WXR Fund

WXR Fund Research Investment Thesis WXR Fund invests in gender-diverse, seed-stage companies transforming business and human interaction through spatial computing (VR/AR) and artificial intelligence. Founded by serial entrepreneurs Martina Welkhoff and Amy LaMeyer, the fund represents the only venture firm at the intersection of spatial computing and female founders. The fund's core thesis centers on two massive opportunities: (1) spatial computing as the next computing paradigm, similar in transformational impact to the internet and mobile, and (2) gender-diverse teams' proven superior performance. Research shows teams with at least one female founder outperform all-male teams by 63% over 10 years. WXR invests specifically in female-founded or female-led companies because this cohort is systematically underfunded despite demonstrable superior outcomes. Sector Focus WXR Fund invests in companies leveraging spatial computing (VR, AR, mixed reality) combined with AI across multiple verticals: Healthcare & Wellness : Telemedicine, therapeutic applications, rehabilitative games, professional training, elder care Education : Game-based learning, immersive STEM, interactive learning platforms Enterprise & Workplace : Training tools, productivity, collaboration platforms, safety Media & Entertainment : Volumetric content, immersive experiences, fan engagement, content creation Developer Tools : Gesture recognition, visualization tools, animation software Retail & E-commerce : Virtual try-on, 3D commerce, immersive shopping experiences Consumer Applications : Fitness, social, entertainment Stage Focus WXR Fund invests primarily at the seed stage. They explicitly target early-stage companies with proven founders and initial traction. The fund was founded in 2021 and runs a concentrated portfolio approach. Check Size Historical check size: $100K - $1M, with concentrations around $250K-$500K for seed rounds. The fund raised $5M in their inaugural fund in 2021, indicating meaningful but focused deployment. Recent Activity WXR Fund remains actively invested and engaged with their portfolio. Key recent activities include: Launched XR EcoMap, a free discovery platform for the XR ecosystem Published thought leadership on metaverse opportunities and spatial computing adoption Speaking engagements at major corporate events (LinkedIn Fortune 500 event on VR in workplace) Active portfolio company mentorship and support Continued networking and relationship-building in XR ecosystem The fund does not appear to be aggressively fundraising a new vehicle, focusing instead on supporting portfolio success. Portfolio Highlights WXR Fund has invested in 40+ companies across their portfolio. Notable investments include: Featured Investments: Embodied Labs: VR training enabling healthcare providers to adopt patient/care team perspectives Tangle: Virtual collaboration space for remote team culture Obsess: Experiential e-commerce platform with major retail clients (Dior, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Coach) ALL3D: 2D/3D asset management and monetization platform Wavely Diagnostics: Smartphone-based digital diagnostics for telemedicine Prisms: Immersive STEM education platform Scatter: Volumetric film creation and democratization tools ShapesXR: VR creation and collaboration platform BODS: AI-powered personalized immersive fitting solution Mpathic: AI-powered empathy training and analytics Piction Health: AI-powered dermatology telehealth inCitu: AR-enhanced urban planning communication Aquifer: AI-powered animated video creation for entertainment BreakThru: Workplace wellness with movement breaks Team WXR Fund is led by experienced serial entrepreneurs and industry experts: Managing Partners: Martina Welkhoff (Seattle): Serial founder, founded mobile gaming startup and ConveneVR VR studio. 5+ years Board President of Women in Tech Seattle, Washington Technology Association XR Council member, World Economic Forum Global Shaper. Featured in Forbes and Time. Amy LaMeyer (San Francisco): Career at Akamai Technologies leading large-scale M&A ($1.5B+), recognized AR/VR expert. Named Top 30 to Watch in Augmented Reality. Author of "Sound and AR" chapter in "Convergence: How the World Will Be Painted With Data." Founding Venture Partners: Abby Albright (Los Angeles): Former AR enterprise adoption leader at Daqri (3+ years across aerospace, AEC, manufacturing, automotive, oil & gas), helped startups with capital procurement Malia Probst (Los Angeles): Founding Partner at VRScout (15M-20M monthly reach), host of 2 top VR/AR podcasts (300K+ downloads). Named Top 20 Most Influential People in VR/AR industry. Geographic Focus Team based in San Francisco, Seattle, and Los Angeles, representing US West Coast anchor with focus on broader US opportunities. Founder Preferences WXR Fund explicitly targets female founders and gender-diverse teams building in spatial computing and AI. The fund values: Founders with deep domain expertise in target verticals Teams with proven ability to execute and scale Companies addressing real pain points in healthcare, education, enterprise, or media Gender-diverse leadership teams Decision Process Partnership-driven investment approach. Team consists of experienced operators and industry experts providing both capital and operational support beyond just funding. Accelerator Background Before launching the fund, WXR Fund ran an accelerator program in 2018-2019 in partnership with Verizon 5G Labs. The program supported 26 startups and served as a key pipeline for fund investments, allowing the team to develop and test portfolio support playbooks. Investment Approach Beyond capital, WXR Fund provides: Extensive networks across VR, AR, investment, and media communities Operational expertise from serial entrepreneurs and corporate executives Corporate M&A and scaling experience Ongoing mentorship and portfolio support Access to industry events and speaking opportunities Community building among portfolio founders Expert guidance on spatial computing adoption and strategy