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Store No. 8
Store No. 8 is Walmart's venture and incubation arm, founded in 2017 to back retail technologies that scale inside the world's largest retailer.
Store No. 8
Store No. 8 was launched in 2017 as Walmart’s dedicated incubation and venture investment arm, headquartered in Hoboken, New Jersey. The entity was designed to act as a startup studio and investment platform, identifying and accelerating technologies that can fundamentally change how retail operates. Named after the early Walmart store where Sam Walton experimented with new ideas, the unit focuses on building and backing companies at the intersection of commerce and frontier technology. The firm’s deployment strategy spans early-stage venture and incubation, focusing on artificial intelligence, robotics, spatial commerce, autonomous delivery, and conversational commerce. Store No. 8 both founds its own operating companies and makes direct equity investments. Known portfolio companies include Alert Innovation, an Alphabot-powered automated grocery fulfillment system that Walmart acquired outright and deployed in select stores, and Zipline, the autonomous drone delivery platform that tested on-demand health and wellness product delivery with Walmart in Arkansas (per CNBC, 2021). The geographic footprint is concentrated in North America, with portfolio testing environments embedded directly within Walmart’s U.S. retail ecosystem. Store No. 8 does not publicly disclose its total deployment or team headcount. The unit functions as a separate entity within Walmart’s broader innovation structure, distinct from the Bentonville-based Global Tech organization. Adjacent vehicles include Walmart's other innovation initiatives, which span supply chain automation and omnichannel platform development. In 2024, original Store No. 8 head Scott Eckert departed the firm; Walmart embedded Store No. 8 more tightly within its corporate innovation structure under new leadership, signaling a shift from a standalone startup studio to a function integrated into core retail operations (per The Information, March 2024). Store No. 8’s structural differentiator is its ability to provide portfolio companies with a live-scale deployment environment inside Walmart’s footprint—more than 4,700 U.S. stores and a supply chain that moves over 100 billion items annually. Unlike conventional venture funds that offer capital and advisory services, Store No. 8 offers commercialization by embedding startups directly into Walmart’s operations, effectively functioning as an internal beta customer with global reach.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
2017
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Hoboken
Corporate office
Hoboken, NJ, United States
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
How is Store No. 8 structured within Walmart?
Store No. 8 operates as a separate legal entity and innovation arm of Walmart, initially designed to function with startup-like autonomy away from the company's Bentonville headquarters. In 2024, following the departure of its founding head, Walmart tightened integration, bringing the unit closer to core retail operations while maintaining its venture and incubation mandate (per The Information, March 2024).
What types of investments does Store No. 8 make?
The firm makes early-stage venture investments and creates startup companies from scratch through an incubation model. Targets include robotics, autonomous delivery, spatial commerce, artificial intelligence, and conversational commerce platforms that have direct application to Walmart's retail and e-commerce operations.
Does Walmart operate other venture investment vehicles alongside Store No. 8?
Store No. 8 is specifically focused on frontier technologies with a longer time horizon for commercialization. Walmart's broader Global Tech organization and corporate development team handle incremental innovation, internal platform builds, and acquisitions of mature companies. The distinction is incubation and early venture risk versus operational technology deployment.
Who runs investment decisions at Store No. 8?
Store No. 8 was led from its 2017 founding by Scott Eckert. Eckert departed in early 2024. As of the latest available information, Walmart has not publicly named a direct replacement, with the unit's investment decisions now managed within a more integrated Walmart corporate innovation structure (per The Information, March 2024).
What happens to companies Store No. 8 incubates after proof-of-concept?
The path to scale is integration into Walmart's operations or a separate commercialization path. Alert Innovation, an automated grocery fulfillment startup incubated by Store No. 8, was acquired by Walmart and deployed inside the company's supply chain. Others, like Zipline, have pursued external partnerships after testing programs with Walmart (per CNBC, 2021).
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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