Business Wire

NY-MORGAN-STANLEY

Share
Morgan Stanley Hosts First Global Demo Day for Startups in Inclusive Ventures Lab

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) today is hosting its first global in-person Demo Day, with 10 participating companies from the US and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The cohort companies, all founded by women, will pitch over 200 investors, as well as potential business partners and customers.

Over the past five months, Morgan Stanley’s Inclusive Ventures Lab has supported its eighth cohort of technology-enabled startups in the post-seed to Series A funding round stage, offering an intensive accelerator program designed to provide a variety of mentorship opportunities and business-growth resources from across the Firm’s network.

“We are on a mission to change the investing landscape for underrepresented founders. Through our accelerator program we are providing promising startups with much-needed capital, the broad resources of Morgan Stanley and access to investors,” said Selma Bueno, Managing Director and Global Head of the Inclusive Ventures Group. “Today’s Demo Day showcases innovative businesses led by underrepresented founders. By providing a global platform for these companies to attract funding, we are working to advance a more equitable investing climate for startups.”

The cohort companies presenting at Demo Day include:

  • Advocat a virtual deal desk with AI contract generation to streamline contracting from CRM through legal drafting, negotiation and internal approvals to signing.
  • AMAKA Studio a digital media platform connecting a global community of women sharing Pan-African stories.
  • AuditMate a provider of SaaS-driven vertical transportation maintenance and contract management services, helping property managers with contract analysis, maintenance completion reporting, compliance management and more.
  • Gentreo a next generation estate planning software solution helping families and caregivers affordably and easily prepare, plan and protect all they love.
  • Here Here Market an online marketplace connecting consumers with chefs and small batch food artisans.
  • imagi an education tech company leveraging gender inclusive proprietary coding education tools to equip 8-13+ year-olds with essential technology skills and confidence.
  • Kinhub (formerly Kami) an AI-powered platform offering a one-stop-shop for employee wellness, enabling diverse talent to thrive.
  • Perse an open energy platform unlocking access to energy and carbon data.
  • Physician 360 a platform that transforms community pharmacies into healthcare clinics by empowering them with access to a virtual care platform and a network of on-call clinicians in all 50 states.
  • WeArisma a global enterprise SaaS influencer analytics platform helping large-scale companies to optimize marketing spend and to achieve communication objectives.

“It’s been a privilege to witness first-hand how much these entrepreneurs have grown over the past five months,” said Sanghamitra Karra, Managing Director and EMEA Head of the Inclusive Ventures Group. “Each of them has the vision and the drive to create a more equitable world, and they finish this program well positioned for their next stage of growth.”

Today, the Multicultural Client Strategy Group will be renamed the Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Group, which includes the Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab, to reflect the group’s evolution and global expansion.

Founded in 2017, the Lab has hosted 69 participating companies, with a combined valuation of more than $670M. Following the Lab’s global expansion in 2022, the next cohort will support up to 15 companies in the US and 10 companies in EMEA. Applications will be open from February 14 - March 31, with the cohort set to launch in September.

About the Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab

The Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab (MSIVL) 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 MSIVL, formerly called the Multicultural Innovation Lab, 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 Inclusive Ventures Group, and London-based Sanghamitra Karra, Managing Director and EMEA Head of the Inclusive Ventures Group. Together, they have over 35 years of investment banking and risk management experience.

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 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/20230207006133/en/

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
101 California Street, 20th Floor
CA 94111 San Francisco

http://businesswire.com
DK

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

Catch the Best Prime Day Offers on Smart Home Must-Haves: EZVIZ Rolls Out Jaw-Dropping Deals on Tried-and-True Cameras and Entryway Innovations for Everyday Peace of Mind8.7.2025 11:30:00 CEST | Press release

This Prime Day, EZVIZ, an internationally trusted name in smart home security, introduces a handpicked selection of exclusive offers that protect homes from the very first point of contact. For households that value safety around the home and especially at the very threshold, this is a moment to invest in home security that is as advanced as it is effortless. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250702338311/en/ From 8 to 11 July, homeowners can seize the window on EZVIZ Prime Day deals on Amazon UK, featuring EZVIZ’s best-loved smart cameras, expertly bundled packages, and a complete range of entry products. These limited-time savings offer a rare opportunity to elevate home protection, no matter for a bustling city apartment or a sprawling family residence. Here are some top-rated deals: CP3 Pro Video Doorbell with solar panel – now £49.98, was £79.99 An intelligent welcome with built-in protection. Powered by an

CapVest and Parquest Agree Terms on IPN’s Acquisition of Sopral8.7.2025 10:00:00 CEST | Press release

Inspired Pet Nutrition (“IPN”), the fast-growing pet food company controlled by CapVest Partners LLP (“CapVest”), and Parquest, a leading investment firm, have agreed terms on the acquisition of Sopral, a prominent branded pet food platform serving the European market, with manufacturing operations based in France. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250708134461/en/ Sopral products The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions. Financial terms have not been disclosed. Based in Pléchâtel, Brittany, France, Sopral is a leading manufacturer of branded premium dry petfood with a comprehensive range of high-quality nutritional solutions, including Pro-Nutrition Prestige, Pure Life and Protect brands. Sopral has a strong footprint and reputation in France and a fast growing online and international market presence in over 50 countries around the world. Employing over 130 people, th

Thales Reinforces its Leadership in eSIM and IoT Connectivity with a ‘Ready to Use’ Certified Solution8.7.2025 08:00:00 CEST | Press release

At a time when billions of connected objects are reshaping industries, Thales has achieved an essential security certification for its eSIM solution, reinforcing its leadership in trusted connectivity management for the Internet of Things (IoT). The certification, granted by the GSMA under the eSIM Security Assurance (eSA) scheme, marks a significant milestone in enabling large-scale, secure, and efficient IoT deployments across industries including smart metering, healthcare, and automotive. This positions Thales as a trusted partner capable of providing full protection against advanced cyber threats — delivering end-to-end security solutions, from chip to cloud, and ensuring compliance with emerging security standards (e.g., the EU Cyber Resilience Act). With over 5.8 billion IoT cellular connections expected globally by 2030 (GSMA Intelligence), businesses and industries face growing pressure to deploy connected devices at scale — securely and efficiently. The SGP.32 IoT specificati

Invivoscribe Expands Flow Cytometry Services to Accelerate CAR-T Immunotherapy Development and Regulatory Readiness with the Initiation of CERo Therapeutics Phase 1 Clinical Trial8.7.2025 06:00:00 CEST | Press release

Invivoscribe Inc., a global leader in precision diagnostics and measurable residual disease (MRD) testing, is proud to support CERo Therapeutics Holdings, Inc., an innovative immunotherapy company seeking to advance the next generation of engineered T cell therapeutics that employ phagocytic mechanisms. Through this collaboration, LabPMM (Invivoscribe’s global reference laboratories) have customized their multiparametric flow cytometry (MFC) services and implemented their sensitive MFC AML MRD assay to supportCERo’s clinical trial of its lead compound, CER-1236. The trial targets Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in patients who are relapsed/refractory, in remission with MRD, or newly diagnosed with TP53-mutated MDS/AML. AML is an aggressive blood cancer characterized by the rapid accumulation of abnormal myeloid cells in the bone marrow and blood, disrupting normal hematopoiesis.1 Treating AML is especially complex due to its genetic heterogeneity and the high risk of relapse. CAR-T (chime

Tigo Energy Adds Solar-Plus-Storage Portfolio in Czech Republic to Build on MLPE Success8.7.2025 06:00:00 CEST | Press release

Successful PPDS P4 protocol certification opens full range of three-phase Tigo EI Inverters and the EI Residential product suite for grid connection in second-strongest E.U. market for Tigo. Tigo Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: TYGO) (“Tigo” or “Company”), a leading provider of intelligent solar and energy software solutions, today announced that the Company’s entire portfolio of three-phase Tigo EI Inverters has successfully passed the certification tests for compliance with the PPDS P4 requirements in the Czech Republic. Compliance with PPDS P4, formally known as Distribution System Operation Rules, Annex 4, is a prerequisite for grid connection of solar inverters in the Czech Republic, validating the compatibility with the technical conditions defined by the European Commission and adopted by local utility companies. In the wake of the proliferation of rapid shutdown requirements across Europe, with installers in the Czech Republic deploying nearly 107MW of Tigo MLPE in 2024, Tigo products ha

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
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye