Hello Reddit!
We’re the team from Omni Venture Labs, trailblazers in industrials and manufacturing DeepTech. As a “first check” DeepTech VC led by former Apple product and manufacturing experts, we specialize in early-stage investing. We’re passionate about driving the digital transformation of industry through AI, Robotics, and Automation. With over 80 patents, our expertise lies in identifying and nurturing outlier technical founders with defensible IP at the inception of their journey.
Our approach as first-check VCs comes with unique pros and cons. The excitement of being at the forefront of innovation and shaping groundbreaking ideas from their earliest stages is unparalleled. However, it requires a deep understanding of the technical and market risks involved. We pride ourselves on being a hands-on, technical team, actively sharing our expertise and knowledge with founders in our portfolio companies to navigate these challenges together.
Our current investment criteria:
Fund Theme: Industrials DeepTech / Industry 4.0 (aka Digital Transformation of Industry)
Preferred Sectors: Digital Engineering Tools, Robotics/Automation, Sustainable Manufacturing, Supply Chain Tech
Stage: Pre-seed or earlier.
Business models: Mainly enterprise software, some enterprise hardware+software.
Check size: $100k-$1M.
Geography: Global.
Meet our team:
Simon Lancaster, Founding General Partner: With a rich history at Blackberry, Toyota, Google, and a significant tenure at Apple, Simon has amassed 56 patents. His expertise in consumer electronics and advanced materials has been instrumental in shaping products like the MacBook and iPad. At Arris Composites, he elevated its value to over $260M. Simon now channels his experience into supporting the next generation of tech innovators.
Sabrina Paseman, Founding General Partner: Sabrina is a Cornell graduate with 7 patents, recognized by Forbes and Business Insider for her impactful work. From developing medical devices to leading Apple’s Mac product design and engineering, she empowers human creativity through technology.
Lucas Whipple, Founding Venture Partner: Specializing in robotics, automation, and machine learning, Lucas’s background in advanced robotics R&D at Apple and consumer product consulting equips him perfectly for strategic advising and due diligence at Omni.
Join us to explore the thrills and challenges of early-stage investing, our hands-on approach with portfolio companies, and our vision for the future of industrial technology. Ask us anything about our experiences, investment philosophy, or revolutionizing industries through DeepTech!
I am a hands on senior leader with a fortune 100 healthcare manufacturing company (20+ years) leading our global business and technology transformation across a highly complex regulated supply chain, commercial, and financial organization with $20B+ in annual revenue. Deep experience across all business and technology aspects of planning, manufacturing, quality, logistics, order management, customer integration, financials, data management, change management, etc.
A handful of us (industry friends outside of my current company that have broad networks as well) are in the process of ramping up our own business consulting practice, helping other large complex organizations manage through complex transformations. Initial focus is on services, but have product ideas as well to accelerate pace of transformation once we establish ourselves.
Any advice you would offer up to seasoned corporate leaders jumping into the startup world?