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