XRC Labs Announces Its Largest Accelerator Cohort Yet With Cohort 14

New York, NY – October 26, 2022 – Today, retail technology and consumer goods venture firm and startup accelerator, XRC Labs (XRC), announces its largest accelerator cohort to date with Cohort 14. XRC’s newest cohort consists of 12 pre-seed startups spanning healthcare, beauty, sustainability, phygital goods and more.

 

As part of the accelerator program, each startup receives one to three hundred thousand dollars in startup capital from XRC’s Accelerator Fund and participates in a three-month-long bootcamp aimed to help grow their businesses. The startups are paired with mentors from XRC’s 330+ mentorship network and are provided access to XRC’s world-class retail partners, which include The Estée Lauder Companies, the TJX Companies, Inc., Mastercard and GS1 US.

 

“The momentum and excitement at XRC are palpable with our growth this year in both our team and record number of Cohort 14 startup investments,” says XRC Partner, Diana Melencio, who joined XRC in 2021 to lead investments and was recently named a 2022 New York Business Journal Woman of Influence. “We remain committed to our investment philosophy by investing in incredible retail tech and consumer founders, while expanding our digital health portfolio, as we see this sector as exciting and ripe for innovation.” 

XRC Labs Cohort 14 Startups:

Consumer Brands 

  • MINU: With 70+ years of skin health expertise, MINU designs mineral-powered skincare products with first-of-its-kind proprietary technology, featuring clean ingredients that leave no white cast, protect, strengthen and renew all skin types and tones. The company was founded by Christine Koppinger and Dr. Meghan Dickman, M.D.

  • Nani-Derm (website to come): Nani-Derm offers science-backed, luxury skincare products, drawing inspiration from traditional Hawaiian ingredients and rituals, for women caring for themselves below the neck and waist. Nani-Derm was founded by Genevieve Rokero. 

  • Scent Lab: Scent Lab is the first digital platform for fragrance that curates signature and seasonal scents for the individual consumer in premium, yet affordable products. Scent Lab was founded by Ariana Silvestro. 

Consumerization of Healthcare 

  • MedsNow: MedsNow is a platform that digitizes the 23,000 US independent pharmacies, representing $81 million dollars in spend, by providing them with the credentials and technology to sell online and satisfy all compliance and regulatory issues. MedsNow was founded by Islam Elfiky and Nikhil Misra. 

  • Pardigm: Pardigm is the world’s first at-home quantitative testing solution that accurately measures, analyses and treats cortisol imbalances which cause 70% of menopausal symptoms. Pardigm was founded by Wibe Wagemans and Valerie Seid. 

Marketplaces

  • Kashew: Kashew is a marketplace powering furniture sales by connecting second-hand stores to the online world, thereby increasing stores’ online revenue by up to 20% per month. Kashew’s founding team is Francesco De Conto, Bruno Bolla and Per Obiora. 

Commerce Technology

  • radd.: Now available on Shopify, radd. is a video-based technology solution that provides authentic, personalized and shoppable UGC video product reviews which can also be broadcast LIVE directly on the brand’s product page, increasing conversion by up to 700%. radd.’s founding team is Sivan Baram and Betzalel Racovsky. 

  • Reflekt Me: Reflekt Me is a B2B SaaS platform that generates a 1% top-line revenue increase for large brands by unlocking website images that reflect the diverse communities that wear their product. Reflekt Me was founded by Tope and Gerald Mitchell.

  • Teleperson: Teleperson is a digital customer service concierge platform that eliminates “phone jail” by connecting consumers to the correct department of major brands and retailers. Teleperson was founded by Jesse Hollander. 

Consumer Loyalty, Rewards & Sustainability

  • Cluey: Cluey is a web platform which acts as a values compass for conscious consumers who want to support brands that represent their values. Cluey was founded by Maryclaire Manard. 

  • ShareClub: ShareClub is a platform for public, consumer-focused companies that leverages shareholder rewards to tighten the connection between loyal customers and retail shareholders. On average a retail shareholder will direct 74% more of their wallet toward their invested brands. ShareClub’s founding team is Sam Hollander and James LePage.  

  • Sweet Chameleon: Sweet Chameleon is a phygital platform for entertainment, gaming, sports and Web3 brands to monetize and reward their superfan communities by enabling their customers to create custom collectibles and interactive consumer experiences. Sweet Chameleon was founded by Michael Dub.

In addition, XRC Labs recently welcomed five later-stage startups to its Opportunity Fund. The XRC Labs Opportunity Fund was established to co-invest alongside other top venture capital funds in post-seed to Series A companies. The Fund provides follow-on capital to later-stage startups to scale beyond product/market fit to achieve exponential growth.

XRC Labs’ Latest Opportunity Fund Investments:

  • Ash Wellness: Ash Wellness is an end-to-end SaaS solution allowing organizations to offer at-home diagnostic testing.

  • FINDMINE: FINDMINE predictive Intelligence empowers merchandisers and marketers to automate looks for 95% of the product catalog.

  • Gather AI: Gather.ai is an autonomous drone platform that provides data analytics and inventory monitoring solutions for warehouses, offering 10 times faster, 24/7 inventory monitoring capabilities. 

  • Recurate: Recurate is a tech-enabled resale service that empowers brands and retailers to establish their own integrated resale platforms directly on their e-commerce sites.

  • Returnity: Returnity designs, manufactures and implements reusable packaging and circular logistics systems for customers like Walmart, Estée Lauder, New Balance, Rent the Runway and others. 

About XRC Labs

XRC Labs (XRC) is a NYC-based venture capital firm and startup accelerator focused on retail technology, consumer goods, and the consumerization of healthcare. The company launched in 2015 and has since invested in more than 130 startups. Notably, XRC was an early investor in razor and personal care DTC brand Billie; award-winning, all-in-one enterprise gifting platform Snappy; livestream shopping platform ShopShops and others. XRC has built a world-class ecosystem with corporate sponsors including The Estée Lauder Companies, the TJX Companies, Inc., Mastercard, GS1 US and its 330+ business mentors. For more information on XRC Labs and its startup portfolio companies, please visit xrclabs.com. To follow, visit @XRCLabs on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Amanda Bell

XRC Labs Director of Public Relations

Email: amanda@xrclabs.com 

XRC Ventures