NY-MORGAN-STANLEY
6.9.2022 17:42:37 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
Morgan Stanley today announced the eighth cohort of the Multicultural Innovation Lab. The in-house accelerator program for technology and technology-enabled startups in the post-seed to Series A funding round stage targets companies with multicultural or women founders, co-founders, CTOs or other C-suite members who are developing innovative solutions across sectors. Now in its sixth year and with 69 total participating companies to date, the program is expanding globally for the first time, with participating companies in both the US and in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
From September 2022 to February 2023, the founders—the majority of whom are women and ethnically diverse—and their companies will participate in a customized accelerator program designed to enhance their growth and development. Chosen from over 2,500 applications, these leaders will benefit from the close support of Morgan Stanley’s global ecosystem of internal and external partners, which will provide a variety of mentorship opportunities and business-growth resources. Through MCIL, Morgan Stanley also makes investments in these early-stage, high-growth startups.
“We are particularly excited to welcome our first global cohort, representing multicultural and women-led innovation in business around the world,” said Selma Bueno, Managing Director and Head of the Multicultural Client Strategy Group. “This new stage in MCIL’s development represents our continued efforts to create a more equitable investment landscape for women- and diverse-led startups and ensure that more overlooked entrepreneurs—and their communities—have the opportunity to succeed.”
The companies that have been selected for the Fall 2022 cohort include the following:
- Advocat is a legal software platform developed to streamline the process of creating and operationalizing legal documents.
- AMAKA Studio is a digital media platform connecting a global community of women sharing Pan-African stories.
- AuditMate is a provider of SaaS-driven vertical transportation maintenance and contract management services. The solution helps property managers with contract analysis, maintenance completion reporting, compliance management and more.
- Gentreo is a software solution helping families and caregivers affordably and easily prepare, plan and protect all they love with next generation estate planning.
- Here Here Market is an online marketplace for food enthusiasts to discover and buy specialty products from ‘chef-prenuers’ and small-batch artisans.
- imagi is an education tech company leveraging proprietary coding education tools to equip girls with essential technology skills and confidence.
- Kami is an AI-powered family support platform providing personalized access to a wide range of wellness consultants, as well as an expertly curated and comprehensive range of guides, articles and tips.
- Perse is a single data technology platform leveraging energy and carbon data from all meters in Britain to report and optimize the energy and carbon footprint for individuals, households and businesses.
- Physician 360 transforms community pharmacies into healthcare clinics by empowering them with access to a virtual care platform.
- Wearisma is a global enterprise SaaS influencer analytics platform helping large-scale companies to optimize marketing spend and to achieve communication objectives.
The Fall cohort will operate in a hybrid environment, using a combination of online video platforms and in-person events to facilitate the curriculum, enhance connectivity and foster community. The program will culminate in the eighth Multicultural Innovation Lab Showcase and Demo Day, when the 10 participating companies will present to potential investors, business partners and customers.
For the last two years, MCIL has been named one of the World’s Best Innovation Labs by Global Finance Magazine. The Lab continues to successfully increase access to capital for diverse entrepreneurs, as evidenced by resulting company acquisitions and additional funding rounds following participation in the program. Some notable examples include:
- Relationship intelligence platform Stimulus raised a $2.5 million seed round to grow partnerships and expand the team with engineering, data science and sales talent.
- Lillii RNB, an AI-powered fraud prevention and investigation SaaS solution for retailers, raised a $3 million seed round from co-leads Serena Ventures and Aperture Venture Capital to capitalize on sales opportunities and grow its partnership network.
- Event management software platform Five to Nine raised a $4.25 million seed round to expand its engineering capability, accelerate product development and grow the team.
About the Multicultural Innovation Lab
The Multicultural Innovation Lab (MCIL) is an intensive five-month in-house accelerator designed to help further develop and scale startups, culminating in a showcase presentation and Demo Day to the investor community. Morgan Stanley launched MCIL in 2017 in order to address inequities in funding of ethnically diverse- and women-led startups, which our research shows equals over four trillion dollars in unrealized returns.
The team is led by New York-based Selma Bueno, Managing Director and Global Head of the Multicultural Client Strategy Group, and London-based Sanghamitra Karra, Managing Director and EMEA Head of the Multicultural Client Strategy Group. Together, they have over 35 years of investment banking and risk management experience.
Listen to the Access & Opportunity with Carla Harris podcast on your platform of choice to learn about the players driving change among diverse entrepreneurs, the investor community and the world.
About Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in 41 countries, the Firm’s employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit https://www.morganstanley.com/.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220906005822/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Ant International, Mastercard and Visa Initiate Collaboration on Know-Your-Agent Interoperability to Scale Agentic Commerce10.9.2026 03:00:00 CEST | Press release
Ant International, Mastercard, and Visa have begun collaboration on a Know-Your-Agent (KYA) interoperability framework, designed to help card networks, digital wallet ecosystems, agent platforms and marketplaces streamline agent onboarding and identification across networks, based on shared principles while preserving each network's own verification and decisioning processes. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260909003891/en/ Ant International, Mastercard and Visa initiate collaboration on Know-Your-Agent interoperability to scale agentic commerce AI agents are evolving from making recommendations to completing purchases on behalf of users. By 2030, AI agents are projected to orchestrate US$3 trillion to 5 trillion of global consumer commercei. Underlying the mega-trend is the KYA architecture of payment networks and service providers, which establishes requirements and accountability, verifies agent identities,
Andersen Global etablerer nyt medlemsvirksomhed i Frankrig9.9.2026 23:00:00 CEST | Pressemeddelelse
Andersen Global styrker sin tilstedeværelse i Frankrig med tilføjelsen af Andersen Société d'Avocats (Andersen in France), en medlemsvirksomhed baseret i Paris, der tilbyder integrerede juridiske ydelser til klienter i Frankrig og internationalt. Andersen in France tilbyder strategiske juridiske løsninger inden for selskabsskat, international skat, transfer pricing, moms og skatteprocesser og bistår klienter over hele verden. Under ledelse af de administrerende partnere Benoît Dambre og François Morazin håndterer det tværfaglige team også specialiserede områder som byplanlægning, fast ejendom, intellektuel ejendomsret og privatlivsbeskyttelse, bæredygtighed og ESG, EU-ret og sanktioner samt andre komplekse juridiske problemstillinger. "Vi ser juridisk rådgivning som mere end blot at håndtere umiddelbare udfordringer – det bør hjælpe klienter med at træffe kvalificerede beslutninger og opsøge muligheder med selvtillid," udtalte Benoît. "At blive en del af Andersen Global giver os muligh
Cyclic Materials Opens America’s First Commercial-Scale Facility Delivering Automated Rare Earth Magnet Recovery9.9.2026 22:09:00 CEST | Press release
The Mesa, Arizona facility deploys Cyclic Materials’ proprietary technology to process up to 25,000 metric tons of magnet-bearing products annually, creating a new domestic source of rare earth elements and copper, aluminum and steel for direct reintegration into U.S. manufacturing Cyclic Materials announced today the opening of its first commercial-scale rare earth magnet recycling facility in Mesa, Arizona, marking a major milestone in building domestic supply of rare earths and critical minerals. With an annual processing capacity of up to 25,000 metric tons of magnet-bearing end-of-life products, the facility produces Cyclic’s rare earth magnet material, Mag-Xtract™, and critical minerals such as copper and aluminum, and steel. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260909142592/en/ Leaders gather to mark the opening of Cyclic Materials’ new facility in Mesa, Arizona. From left to right: Herbert Flores, Arizona C
Belkin Introduces Titan SmartShield Pro Collection for the New iPhone 18 Pro Lineup9.9.2026 21:00:00 CEST | Press release
New collection combines advanced Nano-Titan protection with options for crystal-clear viewing, enhanced screen privacy and blue-to-red light conversion Belkin, a leading consumer electronics brand for over 40 years, today introduced its new Titan SmartShield Pro collection, designed to protect and enhance the experience of the new iPhone 18 Pro lineup. The collection includes three distinct screen protectors – clear, Blue-to-Red and Bright Privacy – each combining advanced Nano-Titan Technology with premium anti-reflective properties, exceptional scratch resistance and up to 9 feet of impact protection.* This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260909094720/en/ Belkin Titan SmartShield Pro Blue-to-Red Light screen protector As smartphones become increasingly central to how people work, travel and connect, the Titan SmartShield Pro collection goes beyond traditional screen protection to address the different ways consum
PPAI Releases Landmark Study Showing Branded Merchandise Supports a $472 Billion Global Economic Footprint9.9.2026 19:24:00 CEST | Press release
First-of-its-kind Oxford Economics study reveals annual spending, jobs and tax contributions Branded merchandise connects brands and people every day, but its impact extends well beyond the products consumers wear, use, receive or purchase. A landmark study commissioned by Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) provides the first comprehensive look at the global economic ecosystem behind branded merchandise. Conducted by independent global advisory firm Oxford Economics, the Branded Merchandise Global Market Report measures the industry end to end, from manufacturing and decoration to distribution, retail, e-commerce, fulfillment, marketing and brand activation. Key findings: $338.3 billion was spent on branded merchandise globally in 2025. The industry supported $472.3 billion in global GDP. Branded merchandise supported 11.9 million jobs worldwide. The sector supported $141.3 billion in global tax revenues – roughly the same as the entire Swiss federal budget. “For yea
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom