MotionLab.Ventures - the newest branch of MotionLab.Berlin

THIS IS MOTIONLAB.VENTURES

PRE-SEED VENTURE & STARTUP INVESTMENT SUPPORT

5 months ago we announced our newest entity: MotionLab.Ventures. Since then we have been actively engaging with hardtech Startups to invest in. But before we dive into what our pre-seed venture and startup investment support is all about, let's take a look back and learn all about it, how it came to be.

5 months ago we announced our newest entity: MotionLab.Ventures. Since then we have been actively engaging with hardtech Startups to invest in. But before we dive into what our pre-seed venture and startup investment support is all about, let’s take a look back and learn all about it, how it came to be.

MotionLab.Berlin, a thriving hub for hardtech innovation, has been the birthplace of numerous successful startups, including Onomotion, Kopernikus Automotive, Dance, and NeoCarbon. Currently, we are deeply involved in fostering the growth of 70 hardtech startups, with more than 45 additional alumni ventures flourishing beyond our initial spaces. This speaks volumes about the dynamic and supportive environment that defines our MotionLab.Berlin community.

Over the years, our team at MotionLab.Berlin has played a pivotal role in nurturing startups by providing extensive knowledge and network support. Recognizing the need for sustained assistance and aiming to contribute to the long-term success of these ventures, we successfully managed to conceptualise MotionLab.Ventures over a year ago. Our dedicated team worked tirelessly on this plan, and five months ago, we proudly established MotionLab.Ventures, our pre-seed venture and startup investment support.

MOTIONLAB.VENTURES - HOW IT ALL STARTED

This was the starting point and the path we have taken since then with our pre-seed venture and startup investment support MotionLab.Ventures.

Together with key partners such as Berlin.Industrial.Group. (B.I.G.) and Bevermann Consulting GmbH, our journey with MotionLab.Ventures began with the launch of our inaugural privately funded Accelerator Program Industrial Tech. This program, an extension of our early-stage hardtech investment initiative, carefully selected promising startups to participate. Notable among them were Lite+Fog, creators of a vertical farming fogponic solution, and infresh, the innovators behind an autonomous food dispensing robot.

MotionLab.Ventures is a strategic move and marks a significant step forward for us at MotionLab.Berlin. It enhances our capacity to support climate tech hardware startups facing challenges such as scarce startup investment opportunities, higher upfront costs, longer development timelines, and manufacturing complexities.

WHY ARE WE DOING WHAT WE DO

MotionLab.Ventures, is undoubtedly an extension of our vision at MotionLab.Berlin, and is on a mission to actively contribute to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The venture aims to accelerate progress toward this goal through hardtech early-stage investments. Recognizing the rarity of hardware investments, out new entity leverages its expertise to navigate challenges, building on our track record of supporting successful startups like NeoCarbon, OnoMotion, and Sphaira Medical.

Looking ahead, the roadmap is clear – to continue supporting solutions that actively engineer a carbon-neutral future. Our collective vision is to invest in promising climate tech hardware startups, playing a crucial role in realising a carbon net zero by 2050. As MotionLab.Ventures takes bold strides, it exemplifies our commitment to fostering sustainable innovation and contributing to a greener, more resilient future.

WHO IS MOTIONLAB.VENTURES INVESTING IN?

We support early stage hardtech startups to solve the biggest challenges of decarbonisation. We aim to back DACH based hardtech startups that are working on engineering the future with solutions that lead to net-zero carbon emissions. This includes the following industries: industrial production, energy production & distribution, agriculture, logistics & transport and cooling & heating.

Industrial production

Large scale manufacturing and processing solutions to reduce emissions in manufacturing processes and industries.

Energy production & distribution

Generation, transmision and delivery of various forms of energy (electricity and fuel) to meet industry needs.

Agriculture

Cultivation of crops, rearing of animals, and related activities to produce food, fiber, and other agricultural products for human consumption and industrial use.

Logistics & Transport

Management & movement of goods & people from one location to another, encompassing various modes of transportation and supply chains.

Cooling & heating

Climate control solutions (air conditioning, heating, ventilation) to regulate indoor temperature and ensure comfort and efficiency in various settings.

Industrial production

Energy production & distribution

Agriculture

Logistics & Transport

Cooling & Heating

HOW DOES OUR STARTUP INVESTMENT LOOK LIKE?

We support you and your early stage hardtech startups to solve the biggest challenges of decarbonisation. But how does the investment and support looks like and what are your advantages as a startup?

The pre-seed startup investment includes not only cash support but also additional in-kind support. Our investment is specifically tailored to your needs as a hardtech startup, to help you successfully navigate the hardtech development journey, the MotionLab.Berlin ecosystem and tackle all your challenges. This means you will not only gain unrestricted access to the MotionLab.Berlin ecosystem and your very own 25-square meter MakerGarage, but also have a dedicated hardtech startup coach by your side. Our coaches and mentors guide you through the process of growing your startup faster, provide important insights as well as advice and support you in taking important steps.

As experts, they offer you help and guidance especially in the following areas:

Engineering:
We help you find the right engineers, whether mechanical, electrical, or mechatronics, to construct, test, and refine your prototypes.
Sourcing:
We connect you with the perfect manufacturers, ensuring production-grade components quickly, without the need for mass production.
Business Development:
Our experts assist you in crafting your narrative, developing strategies to secure pilots, enter markets, and scale.
Fundraising and Strategy:
We lay the groundwork for future funding rounds, offering strategic support and access to our extensive investor network.

Want to know more? For more information check out our subpage for MotionLab.Ventures. If you want to join this mission and invest in the future then reach out to MotionLab.Ventures managing directors Tayla Sheldrake and Fridtjof Gustavs or contact us here.

THE MOTIONLAB.VENTURES STARTUP PORTFOLIO IS GROWING!

The first startup that became part of our startup investment portfolio was Lite+Fog. Lite&Fog joined us back in June 2023 after launching the pre-seed venture support MotionLab.Ventures. They are a startup braving the hardware landscape and actively striving to make a sustainable difference with their cutting edge technology in the field of fogponics. Lite+Fog specialises in fogponics, a groundbreaking farming method that cultivates plant-based molecules for medicine, cosmetics, and other products.

But we have not stopped there. We are proud to announce the latest startup to join our startup portfolio a few weeks ago: infresh! Infresh is on a mission to make healthy food more accessible and affordable for everyone. Infresh’s autonomous food dispensing robot revolutionizes the way food is served and distributed in the gastro industry.

Are you keen to learn more about the startups in our startup investment portfolio and their journey? Then stay tuned for the upcoming blog articles in the next few weeks. This is just the first episode of our MotionLab.Ventures blog series!