The New York Fashion Tech Lab recently revealed the six female-led start-ups participating in their annual 12-week venture program. The lineup includes trailblazers in sustainable textiles, creative online shopping experiences, and advanced wearable technology. The selected start-ups – Curated for You, Flock, Fairly Made, Nectar AI, Raspberry AI, and Yofi – will collaborate with top-tier fashion brands and retailers, which will contribute to their growth and visibility.
This venture program featuring collaborative workshops, mentoring sessions, and networking events commences on April 15, 2024. The goal is to fast-track the budding ideas of these entrepreneurs, promoting growth and equality in gender representation in the tech industry. After a rigorous selection process involving prominent figures from partnering companies, these start-ups can look forward to learning from experienced industry leaders.
The selected teams are poised to integrate modern ideas and state-of-the-art technologies into the well-established fashion industry. The collaboration will create a symbiotic relationship between the traditional retail giants and the innovative start-ups.
Empowering female-led startups in fashion tech
The program will conclude on June 24 with a demo day, where these startups can showcase their progress and pitch to potential investors in the heart of New York’s fashion district.
Jackie Trebilcock, Managing Director of the New York Fashion Tech Lab, underlined the focus areas of the venture scheme. These areas include social commerce, personalization, fault/returns protection, visual commerce, AI design/merchandising, and sustainability impact. These sectors are intended to drive significant advancements in the fashion industry, with the aid of technology.
Since its establishment, the Lab has supported 75 female-founded start-ups, amongst them being companies like Obsess, Eon, FindMine, Buywith, Dressx, Reflaunt, and Save Your Wardrobe. By championing female founders and their revolutionary projects, the Lab has consistently promoted female entrepreneurship.
Start-ups graduating from the program have historically shown significant growth and managed to form strategic partnerships with major retailers. They have also secured significant investments and achieved noteworthy acquisitions. With this record, the New York Fashion Tech Lab’s venture program seems to be a productive platform for these start-ups towards success.
