W23

W23 Global is a corporate venture capital fund backed by five leading grocery retailers — Ahold Delhaize, Tesco, Woolworths Group, Empire Company/Sobeys, and Shoprite Group — collectively operating across the US, Canada, UK, Europe, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa. Launched in April 2024 and domiciled in the UK, the fund targets US$125M in deployments over five years. Led by CEO and CIO Ingrid Maes, W23 Global invests in startups and scale-ups from Seed through Series B+ that are deploying technology to transform grocery retail and address sustainability challenges, with a focus on retail tech, supply chain innovation, sustainable packaging, product traceability, and climate tech. The fund's investment committee comprises the CEOs of all five retail partners, and portfolio companies gain accelerated access to a global retail ecosystem spanning over 18,000 stores across 15+ countries. Portfolio companies are free to contract with any customer on their own terms.