Lyra Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in companies that use innovative technology to reinvent the business of fashion and retail. The firm's team and network of advisors have domain expertise in their industries of focus, which they channel into each of their investments, working alongside founders, particularly early on in their company's lifecycle.

Lyra Ventures

Lyra Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm investing globally in companies that use innovative technology to reinvent the business of fashion and retail. We back visionary and disciplined founders whose companies have proven product-market fit and are ready to scale. Our investment focus is broadly defined, enabling us to invest in pioneering businesses across the fashion value chain, including materials innovation, new retail models, circular processes, brand concepts and SaaS models. We are more than just a path to capital. Through the Lyra team and advisors, our entrepreneurs gain access to deep domain expertise and a network of leading global fashion players, especially in Japan and South East Asia.

TikTok is at the forefront of #socialcommerce and to tackle the growing problem of #counterfeit sneakers appearing on TikTok Shop, they have expanded their partnership with Entrupy.

According to RunRepeat, the counterfeit sneaker market - at $450 billion in 2021 - is estimated to be over five times the size of the legitimate sneaker market. This in the context that by 2032, the #sneaker #resale market is expected to see a 402% increase.

Entrupy will be the official authentication provider of pre-owned sneakers for TikTok Shop U.S. — giving sellers access to the best-in-class authentication tools that are instrumental in establishing trust, maintaining quality standards and delivering a seamless positive experience for both sellers and shoppers.

https://lnkd.in/eYn3TMdg

Vidyuth Srinivasan Will Tan Jake Stewart Reina Nakamura Debra Langley Chieh Suang K. Jonathan Price Alicia Teo Celine Leibfried

We are excited about the launch of Digital Fashion Designer's Council (DFDC) whose mission is to weave digital fashion into the traditional fashion ecosystem. 

Brands need to engage with #digitalnatives by creating seamless experiences across physical and digital environments, but it is a difficult task: there are no universal standards for virtual and #phygital fashion while #interoperability across platforms remains a challenge. 

To solve this, DFDC has partnered with technology enablers such as Threedium, Beyond Studio, THE DEMATERIALISED and more, to build Reality Spectrum Matrix. A tool that will solve the interoperability challenge while enabling brands to focus on the product and consumer experience.

Keep an eye on DFDC for more exciting collaborations and announcements!

Mike Charalambous Angelides David Cash Lode Groosman Dusan Odobasic Xose Lois Fernandez Cañizares Kyriacos Kyprianou Sebastiano Mura Pierre Denis Debra Langley Reina Nakamura Chieh Suang K. Jonathan Price Alicia Teo Celine Leibfried Bettina von Schlippe Marjorie Hernandez

https://lnkd.in/gwSADRmD

Great to see so many familiar faces here in Singapore, as well as welcoming new like-minded investors, advisors and founders on June 10 at Lyra's NRF 2024: Retail's Big Show Asia Pacific side-event. We gathered strategic locals as well as out-of-town VCs for a night of exchange on all things #retailtech. These kinds of curated events build important cross-border relationships that provide insights both for investors with an eye on the APAC region, as well as for founders who see regional and global expansion on their horizon. 

Reina Nakamura Debra Langley Chieh Suang K. Alicia Teo Greg Merrill Aliza Knox Didier MATTALIA Joyce Ng Marc Freydefont Massimo Volpe Chan Shawn Kit Brian Chua Yoshi Okubo Kazuya Hirata Wong Shu Ning Zara Safiullah Kano Takebayashi Mario Aquino Linda W. Marco Hadisurya Tomoyuki Kumabayashi Saurabh Bajpai Ali Jumabhoy Ben Moreau Aliza Knox Elis Kwek, CA  James Conde Jeremy Ang C. H. Thong (Tony) Do Usman Khan Lodhi

It’s been a busy few days for our team in Singapore, as for the first time ever, National Retail Federation is hosting a second outpost of its Big Show in Singapore 🇸🇬 to focus on the APAC retail landscape. 

After meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and NRF's Seth Webb to tour the Innovation Lab, our Venture Partner Debra Langley hosted a fireside chat with Greg Merrill, Global Head of Digital Transformation at Nike, to discuss the explosive growth of "Everywhere Commerce" and how brands and retailers can respond to the seismic shift in customer expectations.

Startup Genome's recent report ranked Singapore as the #1 startup ecosystem in Asia and #7 globally. But let's not forget that Asia is made up of multiple geographies, cultures, and economies, all with unique opportunities and challenges. What's the best way for startups in the region to leverage that? What does it mean for Western businesses and retail-tech solution providers who want to serve Asia's fast-growing middle classes? The NRF 2024: Retail's Big Show Asia Pacific is an opportunity for innovative startups to showcase their insights and capabilities, and connect with a region-wide network of potential customers and partners. The event also complements the companies present at the NYC Big Show and amplifies NRF’s scope to become more global.

Lyra Ventures serves on the NRF Innovation Advisory Committee and now the NRF APAC Advisory Board, and we are thrilled to see more startups from our home region becoming visible globally in NRF's ecosystem.

Zara Safiullah Tusk Venture Partners Reina Nakamura Chieh Suang K. Jonathan Price Alicia Teo Celine Leibfried

“Isn’t recycling a hoax?” 

The difficulties surrounding the feasibility of recycling are a constant concern when brands look at circular solutions. Two years into their journey to make recycling in the fashion industry a reality, we can proudly say that SuperCircle and its 20-plus recycling partners have diverted more than two million textile products from landfills. Hoax who? 

2 million pounds is incredible but relative to the size of the problem, it's just the start. Chloe Marie Songer and Stuart Ahlum spoke about the reality of recycling, the shifts in the industry and their journey in the April issue of Inc. Magazine. 

Follow the link to read about their work with UNIQLO, Reformation and other leading brands: https://lnkd.in/dPT4zMBp 

Reina Nakamura Debra Langley Chieh Suang K. Celine Leibfried Christine Goulay Jonathan Price Alicia Teo Suraya Goddard #circularity #circularfashion #sustainability #recycling

#Retailtech founders! Last call to be considered for the National Retail Federation Innovation Lab, a key part of the first NRF APAC Big Show in Singapore, June 11-13. 

Like its established NYC sister event, the NRF APAC Innovation Lab is a showcase of the top innovators working across retail - applying innovation in AI, supply chain, online transactions, customer engagement and experiences across channels, inventory management, robotics, data analytics, and more - yes, the myriad challenges today's retailers are grappling with.

If you lead an established tech business or you're a startup founder building a relevant solution and you want to be featured in this exclusive presentation to Asia's leading retailers, investors, potential customers and partners, it's not too late to apply here: https://lnkd.in/gf2A32Ji (and you don't need to be based in Asia).

#innovation #startups #retaili #retailtech #supplychain #inventorymanagement #dataanalytics #bigdata #customerexperience #customercentric #consumerengagement #unifiedcommerce #customerdataplatforms #trendprediction #demandplanning #marketingsolutions #omnichannel #ecommerce #retailmedia #robotics #blockchain #manufacturing 

Seth Webb Susan Newman Ryf Quail Shirley Chan Liana P. Zara Safiullah Jonathan Price Claire Chang Michael B. Reidbord Alicia Teo Reina Nakamura Kazuma Takahashi Kentaro Tanoue Chieh Suang K. Celine Leibfried Marc Dragon James Strabo Andrew Carroll Lisa Morales-Hellebo Kate Sheldon 🕊 CEO The Fashioneering Lab Singapore Tourism Board Enterprise Singapore

On #InternationalWomensDay, we're excited to celebrate the female founders in our portfolio who inspire us with their bold visions for a better future as they reshape our industry:

🧑🏭Tal Nagler Almog, COO of Bites , an LMS for frontline employees – “it’s as if TikTok and corporate Learning Management System had a baby!” ▶Read more: https://lnkd.in/eSVXRduG

📝 Dóra Lality, CLO of Material Exchange is transforming the way the fashion industry sources materials and products to make it more efficient, transparent, and sustainable. ▶Read more: https://lnkd.in/eRViRTZu

👟Chloe Marie Songer, CEO of SuperCircle and co-founder of Thousand Fell, a platform connecting brands and retailers with the textile waste ecosystem to divert garments from landfills. ▶Read more: https://lnkd.in/e-Qc_C_4

🌍Anna Balez, CEO of Lizee leads a reverse logistics tech platform that enables resale and rental services for brands and retailers. ▶Read more: https://lnkd.in/es7tT_Wa

👜Elise Whang and Emily Erkel, CEO and CMO of LePrix, a pre-owned luxury B2B resale marketplace. ▶Read more: https://lnkd.in/ecu-v94g

Our focus at Lyra is not solely on investing in female founders; rather, we are committed to supporting the most talented teams, irregardless of gender. While approximately 70% of the startups we engage with are founded by all-male teams, our investment decisions have led to a diverse portfolio: 20% of our startups have female CEOs, and 50% are mixed/diverse teams.  

A big shout out to Lyra's advisors, past and present: Carol Hilsum, Christine Goulay and Chieh Suang K., and to our Venture Partner, Debra Langley. They epitomize #femaleleadership, serving not only as #trailblazers but also as #mentors to many remarkable women (and men) within our ecosystem.

#internationalwomensday #iwd2024 #leadership #femalefounders #entrepreneurs #startups #fashion #fashiontech #retailtech #innovation #techcommunity #venturecapital

SuperCircle's partnership with J.Crew on their first-ever Second-Life Swim takeback program enables consumers to return pre-loved swimwear from any brand to J Crew for fibre-to-fibre recycling and collect a $5 credit ♻️ check out: https://lnkd.in/e8pXhpBB

Swimwear is particularly difficult to recycle as it is made from synthetic fibres and multiple components. As consumers are not willing to buy or sell secondhand swimwear due to hygiene reasons, swimwear typically ends up in landfills, polluting the environment with chemicals and microplastics. 

Through this partnership, no garments will end up in landfill or secondhand markets in the Global South. Items not fit for F2F recycling will be downcycled through SuperCircle’s system. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/evg4RPXe

#textilerecycling #f2frecycling #recommerce #responsibleconsumption #circularity #sustainability #retail #partnership Stuart Ahlum Chloe Marie Songer Reina Nakamura Chieh Suang K. Debra Langley Jonathan Price Christine Goulay Alicia Teo Celine Leibfried

Exciting news! LePrix is the official partner of Whatnot, bringing the thrill of live shopping to luxury resale. 

This collaboration enables Whatnot's sellers to access unique inventory across the globe at wholesale prices while benefiting from LePrix's comprehensive services including supplier verification, pricing intelligence, logistics, data integration, authentication (in partnership with Entrupy), and payment processing (powered by Balance).

LePrix has grown into the leading B2B marketplace for authenticated, preowned luxury goods under the leadership of #femalefounders Elise Whang and Emily Erkel. Read more here: 

https://lnkd.in/efgsB25A

#recommerce #resale #preownedluxury #circulareconomy #livecommerce #livestreaming #liveselling #GenZ #authentication #circulareconomy #circularfashion #responsiblecommerce Reina Nakamura Chieh Suang K. Debra Langley Jonathan Price Celine Leibfried Alicia Teo Mike Forrest Sharon Mahoney

We've been watching the amazing traction from the partnership between Shopify Shop and Tolstoy over the past week. This collaboration has introduced Discovery Videos to over 100 million Shop app users, revolutionizing brand and product discovery. The impressive early results, including significant user engagement and sales growth for brands like Glow Recipe, Thrive Causemetics Inc., and Dosey, highlight the power of personalized content.

Discover Shop Videos powered by Tolstoy for free at https://lnkd.in/eexFD5X2
 
#Ecommerce #Shopify #DiscoveryVideos #socialcommerce #creatormarketing #videocommerce #ugcmarketing

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Lyra Ventures