XRC Labs Announces Cohort 13  

XRC’s Newest Accelerator Cohort Demonstrates a Continued Commitment to Inclusivity and Sustainability in Retail Technology and Consumer Goods    

Today XRC Labs (XRC), an NYC-based venture capital fund and startup accelerator focused on retail technology, consumer goods, and consumerized healthcare, announces its Cohort 13 Accelerator program portfolio companies.   

After a thorough review by the XRC investment team and selection committee, seven startups have been accepted to Cohort 13 and will receive ~$135K in investment, participate in a three-month Accelerator program, and gain access to XRC’s world-class partners, including The TJX Companies, Inc., Mastercard, The Estée Lauder Companies, GS1 US, and ecosystem partners, including UPS, Brex, Clearco, Vouch, and Fenwick & West. Each startup will also be matched with select mentors of XRC’s 330+ mentorship network, which includes today’s most influential retail leaders and consultancies.   

“In Cohort 13, we have some exceptionally strong founders who address white spaces in the market with a truly unique approach. They uphold shared values like inclusivity and sustainability and demonstrate growing customer traction,” says XRC Labs Partner, Diana Melencio. “We’re excited to help these companies gain additional investor and consumer attention, but more importantly, to see them imprint lasting changes on our world.”   

XRC’s Cohort 13 Startups:

• 123 Baby Box is a monthly subscription box for first-time moms, providing them a box of joy for their bundle of joy.
• Adrich is a smart chip and PaaS platform that captures consumer product usage data to enable timely replenishment of products used. 
• Barb is a lifestyle brand that creates products and community for folks who express themselves through their short hair.
• Socalytix helps retailers increase consumer loyalty and retention by analyzing open web data to understand when consumers are in “buying windows.”
• Stabl is a digital health solution that moves postoperative recovery from the clinic to home.
• Yümicare is a digital marketplace that matches seniors and disabled people with trained, local caregivers.
• #Mademebuyit is transforming mall kiosks for Gen Z by introducing 'As Seen on TikTok' viral brands and products.

XRC also recently launched its Opportunity Fund to co-invest in post-Seed to Series A alumni companies and startups beyond the accelerator stage, alongside other top venture capital funds. The Opportunity Fund helps these later stage startups further scale their companies beyond product market fit to achieve exponential growth.  

XRC’s Newest Opportunity Fund Startups:

• Boost generates instant checkout Tags that convert any media into frictionless points of sale, online and offline.
• MeliBio is revolutionizing the $10B honey market by being the world's first company making real honey without bees.  
• Raydiant is the first to help brick and mortar businesses transform their TVs into experience platforms, driving messaging, sales, and engagement and overall creating a new way customers and employees connect with brands.

An additional Accelerator and Opportunity Fund benefit includes getting connected to some of the largest retail-focused conferences in the U.S., including Shoptalk, National Retail Federation (NRF) Retail’s Big Show, SXSW, and others. This past January, XRC saw more than a dozen portfolio startups participate and speak at the NRF Retail’s Big Show resulting in new customers, media coverage, and partnerships.   

For those interested in applying to XRC’s Accelerator program, please visit xrclabs.com.