’s HUDs are considered to provide a wider field of vision and combine data (location and mapping information) with vision data to generate images by projecting a laser beam through a Picture Generating Unit (PGU) onto a Holographic Optical Element (HOE).&nbsp;In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/18537">May 2023</a>, WayRay announced integration of its AR displays into Tesla Model 3's in Switzerland, with plans to follow shortly afterwards in the US. Previously, in September 2021 the company launched its deep reality system that replaces the traditional car dashboard. In addition, WayRay launched “The Holograktor” dubbed the first “metaverse on wheels”, which can be driven conventionally or using a remote control via a 5G and satellite connection (November 2021).&nbsp;The company’s founder and CEO, Vitaly Ponomarev, identified that its systems are more advanced, backed by more patents, and potentially 20x smaller than comparable devices in the market. WayRay’s HQ in Switzerland also acts as a product design and development hub, while its R&amp;D center and prototyping factory are based in Russia.&nbsp;Key customers and partnershipsThe company is backed by strategic investors such as luxury automaker Porsche, which highlighted the management’s expertise in space engineering, hardware, and software development as key reasons for its investment, Hyundai Motor Co., and Alibaba. It is also notable that these investors, particularly Hyundai, are looking at ways to potentially use WayRay’s technology to offer more services in the future. For instance, Hyundai believed that the technology could be used for smart cities and smart buildings, which are its new areas of interest.WayRay partnered with Karma Automotive, a producer of luxury electric vehicles, in December 2021 to support the implementation of its HUDs into their test fleet. Moreover, it partnered with a leader in designing and manufacturing specialty glass, AGP eGlass, in September 2021 to further proliferate its technology.&nbsp; Funding and financialsIt was reported in April 2021 that the company is considering a public listing at a USD 2 billion valuation via a SPAC, although no further updates on this have been announced as at January 2024.&nbsp;

WayRay

AmazeVR initially focused on developing VR technologies but pivoted to VR concerts in late 2019. The concerts are backed by proprietary 9K cameras and software that automate complex VR concert visual effects that run on more than 100 headsets simultaneously. Users join and hang out with other users as avatars while experiencing VR concerts. It intends to bring VR concerts by major artists to theaters and eventually, homes.AmazeVR rolled out its first commercial VR concert, which will feature 3x Grammy winner Megan Thee Stallion, in 2022. The artist is expected to tour select AMC Theaters across the US. It is also in the final stages of closing deals with its second and third artists. AmazeVR also revealed plans to release weekly content by 2024 in theaters and for at-home viewers.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/20145">July 2023</a>, AmazeVR launched its official AmazeVR Concerts app, featuring an exclusive VR concert from Swedish pop star, Zara Larsson. The app is available on major VR app stores, and the exclusive Zara Larsson VR concert can be accessed for a year at a launch price of USD 6.99. AmazeVR also produces and monetizes VR content on a subscription basis.As of August 2023, the company was in the process of producing and releasing mixed reality concerts by overlaying virtual elements onto live, real-world video.Funding and financialsThe company’s most recent funding was in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/13338">September 2022</a>, when it raised USD 17 million in a Series B funding round led by Mirae Asset Capital. The fresh funds were allocated to expand partnerships with artists, artist management companies, labels, publishers, and agencies.

AmazeVR

Dispelix, based in Finland, designs and manufactures single-layer, full-color waveguide displays, a thin (about 1mm) transparent element that takes in a projected image and relays it to the eye, using a nanophotonics-based approach catering to AR applications (e.g., smart glasses). It uses laser beam scanning technology to render laser-sharp images with a gamut of color palettes, which are displayed using beam-combiner technology. Its patented and proprietary approach includes diffractive surface relief gratings, which are elements used for high-power laser applications, fabricated on high refractive index glass wafers that enhance field-of-view and image quality.The company had a total of more than 40 granted or pending patent families as of November 2021. Its product line, Dispelix DPX, includes Dispelix DPX - Ohut, Dispelix DPX - Selva, and Dispelix DPX - Sade with a varying degree of field of view, form factor, and weight. According to Co-Founder and CTO Juuso Olkkonen, its displays are the lightest and thinnest in the market.Key customers and partnerships1) Foxconn and Pegatron: to create reference designs for AR glasses based on its Selvä waveguide display (October 2023)&nbsp;2) VividQ: created a “waveguide combiner” which accurately displays variable-depth 3D content in a user’s environment (January 2023)3) ColorChip and Maradin: To further Light Beam Scanning (LBS) solutions for AR glasses (October 2022)4) Jade Bird Displays: To develop multiple reference designs for AR devices (June 2022)5) AAC Technologies: To improve waveguide displays for the AR and MR industry (March 2022)6) OQmented: for the development and commercialization of MEMS-based LBS technology (November 2021)7) Coretronic: To develop a range of AR optical module solutions (December 2020)8) Hoya Corporation: To improve quality of waveguide displays (November 2020)Funding and financialsIn its most recent funding round (November 2021), Dispelix raised USD 33 million in a Series B funding round co-led by Atlantic Bridge, CCB Trust, and Flashpoint with participation from Lifeline Ventures, VTT Ventures, and 3M Ventures. The funds were allocated to product development. It revealed that several OEM customers were slated to integrate its technology into their consumer offerings by 2023.

Dispelix

DigiLens is a developer of holographic waveguides, which is a clear, thin piece of glass or plastic, used for AR devices. In January 2023, the company launched ARGO, an XR smartglass designed for enterprise and industrial use, the first AR device to utilize Qualcomm’s SnapDragon XR2 platform. Other specifications included 6-degrees of freedom (6-DoF) tracking, a 30-degree field-of-view, spatial audio, a 48MP RGB camera, voice and gaze recognition, access to real-time data visualizations, and a 2,500-nits HD display.&nbsp;The company’s first product, the DigiLens Crystal was introduced in 2019, was a thin-film laser-etched photopolymer embedded with microscopic holograms of mirror-like optics. By projecting a micro display to one end of the lens and another set of optics working to guide the light wave toward the eye, this proved to be an ideal piece of hardware for AR devices, which are preferred with as little hardware as possible.&nbsp;It claims that its patented optical platform and photopolymer technology coupled with a holographic copy manufacturing process enable it to produce cheaper and more scalable solutions. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/17598">April 2023</a>, the company announced the launch of SRG+, a surface relief gratings product that improves upon its waveguide technology.The company generates revenue by licensing its technology across a range of industries including the automobile, enterprise, consumer, avionics, and military sectors. DigiLens also offers a white-label solution for automotive companies whereby it creates holographic waveguides for windshields that could offer in-cabin experiences for drivers.&nbsp;&nbsp; Key customers and partnershipsKey partnerships include that with1) Phantom Technologies: - Phantom Technology: To integrate Phantom's CASSI Spatial AI assistant into the DigiLens ARGO glasses, providing features such as spatial search, a contextual assistant, and task management using voice commands (October 2023)2) Wisear: To integrate its neural interface-powered earphones with the ARGO smart glasses (May 2023)3) Mojo Vision: To utilize Mojo Vision's micro-LED technology to build improved AR glasses (May 2023)4) Taqtile: To integrate the company's ARGO smart glasses with Taqtile's AR work platform, Manifest (May 2023)5) OMNIVISION: To develop new XR product offerings (January 2023)Other partnerships include that with OMNIVISION (January 2023), a leading global developer of semiconductor solutions to develop new XR product offerings. OMNIVISION’s liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) panels allowed DigiLens to build LCOS/LED projectors optimized for its holographic waveguides. OMNIVISION's core camera technology provides DigiLens' devices with features such as visual odometry and six degrees of freedom.&nbsp;DigiLens also works with Taiwanese licensed waveguide manufacturer Young Optics, Chinese original design manufacturer and electronics supplier Malata, Korean display manufacturer Sekonix, international technology company Continental, Chinese optical elements manufacturer Crystal Optech, and Mitsubishi Chemical.&nbsp;Funding and financialsIn April 2022, DigiLens announced the second close of its Series D funding round (intiial close in November 2021) in which it raised USD 50 million at a valuation of USD 530 million. The funds were allocated for the development of DesignV1, its second-generation product.

DigiLens

Companies developing XR headsets and relevant sub-components (displays, sensors, and processors). Also includes complementary XR hardware (tracking devices, haptic vests, and gloves)

Companies offering engines that enable the development of AR/VR content, also includes companies offering capabilities to capture and create 3D images for immersive environments

Companies offering AR/VR solutions or toolkits for specific industry applications, including VR game developers

Companies offering location-based AR/VR experiences

AR/VR platforms offer remote assistance to field experts and headset manufacturers facilitate virtual work

Some solutions in the "content" segment are offered under a B2B SaaS model

Headsets and content segments provide the building blocks for the metaverse

AR, VR, and MR are the primary enabling technologies for the XR industry

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 Marxent offers an Enterprise 3D platform for furniture and DIY retailers. It enables them to deploy all types of 3D apps from the 3D Cloud ranging from 3D Product Configurators to 3D Room Planners. Marxent’s 3D Cloud provides premium 3D solutions for furniture, kitchen, bath, office, and outdoor retailers and manufacturers. It consists of CMS, Data Analytics, 3D Applications, and 3D Catalogs with Business Rules and Assemblies Setup. Marxent is a privately held company and has served clients such as Macy’s, Lowe’s, La-Z-Boy, and John Lewis & Partners.
 
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 Casper is a sleep startup company that produces and sells mattresses and other sleep products directly to customers, toward eliminating commission-driven prices. The types of mattresses that it sells include Original, Original Hybrid, Nova Hybrid, Wave Hybrid, and Wave Hybrid Snow. The company also sells pillows, bedding, bed frames, adjustable bed frames, sheets, duvets, weighted blankets, glow lights, and dog beds. It has introduced new ways to shop across select Casper retail stores, including Virtual Appointments, E-Zzz Pickup, and Private Shopping. Casper is a public company.
 
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Casper

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 MADE is a virtual shopping platform that provides designer furniture directly to customers without any third-party interference. It sells its products through its website. The company works with independent designers and makers to create designer pieces. It specializes in a range of products such as sofas, chairs, tables, storage, and beds. The company also offers lighting products, textiles, decor, garden essentials, and kitchen and lifestyle products. MADE is a privately held company with its headquarters in the UK. 
 
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MADE

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 Simba Sleep is an e-commerce company that specializes in the production of mattresses. The company designs and makes all its mattresses in the UK. The company’s team of scientists is said to have studied profile data from millions of sleeps to curate mattresses suitable for every body type and sleep style. Apart from mattresses, the company sells other sleep products such as duvets, toppers, mattress protectors, fitted sheets, and bed linen. Simba Sleep is a private company with its headquarters in the UK.
 
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Simba Sleep

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 Havenly is an interior design company that runs an online e-commerce platform. It specializes in Furniture, Decor & Pillows, Rugs, and Lighting. The company is said to provide a personal shopping list with hand-picked selections from hundreds of brands and with its team managing the entire order. The company has a network of vetted interior designers who create custom visual designs based on the client’s personal choices. Decorative accessories that Havenly offers include Art, Mirrors, Bedding & Bath, Wallpaper, Throw Pillows, Blankets & Throws, and Vases & Botanicals. Havenly is a private company.
 
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Havenly

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 GAIA is a furniture company that sells home products and design accessories directly to customers through its e-commerce platform. The company specializes in Sofas, Chairs, Mattresses, Tables, Beds, Storage, Lamps, and Accessories. It mainly designs modern and functional pieces to fit urban lifestyles. GAIA also has external designers who complement its catalog. Design styles that clients can choose vary from Industrial and Retro to Nordic and Contemporary. GAIA is a privately held company and also has an offline store that customers can visit.
 
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GAIA

Includes companies that offer furniture for a monthly rental, offered on a subscription basis or rent-to-own basis

Companies that develop customized furniture based on specifications (material, color, design, etc.) selected on the website by the customer

Companies that develop IoT-enabled furniture, usually controlled via a mobile app (e.g., an app-controlled bed that allows users to customize bed settings, create lighting scenarios, open safe drawers, etc.)

Companies that provide an online marketplace for P2P and B2B2C buying and selling for both used and new furniture

Companies that offer ready-made furniture sold directly through the website

Companies that offer virtual interior design solutions to design spaces, including furniture. These companies also typically offer furniture sourcing, installation, and coordination activities

Companies that develop lego-like and modular furniture systems that are easy to assemble and disassemble. Also includes space-saving expandable furniture systems

Customized furniture based on specifications selected on the website by the customer or virtual designs

IoT-connected furniture typically with the option of control through a mobile app

Furniture rental platforms that offer furniture on subscription basis or rent-to-own basis

Some companies offer IoT-connected furniture with the option of control through a mobile app

Marxent

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