John Lewis invests in retail tech startups - InternetRetailing

John Lewis [IRDX RJLW] is investing in retail tech startups working in areas from machine learning to social media following the completion of its latest JLAB accelerator programme. The retailer, an Elite trader in IRUK Top500 research, and its innovation partner L Marks will together put 100,000 into DigitalBridge, a technology company that uses computer vision and machine learning technology to enable customers to see how new home furnishings will look within their homes. Wedding Planner, which enables couples to plan their wedding over their phones and online, and Link Big, whose technology turns Instagram into a social checkout, enabling customers to buy products seamlessly from their Instagram feed shop, both receive 50,000. The John Lewis Buying teams will continue working with the two other startups on JLAB 2016, Ding Labs and Robotical, with a view of helping to bring their products to market. The five startups were part of JLAB 2016, a ten week programme working within John Lewis operations to put their technology to practical use.