Good things are coming

LUMO Labs is an impact-driven multi-stage fund (pre-seed through series A) with a 2-year venture builder program for founding teams of ventures focused on AI/Data, Blockchain, Robotics/Drones, IoT, VR/AR.

We believe that these emerging technologies hold the key to solving the social challenges that people face today. At LUMO Labs we focus on sustainable cities and communities, health and wellbeing and quality education.

We love the challenge, and we play to win. For us this means that we keep a laser-like focus on how and where we can add most value for founding teams to achieve maximal traction and impact.

Our choices

Social return and financial return must go hand-in-hand. We focus on investments in software and smart hardware, because this is where we believe the magic happens.

The already massive impact that infrastructures, platforms and applications have on people’s lives and the very fiber of society, will continue to increase going forward. They are intricately linked to developments related to Artificial Intelligence/Data, Blockchain, Robotics/Drones, the Internet of Things and extended realities (virtual reality and augmented reality), who in their turn will become much more pervasive than they are today.

We like the buzz around social impact, it resonates the worldwide realization that we need to be aware of the impact of our choices. It is also a call to action and urgent outcry for better and more conscious choices alternatives.

However much we like the buzz, it’s the bee we are after. A general desire for social impact is great but still very subjective and infinite. We chose to be specific.

We support the UN effort of laying down a set of seventeen Social Development Goals. It allows us to be specific about where we play. We pay specialist attention in the three (adjacent) SDGs that fit our technology focus and network best; sustainable cities & communities, health & wellbeing and quality education.

What could also be considered a matter of impact, is the stage at which we invest; pre-seed, seed and series A as follow-on-funding for existing portfolio companies.

At LUMO we get on board early because the dynamics at the (pre)seed stage provide unique opportunities to embed and accelerate elements that will maximize the financial and social return of a venture in the short term and long term.

Another reason why we chose to focus on early-stage funding is that pivotal innovation and game-changing businesses can be lost if the gap between financial support from ‘family and friends’ and a full series A is too big (as often is the case).

Our support package is clear and has some distinctive features;

We give out relatively large tickets 

We run a Venture Builder Program that covers the entire two first years of each of our investments. 

Our Venture Builder Program is modular and dynamically made-to-measure for each venture.

Supported by a strategic outpost in Los Angeles (USA) to keep our perspectives challenged and our network open, LUMO Labs chooses to be based in Eindhoven (NL). 

The most obvious reason and primary reason why we choose to be based in Eindhoven, is that there is no other place with such a high concentration of top tier global heavy-weights and frontrunners in deep-tech, soft-tech and manufacturing. 

Moreover, the region is known for fueling its industrial and technological successes by down to earth pragmatism, a deeply rooted sense of community, widespread social responsibility and accessible outdoor leisure.

‘No company is an island.’ We aspire to build more than a set of standalone companies. Our investments need to be able to reinforce each other and contribute to the greater ecosystems they operate in as a whole. We classify our portfolio as a ‘systemic portfolio’.

Start-ups whose needs and drivers match all of these mandatory focus areas find at LUMO Labs an unrivaled breeding ground and highly supportive support network of domain experts and peers. 

The fundamental beliefs behind our choices

Focus is good. Silos are not. 

Convergence of technologies is key for next level innovation and impact.

Awareness of the impact our choices is key for next level innovation and impact.

Connections with people are key for insights, traction and the thrill of serendipity.

ROI is key for sustainable traction and insights.

Connectivity is key in current and next level innovation and impact.

The subsequent consequence of data requires increasing effort on quality and ethics.

#goodthingsarecoming