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!
what are the chances for a single inventor of a deep tech to be funded by your organization , if the tech invented is important , but there isn`t a team . its a single man show ?
Where do you currently see the biggest opportunities in todays environment? Have prospective LPs shown more interest in this environment given the reset in valuations?
We believe that the biggest opportunities are where the biggest problems exist. Climate is a problem. Inefficient and unsustainable manufacturing is a problem. Leveraging Data effectively is a problem. Global Health is a problem.
Most LPs (Limited Partners) spent the first half of 2023 in recoil from the macroeconomic changes and downturn in the public markets. Venture valuations tend to lag - VCs are slower to mark down their valuations and some startups legitimately don’t need to fundraise at a new valuation for a while. This led to a so-called denominator effect where their total portfolio (denominator) shrunk faster than the venture capital portion which led to a perception of over-allocation into venture. High-interest rates also pose a challenge as LPs have more options to get “good enough” returns with lower risk. In Q3 and Q4 we’ve definitely seen LP interest pick up, especially from international LPs that were generally less exposed to venture and are sophisticated enough to understand that the pre-seed and seed markets are still strong.
How do you see AI changing the landscape for companies in the next 12 months and what are the biggest opportunities for entrepreneurs leveraging the new tech?
If a founder comes to a pitch with patents (provisional, pending, or granted), is that a plus or minus for you?
Lots of angel syndicates and pre-seed funds ask about patents in their application process, you guys have a lot of them yourselves, but logically, if you’re a small company without the ability to defend a patent in court, isn’t it more of a liability to reveal details via a patent given you lack the means to stop potential infringers?
Also… what’s it like to get sued by Apple? Googled your names and saw some articles re Simon and Apple. Seems like you came out fine, but that’s worst-nightmare material for sure.
Hey, Simon here! Great questions!
Q1/Q2: Patents aren’t the primary factor for us in deciding whether or not to invest. You’re correct in noting that patents can be expensive and might not always be necessary at the early stages of a company. However, we do value intellectual property (IP) as it can significantly enhance a company’s defensibility and market position. IP can take various forms, such as provisional patents, which offer a cost-effective way to protect an invention for one year without public disclosure, trade secrets, or proprietary data. Each of these has its own merits and suitability depending on the startup’s strategy and sector.
Q3: Very daunting! But it was also a forcing function to accelerate my career into VC and ultimately led me to where I am today! Hard pivots are just that - hard, but if done correctly can lead to a greater outcome. I am very appreciative of the friends and colleagues who supported me through one of the most challenging times of my life! Sabrina Paseman, Lucas Whipple and other professional and life-mentors to name just a few. I now focus on passing-on these learnings as well as all the learnings I have gained in the realm of invention, IP and career transition to the founders who are willing to listen :)
Do VC prefer to invest in companies based in the US?
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?
What strategies do you employ to assess and manage the technical risks associated with early-stage DeepTech investments, and how does your team’s hands-on approach contribute to mitigating these risks?
Thanks for joining us!
Can you share more about how you like to receive deal flow? Do want people cold-emailing? Do you have an application process? How could a founder know if they are a good fit for you, how do they self-filter?
Thank you for having us! It was a blast!
Do you plan on expanding to other verticals as you continue to grow Omni? What would be a dream vertical to invest in for both of you if LPs gave you the freedom to invest in fields you were truly interested in without needing to think too much of returns?
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.
Do you or are you able to make investments on your own?
How does it work if there is no exit? I am 100% certain that I will die with my company.
How have you increased your brand presence to attract enough interesting companies to be the first check in? How have you built up your reputation in the VC / startup community? Is it mainly through personal efforts like being a thoughtleader in a space through LinkedIn / X / etc? Or establishing relationships with enough founders that they refer you first to early stage startups?
With your specialization in early-stage investing and the emphasis on defensible IP, I’m curious about the challenges you face in evaluating the technical and market risks involved. Can you share an example where your hands-on, technical approach significantly contributed to navigating and mitigating such challenges for one of your portfolio companies? What key lessons did you learn from that experience?
made an AI software but lack of startup capital so couldn’t market that🥲
Want to see the software? and if it turns out a good idea will you invest?😐
Would you happen to have a generalist / SME / EIR role for a ML/AI PhD in Decision Making & Learning with an odd experience in Aluminum industry, remotely controlling automated guided vehicles, but who would like to work on multiple problems rather than founding one? ;) Hit me up if you do!