It’s no secret that last year saw a dramatic slowdown in venture capital funding. In fact, it was the sharpest drop in deals in over two decades. We know tough market conditions will persist through 2023, which means VC investors will remain surgical in diligence and focused on investing in companies with strong unit economics and healthy contribution margins or profit — especially in the retail and ecommerce ecosystem.

Across the board, retailers have slashed budgets in this new normal of high interest rates, expensive cost of capital and supply chain crises. On top of this, some retailers have faced delays in new store openings, higher capital expenditure and increased cost of goods — all making four-wall profitability even more challenging. READ MORE