Morgan Stanley Expands Global Inclusive Ventures Lab with Largest Single Cohort of 23 Companies
12.9.2023 15:00:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) today announced the 2023 global cohort of the Inclusive Ventures Lab, with 23 companies selected across North America and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), double the size of previous cohorts. The Lab offers a five-month in-house accelerator program for underrepresented founders of technology and technology-enabled startups in the post-seed to Series A funding round stage.
Chosen from over 7,900 applicants – more than three times last year’s pool – the selected startups represent a range of disruptive technologies in industries including healthcare, sustainable solutions, customer service, supply chain, recruiting and cybersecurity. Companies in the cohort receive a $250,000 investment (£250,000 in EMEA) from Morgan Stanley, as well as a variety of mentorship opportunities and business-growth resources from Morgan Stanley’s ecosystem of internal and external partners.
“We are proud to welcome the Lab’s largest cohort yet, marking our continued efforts to create a more equitable investment landscape for overlooked entrepreneurs worldwide,” said Selma Bueno, Global Head of the Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Group. “We are working to bridge the investment gap for underserved founders and to help correct documented market imbalances.”
The selected companies in the 2023 global cohort include the following:
- Ad Auris empowers marketing teams, publishers and content creators to repurpose written content into high-quality audio to reach an audience of listeners (Canada)
- Automated Architecture provides the technological infrastructure for a distributed robotic micro-factory network producing sustainable timber housing (UK)
- Bidrento offers an all-in-one solution for tenant experience and rental property management, helping to save time and money while also reducing CO2 emissions in real estate (Estonia)
- ByFusion provides a zero waste landfill diversion platform to transform non-recyclable plastic waste into reusable building materials (US)
- Cult Mia is an online fashion marketplace for sustainable and ethical brands from around the world (UK)
- DotLab develops breakthrough, actionable AI and ML technologies that lead to better health outcomes for women, starting with the diagnosis of endometriosis (US)
- eBanqo offers businesses an omnichannel platform to drive customer engagement and support (Nigeria)
- Encounter AI uses digital conversational ordering solutions to provide faster, friendlier and more efficient service to customers, restaurants and retailers (US)
- FLUIX Inc. enterprise AI software saves critical infrastructure on energy costs by integrating and optimizing facility systems (US)
- GigBridge is an online platform for construction companies to hire, onboard and pay their workforce all in one place (UK)
- Health in Her HUE connects Black women and women of color to culturally sensitive healthcare providers, health content and community support through a digital platform (US)
- Inicio AI delivers a virtually guided affordability assessment to help organizations save contact center costs while improving their end customer experience (UK)
- MEDIjobs is the first virtual recruiter for the healthcare industry, filling more than 55 types of positions at a rate five times faster than a human would (US)
- Nopalera is a collection of bath and body products powered by Mexico’s nopal cactus – an ancient symbol of Mexican culture (US)
- OKO offers affordable and inclusive crop insurance to farmers in emerging countries using satellite weather data and mobile payment technologies (Israel)
- Oppos provides robust cybersecurity and compliance security solutions for businesses, safeguarding data confidentiality, integrity, and availability (Canada)
- Partsimony enables organizations to build intelligent manufacturing supply chains that are more resilient and sustainable by unifying engineering and supply chain data (US)
- Ridelink leverages technology to enable small and medium-sized businesses to move cargo in Uganda and cross-border in six neighboring countries (Uganda)
- serviceMob is an AI & ML-powered customer service analytics platform that helps businesses optimize operations and improve the customer experience (US)
- Stak Mobility facilitates widespread urban electric vehicle adoption by merging space-saving vertical parking automation with fully integrated EV charging and a seamless mobile self-service experience (US)
- Tall Poppy is a digital security company protecting employees and public facing teams from online threats (US)
- Twipes uses bio-tech to produce flushable, biodegradable wet wipes that break down in water in three hours and biodegrade in landfills in seven days (US)
- Unfabled is a consumer health platform that delivers personalized solutions for women by matching them with health and wellness products (UK)
“We are thrilled to bring our unique accelerator program to more entrepreneurs globally, including our first participants from Africa and the Middle East,” said Sanghamitra Karra, EMEA Head of the Inclusive Ventures Group. “It is highly rewarding to work closely with founders to take their game-changing technologies to scale and help set them up for continued success.”
“By providing these promising startups with much-needed capital, a tailored curriculum and access to investors within and beyond the Firm’s far-reaching network, we aim to ensure that more underrepresented founders can succeed,” said LaToya Wilson, Americas Head of the Inclusive Ventures Group.
Programming will run through February 2024 and culminate in a global Demo Day, when participating companies will present to potential investors, business partners and customers.
The Inclusive Ventures Lab has won multiple Gold Anthem Awards, including Most Impactful Corporate Initiative in 2022 and Corporate Social Responsibility in 2023. The program was also listed as one of Global Finance’s Best Innovation Labs of 2023.
About the Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab
The Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab (MSIVL) is an intensive five-month in-house accelerator program designed to help further develop and scale startups, culminating in a showcase presentation and Demo Day to the investor community. Morgan Stanley launched MSIVL, formerly called the Multicultural Innovation Lab, in 2017 in order to address inequities in funding of underrepresented founders, which our research shows equals over four trillion dollars in unrealized returns.
About Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in 42 countries, the Firm’s employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230911548537/en/
Contact information
Media Relations: Carrie Hall, carrie.hall@morganstanley.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Meiji Seika Pharma Initiates Phase I Clinical Trial in Australia Evaluating ME3241, an Anti-PD-1 Agonist Antibody Discovered Through Collaborative Research With FBRI12.3.2026 08:00:00 EET | Press release
Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; President and Representative Director: Toshiaki Nagasato) announced today that it has initiated a Phase I clinical trial of ME3241 (development code), an anti-PD-1 agonist monoclonal antibody discovered through collaborative research with the Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Kobe (Headquarters: Kobe, Japan; President: Shuh Narumiya; hereinafter “FBRI”). The Phase I clinical trial is designed as a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study, with the objective of evaluating the safety and tolerability of ME3241 following single and multiple dosing, as well as its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT07422207). ME3241 was discovered through a collaborative research program led by Program Director Tasuku Honjo, a professor emeritus at Kyoto University. PD-1 is a molecule expressed on activated T cells and other lymphocytes that suppresses immune responses. Through this re
Redslim expands into Asia-Pacific to support global brands with data and AI infrastructure12.3.2026 08:00:00 EET | Press release
Redslim, a specialist in end-to-end data management solutions and an Astorg portfolio company, today announced its expansion into the Asia-Pacific region and the appointment of Kyriakos Zannikos as Regional Director, APAC. The move marks an important milestone in Redslim’s global growth strategy and brings the company closer to clients operating in one of the world’s fastest-growing and most data-driven consumer markets. As global consumer brands accelerate digital transformation and AI adoption, many organizations still struggle with fragmented data ecosystems spanning multiple agencies, markets and datasets. These challenges are particularly pronounced in Asia-Pacific, where diverse market structures and rapid growth create complex data environments. Redslim helps organizations transform fragmented market information into valuable data assets, empowering clients to make confident decisions and unlock the full value of their data. By building strong data foundations, Redslim supports
EIG’s MidOcean Energy to Acquire Additional Gorgon LNG Interest from JERA; Parties Explore Strategic Alliance12.3.2026 04:14:00 EET | Press release
MidOcean Energy (“MidOcean”), a liquefied natural gas (LNG) company formed and managed by EIG, today announced it has entered into definitive agreements with JERA Co., Inc. (“JERA”) to acquire JERA Gorgon Pty Ltd, which holds JERA’s 0.417% interest in the Gorgon LNG project. MidOcean is an existing participant in the Gorgon LNG project, and this transaction increases MidOcean’s interest in Gorgon to 1.417%. The transaction perimeter also includes JERA’s 0.735% interest in the Ichthys LNG project. Subject to the satisfaction of relevant conditions precedent, the interests in Gorgon and Ichthys will be sold to MidOcean, and then the Ichthys interest shall be transferred, subject to the satisfaction of further conditions, to an existing joint venture participant in the Ichthys LNG project. The acquisition increases MidOcean’s equity exposure to a large-scale, long-life, integrated LNG project operated by Chevron, further strengthening its portfolio of high-quality producing assets. In par
DCX Launches Comprehensive ECDU Portfolio – Enterprise-Class Coolant Distribution Units From 600 kW to 2.6 MW11.3.2026 17:34:00 EET | Press release
DCX Liquid Cooling Systems today unveiled its new ECDU (Enterprise Coolant Distribution Unit) platform, a family of three purpose-built CDU models that deliver real cooling capacities from 600 kW to 2.6 MW in industry-standard rack and in-row footprints. The portfolio has been engineered specifically for the accelerating transition to direct-to-chip liquid cooling in high-density enterprise, colocation, cloud, and hyperscale AI environments where thermal stability, uptime, and cost-efficiency are non-negotiable. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260311214891/en/ DCX ECDU, the new generation of Enterprise Coolant Distribution Units dedicated to HPC and AI deployments. The lineup consists of: Enterprise ECDU 1380/2600 V1 - Delivers 1.38–2.6 MW of actual cooling capacity (based on real-world secondary-loop conditions). Single-pump configuration reaches flow rates up to 3,333 liters per minute (lpm). Mission Critica
Laserfiche Earns 5-Star Rating in the 2026 CRN® Partner Program Guide11.3.2026 16:00:00 EET | Press release
Laserfiche — the leading SaaS provider of intelligent content management — has been honored by CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, with a 5-Star Award in the 2026 CRN Partner Program Guide. This annual guide is an essential resource for partners seeking vendor partner programs that match their business goals and deliver high partner value. As organizations navigate growing pressure to increase productivity and respond to regulatory change, Laserfiche’s AI-powered document management solutions enable users to transform operations and achieve meaningful business results at scale. Partners that innovate with Laserfiche solutions have the opportunity to grow profits through the Laserfiche Partner Program, which equips them with the tools and resources needed to deliver customer success. Laserfiche’s partner ecosystem drives sustainable growth, delivers differentiated solutions and maximizes opportunities for both partners and their customers. Laserfiche provides comprehensive AI and clou
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom