New York Fashion Tech Lab signs new partnerships with Saks, Selfridges and TJX

The New York Fashion Tech Lab (NYFTLab), a program for women-led fashion and retail technology companies, unveils its tenth cohort with the participation of new B2B retail tech startups and new partners such as Saks, Selfridges, TJX. Wolverine World Wide, Inc. joins the ranks of the existing collaborators Burberry, Levi Strauss & Co., LVMH, Macy's Inc., Richemont, and Vera Bradley Inc., as well as supporters Accenture and Fenwick & West LLP.

Established in 2014 as a nonprofit, NYFTLab is a business development platform co-founded by Springboard Enterprises and fashion retailers. The organization's mission is to support women-led companies that are developing innovations in fashion, retail, and technology. Over the last ten years, NYFTLab has bolstered seventy-five pioneering companies, including DRESSX, EON, Obsess, Reflaunt, StyleSage, Trendalytics, VNTANA, and Zeekit.

This year's cohort, an assemblage of startups, will partake in a twelve-week program with weekly sessions, workshops, and meetings with experts. Founders will showcase their technology to retailers, brands, investors, and the press on the annual Tech Runway Demo Day. The 2023 lab companies are: Altr, Hue, PSYKHE AI, Sociate, Sparkbox, and Try Your Best.

“We founded the NYFTLab with the goal of identifying some of the most innovative fashion technology entrepreneurs and connecting them directly to industry leaders to advance the retail landscape,” declared Kay Koplovitz, co-founder and chairman of the board for NYFTLab and Springboard Enterprises.

NYFTLab alumnae have reaped benefits from the program, with many securing lucrative partnerships with leading retailers, substantial capital investments, and high-profile acquisitions after participating. Neha Singh, founder and CEO of Obsess revealed that "the NYFTLab was immensely valuable to Obsess. We met our early customers through the NYFTLab partner brands and we also met investors through the lab mentor network.”