Assembly Ventures

It has been a pleasure to partner with the GoBolt team to make returns a strength for them and their merchants. GoBolt was our first Canadian customer and it has been awesome to support the growth of their business across the US and Canada. If you’re looking for a great partner for fulfillment and last mile, I recommend checking them out. https://lnkd.in/gJ35tSen

When Evan Stalter and I were first starting Two Boxes, we came up with our goal for the first Two Boxes product: "We will enable any employee in any warehouse to process any return from any brand, according to each brand's unique standard. And, we will empower employees to do this with almost no training, while capturing all the data that both 3PLs and brands need from this process." One of the hardest parts of that goal is inspection and disposition logic creation. When we first started, it would take us about 15-20 hours to onboard a new merchant to Two Boxes. Evan has long thought about what it would take to create a true, "one click onboarding process." Yesterday, I saw the first version of automated, one click onboarding. We will deliver the fully functioning product by year end. This will enable 3PLs to onboard merchants immediately, regardless of product catalog and SOP complexity. Brands will get their returns processed faster and be able to make faster and higher quality changes to their returns processes. I am so excited to see this in the market. We are bringing returns processes into the modern age. P.S. - here's a photo of an enterprise 3PL return section where they track team performance metrics on a white board. We're fixing this.

The median emerging VC fund is struggling these days. We released a new VC Fund Performance report with data through the end of 2024. Data covered 2,079 funds from $1M through $1B. But the heart of the analysis is emerging managers — typically Fund I through III with AUMs between $10M and $100M. So - how are these folks doing right now? ...well, not great. Data below shows the median net IRR for each vintage year of funds from 2017—2023. You'd expect to see the standard J-curve for fund performance as measured in IRR — funds invest cash into startups (so the performance dips at first), then those startups are marked up at higher valuations over time so the performance gets into positive territory. Unfortunately for 2021 vintage funds, getting back to positive territory has been a real challenge. 3 years in, median net IRR remains negative for that vintage year. And you can clearly see the IRRs respond to the venture capital downturn across every vintage. The moment (early 2022) hit each line at a different point but no vintage has escaped unscathed. Of course if you're investing into venture funds you're not really looking for median performance. The deep dive out Monday will dig into top quartile and top decile fund data as well. IRR, TVPI, and DPI for vintage year and fund size. Read the full report now: https://lnkd.in/dswa4XC4 #VC #emergingmanagers #VCfunds #venturecapital #startups

For the second consecutive year Metropolis has been named to Forbes’ list for “America’s Best Startups”. We’re proud to see our company reputation, employee satisfaction and rapid growth recognized with this honor. We’re just getting started. 🚀 https://lnkd.in/dGSX3ahr

Literally once a day I’m asked “when and why did Assembly Ventures invest in Apptronik?” I respond with “thankfully early” and two names: “Jeff Cardenas” and “Nicholas Paine.” Their approach to #humanoidrobotics is redefining what's possible in automation. 🦾 As relayed in The Robot Report the company’s partnerships with Google DeepMind, GXO Logistics, Inc., Mercedes-Benz AG, and others to be announced, are reflections of Apptronik’s “strong market demand and investor confidence in Apptronik’s leadership, unique design, and technology.”⚡️ Per Jeff: “we’re building a future where humanoid robots are not just tools, but trusted collaborators working seamlessly alongside people—starting in logistics, manufacturing, and retail, and eventually expanding into elder care, disaster response, and healthcare. This investment is far more than capital—it’s the foundation for strategic relationships that will accelerate Apollo’s (Apptronik’s current robot model) path to scaled production and broaden the reach and impact of humanoid robotics across the global economy.”👆 To every member of the Apptronik team - well done on today’s announcement of your oversubscribed Series A funding round - bringing the total funding from the round to $403 million. 👏🏻 The best is yet to come. #apptronik #oversubscribed #welldone #assemblyventures #movetowin #movetheworld

Big news at Apptronik today! Our vision for creating intelligent #humanoid robots to support humanity takes a significant leap forward today with additional Series A #funding. With great support from our investors, including B Capital , Capital Factory, Magnetar, Google, Mercedes-Benz AG, Japan Post Capital, RyderVentures (the corporate venture capital arm of Ryder System, Inc.), and ARK Investment Management LLC, we are proud to announce the successful close of an oversubscribed $403 million funding round. This incredible milestone accelerates our efforts to build a future where human-centric robots become capable helpers in our daily lives. A huge thank you to all our investors, partners, customers, and team! 🚀 🤖 Read more at https://lnkd.in/gRBGxdtd

Apptronik has secured an extra $53 million in Series A funding, bringing the total round to $403M. Apptronik's oversubscribed $350M round, led by B Capital and Capital Factory, now includes a $53M addition with participation from Google, Mercedes-Benz AG, Japan Post Capital, ARK Investment Management LLC, Helium-3 Ventures, Magnetar, Ryder Ventures, a Korea Investment Partners-led syndicate, and others—highlighting strong market demand and confidence in its leadership, technology, and vision for embodied AI. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/eRbpW-Gj #humanoid #humanoidrobots #humanoids #humanoidrobot #humanoidtech #humanoidtechnology

🚨 Big News 🚨 For the past month we’ve been working hard on this video that truly brings our technolgy to life and we are thrilled to share it with the world! Join us and discover how our Autonomous Underwater Robot (AUR) works within water main systems. You’ll learn the common pain points that communities face and how our technology leverages inspection data to deliver Risk Assessment for real visibility and control of our aging pipes. 💧 🔍 Thank you so much to the team at Bones Design Co. for animating the video! We highly recommend working with them 🙌🏼 #water #drinkingwater #GovTech #community #motmot #publicworks #detroit #techstartup #startup #michigan #infrastructure #AI #AItech #watertech #waterinfrastructure

📅 Mark Your Calendars – The 4th Annual Assembly Ventures Summit is just over 2 months away! 📅 Join us in London, England on May 15, 2025, for The Assembly Summit: In:Dependence. The event will bring together global visionaries, venture capital leaders, and trailblazing entrepreneurs at the forefront of mobility innovation. In an era shaped by shifting geopolitical tides, we’ll explore the tension between independence and interdependence—uncovering how mobility, critical technologies, and strategic investments are reshaping the global order. Through dynamic conversations, we’ll examine the evolving role of industrial policy, sovereign infrastructure, and cross-border capital flows in building the next generation of movement and connectivity. We are also excited to announce this year’s headliner will be a fireside chat between Assembly Ventures' Co-Founder & Partner Chris Thomas and General David H. Petraeus, US Army (Ret.), offering an unmatched perspective on how technological advancement and global security intersect in a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape. Hosted alongside the Financial Times’ Future of the Car conference in London from May 13–15, this event will provide invaluable perspectives on the future of transportation, technology, and where the world is moving. If you’re interested in attending or learning more, please reach out to us here on LinkedIn or using contact@assemblyventures.com. #AssemblySummit #FutureOfTheCar #London #MoveToWin #MoveTheWorld #Mobility #Detroit #SiliconValley #Berlin #VentureCapital

Find yourself dreaming about the journey of a return? (of course you do) Curious about the adventures of a shirt from RMA to restock? (you think about nothing else) Then this one's for you! Some of the best in the biz... Kyle Hency // GoodDay Software Kyle Bertin // Two Boxes Jordan Shamir // Yofi Chris Long // Loop ..are teaming up next Thursday to share: - the tactics & trends shaping returns in 2025 - how leading brands are optimizing returns processing Link in the comments to snag an invite – don't miss it! #Shopify #Returns