Archives: Portfolio

What they do

Unmade (previously Knyttan) sits at the intersection of fashion and tech. The London-based brand applies the concept of 3D printing to industrial knitting machines, creating high quality customised clothes to order. Customers can use Unmade’s website to create their unique knitwear (jumpers, scarves, etc.) by manipulating designer patterns, and then watch the clothes be produced in store or receive them at home.

Unmade represents three key trends we believe in:
1. Hyper-customisation of products – clothes are uniquely created by each user and tagged with their name on the label
2. Curation of the shopping experience – provides carefully selected base-designs and patterns
3. Disrupting customer experience – factory shop concept adds a fun and unique element to the shopping experience

We see Unmade’s concept as pioneering in the fashion/tech industry, and are excited to be part of their development and growth.

How we met

We first came across Unmade at a Techstars demo day event, and Olivier immediately fell in love with the concept. In our initial meeting, Olivier and Pascal had a good laugh with Co-founder Hal Watts, when, after conducting our first meeting entirely in English, Hal surprised them and switched to fluent French for a second meeting.

What they do

With data growing faster than ever before, companies are facing increasing challenges relating to scale. Specifically, the movement of data between RAM (where the data is stored when being processed) and CPU (where calculations are made), represents the highest bottleneck in terms of performance.

UPmem is the only company which cracked the “processor in memory” architecture. Founded in 2015, they provide a solution to the “memory wall” problem. UPmem’s technology increases memory and bandwidth without compromising the current architecture of servers. UPmem already gathered interest from global leaders in the software and semiconductors industry, they also impressed us at C4 Ventures. We believe they will champion Big Data, the next wave in semiconductors and we are very excited to be part of their journey.

How we met

The founders, Gilles Hamou and Fabrice Devaux have known each other since primary school. Gilles was initially introduced to us by Charles-Antoine, a serial entrepreneur in the space of data centres who co-invested with C4 Ventures in Cleeng. After a thorough due diligence with our Operating Partner André, we were set to invest. When Olivier negotiated the terms of the investment, Gilles proved to be a tough negotiator so we’re extremely happy to now be on his side of the table !

What they do:
Via is re-engineering public transit from a rigid system of fixed routes and schedules to a dynamic, on-demand shared service.
Operating in New York since September 2013 and then in Chicago, Via enables tens of thousands of passengers to seamlessly share daily their rides. Via’s smart routing algorithms dynamically matche passengers’ mobile app requests with available vehicle seats, creating an affordable, convenient, and premium shared transit service.
In 2012, co-founders Daniel Ramot and Oren Shoval came up with Via’s idea based on a practice from Israel, where people rely on shared vehicles called sheruts providing cheap and quick rides.

How we met:
Pascal met Daniel and Oren in New York and he obviously went to the meeting with Via!
He was impressed by his experience of the service, but even more seduced by Daniel and Oren explaining how they transposed the idea and made it work so effectively in New York.
We are delighted to support their vision of Via creating the public transit system of the future reducing traffic congestion and carbon emissions, and support them to expand the service in other geographies.

VoltR is a deep tech company with the ambition to decarbonize the energy storage sector by establishing a lithium battery reconditioning industry in Europe. To achieve this, they have developed a technology and industrial process that allows them to make new batteries from old ones. VoltR collects batteries at the end of their first life, dismantles them to recover the cells, and then tests these cells for reuse in second-life applications tailored to their residual performance. As a result, VoltR can offer its customers batteries that are made in Europe, sustainable, and perform as well as new batteries.

What they do

Wethenew has rapidly established itself as a leader in the contemporary fashion industry, focusing on the sale of limited-edition sneakers and exclusive streetwear. As an innovator in the resale market, Wethenew distinguishes itself through its unwavering commitment to authenticity, sustainability, and trendsetting in fashion.

The company’s primary mission is to offer a safe and trustworthy platform for sneaker enthusiasts and fashion lovers to purchase 100% authentic, limited-release products from top-tier brands like Nike, Jordan, Adidas, Yeezy or New Balance. Wethenew’s stringent authentication processes ensure the legitimacy of every item, securing customer trust and upholding the integrity of the brands they represent.

Wethenew has quickly gained acclaim for its user-centric online platform and exemplary customer service. The company excels in providing a smooth and enjoyable shopping experience, covering all aspects from product selection to purchase and delivery, thereby ensuring high customer satisfaction.

Since its establishment, Wethenew has experienced exponential growth and acclaim, especially among young consumers who are deeply connected to street culture and environmentally responsible fashion practices. The company has received notable recognition in various fashion and business outlets, affirming its status as a reliable and influential entity in the modern streetwear and sneaker sector.

In 2022 Wethenew has impressively reached a sales volume of 100 million Euros, with 25% of its business extending beyond France, showcasing its international appeal and market penetration. Michael and David’s vision and leadership have propelled Wethenew into a thriving enterprise, seamlessly connecting people worldwide with the latest and most coveted items in street fashion, and significantly influencing the contemporary landscape of fashion consumption.

How we met

Initially, we weren’t seeking another consumer investment. Yet, the exceptional user experience on Wethenew’s website suggested to us that this wasn’t just any ordinary marketplace. Their sophisticated technology, with its impressive scalability, convinced us of the potential to craft a European market leader. This belief was further reinforced after meeting the founders, Michael and David, whose insights and strategy for growth truly aligned with our vision. Thank you Nicolas Tcherkadoff for knowing our investment taste so well and putting us in touch!