Founded in 2016, the Urban Innovation Fund is a venture capital firm based in San Francisco, CA. The firm backs companies enhancing the livability, sustainability, and economic vitality of our cities. With 81% of Americans living in cities, and two-thirds of the world's population urbanizing by 2050, there are a growing number of challenges facing urban dwellers. The Urban Innovation Fund provides capital and regulatory support to entrepreneurs creating scalable solutions to tough urban challenges – helping them grow into tomorrow's most valued companies. The firm invests at the Pre-Seed and Seed stage in the following sectors: transportation, energy & sustainability, proptech, future of work, edtech, business services, fintech, public health & safety, govtech, and food systems.
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The Business Book Club is the best 📚
My team at the Urban Innovation Fund has a business book club that I'm obsessed with. I've learned so much from it, and many of these books have informed investments that Julie Lein, Andrew Felbinger, Jenieri Cyrus, and I have made. With the holidays coming up, I figured I'd share some of my favorite books of the year with you, on the off chance you're looking for a plane/beach/couch read :) #BusinessBookClub
Fantastic to see Commenda Founder Spencer Schneier spotlighted in Business Insider! #UrbanInnovation #PortfolioCompanyNews
Thank you to Shubhangi and the whole BI team for covering the story behind Commenda.
2024 was a year of big ideas for the Urban Innovation Fund team. Here are some highlights: 🔹 Clara Brenner was featured in Business Insider, recognized for her leadership in championing female founders and making waves in the VC ecosystem. 🔹 Julie Lein shared her expertise at SF Climate Week, participating in an impactful conversation with APCO about the future of sustainable cities. 🔹 Jenieri Cyrus led a thought-provoking panel about the intersection of innovation and sustainability during LA Tech Week, hosted by #a16z. 🔹 Urban Innovation Fund hosted a packed happy hour and fireside chat on Regulations in #AI, bringing together thought leaders and innovators to discuss one of the most pressing topics of 2024. 🔹 Andrew Felbinger represented Urban Innovation Fund at the Smart Cities Connect Conference, speaking about trends in the early fundraising market. 🔹 Clara Brenner and Julie Lein joined the First Funders Podcast to discuss how their investments in the future of cities since 2012 have resulted in unicorn successes and $215M in AUM. To everyone who joined us this year—thank you for being part of this journey! #UrbanInnovation #TeamHighlights #FutureOfCities #YearInReview
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Today I had the privilege of co-hosting a lunch for some of my favorite GPs: Julie Lein ilana stern Leshika Samarasinghe Nakul Mandan Wes Selke Victor Echevarria Arielle Zuckerberg Wendy Lim Sunil Nagaraj Shruti Gandhi Ryan Gembala Avidan Ross Dawn Dobras Jim Scheinman Kanyi Maqubela Ash Rust Hearing their lessons learned from this past year and excitement for next year has (1) taught me so much and (2) definitely put me in the holiday spirit. Thank you to my friend Tianxiang (TX) Zhuo of Fika Ventures for co-hosting with me! Your insights are invaluable to me. And thank you to our sponsors, Citizens and Andersen, for making this gathering possible. #UrbanInnovation #GPs #VentureCapital
AI is revolutionizing healthcare and Ferrum Health is at the forefront! #UrbanInnovation #PortfolioCompanyNews #AI
The Ferrum Health team woke up with some exciting news on the final day of #RSNA2024! Ferrum is thrilled to be selected in CB Insights Digital Health 50 in the Clinical Intelligence category. The growth of healthcare AI has skyrocketed in 2024, and Ferrum Health is ready to keep pushing the boundries in 2025 and beyond.
At Urban Innovation Fund, we back startups like Dataships that tackle critical challenges and enable businesses to thrive. As data privacy regulations evolve, Dataships, in partnership with experts like Rainy City Agency - Award-Winning Shopify Plus Agency, empowers e-commerce brands to stay compliant, build trust, and unlock growth while navigating complex regulatory landscapes with ease. #UrbanInnovation #EcommerceTech #DataPrivacy
For too long, e-commerce brands have seen data privacy compliance as a barrier to marketing success. Our latest partner spotlight reveals how Dataships is flipping this narrative, turning compliance into a powerful growth driver. Through their innovative “Growth Through Compliance” approach, they’re helping brands like Sculpted by Aimee and VITHIT Drinks achieve incredible results: ✨ 16,000+ new marketing contacts unlocked ✨ 49x return on investment ✨ Significant growth in marketing reach and revenue Their intelligent checkout widget is completely unique and automatically adapts to each customer’s location and applicable privacy laws, optimising consent language to maximise opt-ins while maintaining ironclad compliance. This means you can: ✅ Scale globally without fearing compliance laws and regulations ✅ Collect consent when engagement is highest - right at checkout ✅ Turn your privacy practices into a competitive advantage Co-founders Ryan McErlane and Michael Storan put it perfectly: “Data privacy isn’t just a regulatory burden - it’s a revenue opportunity.” Read our full blog to learn more about Dataships and how they can help your business 👉🏻 https://lnkd.in/e48xCajb #ecommercetech #dataprivacy #digitalmarketing #marketinggrowth
Innovation is transforming our cities - are you keeping up? Stay connected with Urban Innovation Fund’s newsletter for updates on our portfolio companies, firm news, and the solutions shaping the future of urban life. Check out our latest newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gBwt5w39 📩 Subscribe here: http://eepurl.com/c-PQ8r #UrbanInnovation #VentureCapital
Congrats to Ethic for being recognized on Deloitte’s 2024 Fast 500 list. Since their founding, Ethic has grown alongside a movement of people seeking to align their portfolio with their values - reflecting the kind of meaningful innovation we invest in at Urban Innovation Fund. #UrbanInnovation #PortfolioCompanyNews #ValuesAlignedInvesting
We’re thrilled to share that Ethic has earned a spot on Deloitte's Fast 500 list, recognizing the fastest-growing tech companies in North America! This honor is a testament to the incredible advisors and investor clients who believe in personalized and values-aligned investing—and to our team’s dedication to making it a reality. Since our founding, we’ve grown alongside a movement of people wanting their portfolios to reflect what matters to them. Today, we’re proud to work with over 240 wealth advisory and institutional investment firms nationwide who bring that vision to life for their clients every day. A huge thank you to our community, our clients, and the team at Deloitte for recognizing our journey. We’re just getting started! Rating by Deloitte for the 2024 Fast 500 award was issued on 11/21/2024. No compensation was paid for consideration of this award Photo of Diogo Rodrigues, CPA and Doug Scott receiving our award!
As the year comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on 2024 - a year filled with meaningful milestones for our portfolio companies. Here’s a look back at some key highlights: Jeeves: 💳 Secured $75M in financing to expand its Latin America footprint, including the launch of Jeeves Pay Credit in Brazil. Stell: 🛠️ Developed a platform to empower engineers and secured a $1.24M contract with Space Systems Command. SOLARCYCLE: ☀️ Recognized as the largest solar panel recycler globally and announced a new solar glass facility in Georgia. Ethic: 🌱 Doubled assets under management to $6+ billion, strengthening its leadership in sustainable investing. Ferrum Health: 🤖 Raised $16M Series A to expand its AI platform and improve healthcare outcomes. For more, explore our 2024 Urban Outcomes Report, where we highlight how our portfolio companies are tackling today’s most pressing urban challenges. #UrbanInnovation #UrbanOutcomesReport #PortfolioMilestones
Say goodbye to long lines and logistical headaches— Kyte is revolutionizing car rentals. A recent InsideHook review spotlights how Kyte offers a seamless alternative, delivering rental cars straight to your door and streamlining the process from booking to drop-off. Perfect for your holiday travel plans! 🎄🚙 #UrbanInnovation #PortfolioCompanyNews
"Kyte is redefining convenience by delivering a car right to your door, making the process as seamless as ordering takeout." 🚗 A big thank you to InsideHook and Hanna Agro for spotlighting how we’re transforming the rental car industry! Check out the full article here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eFMqmgSQ