Fleek raises .4M for upcycled fashion

Second-hand fashion marketplace Fleek has raised $20.4M in funding — announcing both a $14.8M Series A and a $5.6 million seed round today. The Series A funding round was led by HV Capital, with participation from Andreesen Horowitz (a16z) and Y Combinator. Founders and operators from prominent technology companies like Shopify’s President (Harley Finkelstein), Depop’s ex-CEO (Maria Raga), and Postmates’ CTO (Sean Plaice) have also invested. 

The funds raised will allow the company to bring on more suppliers and develop the platform’s interactive social features such as chat and live video shopping.

The platform uses AI and predictive analytics to forecast what’s selling in the second-hand industry, educate suppliers on these trends and it enables buyers to source across categories such as vintage streetwear, Y2K, and upcycled clothing in bulk. 

Abhi Arora, co-founder and CEO of Fleek, commented: “Our mission is clear: to make second-hand the first choice and elevate businesses on both sides of the marketplace. While we’ve made progress, the world we envision—where consumption patterns shift, and a new class of entrepreneurs emerges—is still being built. With this funding, we aim to get more businesses to start selling second-hand clothing and drive the shift toward sustainable shopping.”

Sanket Agarwal, cofounder of Fleek, added: “The way to bring this very offline industry online is to build a product that has a dynamic social experience, fostering connections through chat and live shopping, and enabling transactions via seamless global payments and logistics. By enabling this new wave of circular economy entrepreneurs around the world to interact directly with each other, we hope to enhance the global trade of used clothing more efficiently.”

Felix Klühr, General Partner at HV Capital said: “We are proud to invest in Fleek, a company that is redefining the second-hand fashion landscape. Fleek’s innovative approach to scaling the second-hand market globally reflects tremendous potential for growth. The marketplace not only addresses current industry needs but also paves the way for a more sustainable future in fashion. We’re excited to be part of this journey.”

Connie Chan, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) said: “We’re thrilled to partner with Fleek – their vision of optimizing the second-hand supply chain and simplifying inventory replenishment for resellers and retailers is impressive. We believe Fleek will bring untapped supply online, fostering trust in the ecosystem and significantly growing the wholesale market. Especially with the new Reworks business line, Fleek is well-positioned to serve a brand new generation of online and offline sellers.”

Today, Fleek has 10,000 resellers and retailers from 70 countries. It has offices in the UK, Pakistan and India.

By Tech.eu

Source: Tech.eu