INX Announces $50 Million Corporate Venture Capital Fund
We are excited to announce our relationship managing our newest corporate venture capital fund with the materials science firm, INX International. Below you can read the official press release, which is also published here.
-Will Geiger
What’s the news
INX Venture Capital has launched a $50M corporate fund to support high-growth startups that are launching and scaling innovative businesses with relevance to the global printing inks and coatings industry.
Why it matters
INX is one of the largest manufacturers of high-performance printing inks and coatings for packaging, commercial, and digital print applications in the world. The company has a track record of materials innovation dating back to the founding of its parent company, SAKATA INX, in the late 1800s. The company is a key contributor in the packaging industry, including as a leading provider of inks and coatings for beverage containers.
Who it’s for
The fund will work with seed, early, and growth stage companies and venture capital investors focused on packaging sustainability and circularity, digital printing, manufacturing automation, brand owner services, and novel materials that improve packaging performance and recyclability. INX Venture Capital will seek to help its portfolio companies and startup partners achieve their strategic ambitions by sharing technical expertise and industry relationships while providing commercial support.
Schaumburg, IL — May 9, 2022 — INX International Ink Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SAKATA INX, announced today it is establishing INX Venture Capital to make minority investments in technology and materials science startups with strategic relevance to the printing inks and coatings value chain. INX Venture Capital will be a $50M investment program and will focus on categories like sustainability and circular economy solutions, digital printing, business and manufacturing automation, and services for brand owners.
“Our corporate venture capital program represents an expansion of INX’s innovation toolkit, furthering our mission of leading the printing inks and coatings industry in delivering safe and sustainable solutions that enhance the customer experience,” said Shane Bertsch, Vice President of Strategic Planning and Innovation. “We’re eager to marry our focus of creating value for customers, brands, and consumers with our curiosity for new technologies and business models.”
Bryce Kristo, INX’s Chief Financial Officer, added, “As one of the largest ink manufacturing companies in the world, we believe our technical expertise and industry relationships can help entrepreneurs build great companies that create a positive impact on consumers’ lives and our planet. We are excited to deploy INX’s resources to help our portfolio companies scale.”
INX Venture Capital is stage agnostic, with an emphasis on early stage startups that have demonstrated “product market-fit” and have begun to generate revenue. The fund will also pursue select seed and growth stage opportunities. Typical checks will range from $1M to $3M initially, with reserves for follow-up investments. INX Venture Capital will have a global investment mandate, with an emphasis on opportunities in its core markets of North America, Europe, and South America, in concert with SAKATA INX’s worldwide innovation efforts.
The fund is jointly run with Touchdown Ventures, the leading provider of corporate venture capital managed services. Scott Lenet, Touchdown co-founder and President, noted, “We are enthusiastic about the capital investment, industry expertise, and operational excellence that INX can bring to its portfolio companies. We believe INX Venture Capital will be an ideal partner for entrepreneurs and venture investors seeking to launch and scale innovative new technologies that are applicable to printing inks and coatings.”
See details about INX Venture Capital.
About INX International Ink Co.
INX International Ink Co. is the third largest producer of inks in North America, with full-service subsidiaries in Europe and South America and is part of SAKATA INX worldwide operations. We offer a complete line of ink and coating solutions technology for commercial, packaging and digital applications. As a leading global manufacturer of inkjet inks, we provide a full palette of digital ink systems, advanced technologies and integrated services. To stay in touch with the latest developments, follow INX on Facebook and Twitter and visit www.inxinternational.com.
About Touchdown Ventures
Touchdown Ventures partners with corporations to manage their venture capital programs. Touchdown works closely with each corporation to help achieve the financial and strategic benefits from venture capital investments. The firm maintains offices in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. More information on Touchdown can be found at www.touchdownvc.com.
Will Geiger is a Director at Touchdown Ventures, a Registered Investment Adviser that provides “Venture Capital as a Service” to help leading corporations launch and manage their investment programs.
This article includes information from third party sources believed to be reliable; however, we make no representations as to its accuracy or completeness. References to strategies are for illustrative purposes only and should not be relied upon as a recommendation to engage in any particular strategy or to invest in any particular security. Opinions expressed herein are based on current market conditions and may change without notice and we reserve the right to change any part of these materials without notice and assume no obligation to provide an update. Recipients are advised not to infer or assume that any securities, strategies, companies, sectors or markets described will be profitable or that losses will not occur. Any description or information regarding investment process or strategies is provided for illustrative purposes only, may not be fully indicative of any present or future investments and may be changed at the discretion of the manager. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
