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!
Hi Sabrina here. We really appreciate this question! We have very carefully thought through our fund strategy for our Fund 1. Our thesis, investment stage, # of checks, and deployment strategy all align with what we love to do, our strengths, and the market returns. We would love to keep a lot of these similar as we invest into Fund 2 and beyond so that we can keep honing our craft and building upon our strengths. That said, I’d love to expand our thesis to include more companies that fit into our mission of “Unlocking Human Potential” outside of strictly the industrials space. We’re very passionate about finding a way for everyone to live their best lives. We want to enable a world where people don’t need to worry about the tedious tasks of daily life and instead have the flexibility to focus their time on what they really enjoy and what really inspires them.