“We didn’t match the same patterns as many of the direct to consumer startups you see today that raised a lot of money early on and had high burn rates. We have been serendipitously building the business in a way that would help us weather the current storm: our team has always been lean with just 3 full-time employees, geographically distributed and remote (which investors initially questioned our ability to build a fast-growing DTC startup this day), and have burned very little over the last few years.”
Fashion
Ten Little is the Fun and Personalized Way to Buy Shoes for Babies and Kids
As a new mom, I found myself struggling with knowing which shoes would support healthy development and which sizes were right for my daughter… I ordered multiple sizes, styles, and guessed which one might be a good fit by trying to feel her toes and heel. Given how quickly she was growing, I had to do this all over again every few months – all the while thinking there had to be a better way.
Nimble Made is the Slim Fit Dress Shirt Brand Filling a Gap in the Market for Asian Americans
When it comes to dress shirts, one size does not fit all, and finding a dress shirt that fits is even more difficult if you do not fit into the traditional, American dress shirt sizes. Nimble Made is creating high quality, “actually slim” dress shirts that fit right off the rack. Designed with the Asian […]
CUUP Raises $11M to Redesign Intimates that Support Women in a Whole New Way
Finding a bra that fits isn’t as simple as it sounds. CUUP is the direct-to-consumer, intimate apparel brand that has created stylish, minimalist bras for all shapes and sizes. CUUP’s bras are offered in sizes from 30A to 38H, and the company’s website helps women discover their true bra size through 20-minute virtual fittings. If the […]
Wardrobe Raises $1.5M to Turn Dry Cleaners into Fashion Hubs
Remember sneaking into an older sibling or your parents’ closet and browsing through which shirt you planned on “borrowing”. This unofficial method of borrowing is being completely reinvented with the latest peer-to-peer fashion platform Wardrobe. Since people only wear 20% of their wardrobe regularly, this platform creates a new revenue stream by allowing people to […]
KOIO Raises Another $6M For its Luxury Sneaker Brand
AlleyWatch chatted with cofounders and co-CEOs Johannes Quodt and Chris Wichert about KOIO, the inspiration for the brand, the luxury footwear market, and the company’s most recent round of funding, which brings the company’s total equity funding raised to $10.3M. Who were your investors and how much did you raise? This is a rolling from our first series A where […]
Primary Raises Another $20M to Make Shopping for Children’s Clothing Easy
The days of blue is for boys and pink is for girls are long behind us and Primary is the first children’s clothing brand that has taken an approach to take gender out of clothes shopping. The company, founded by two moms who met while working at Diapers.com (acquired by Amazon for $545M), makes essential […]
Modern Picnic is the Chic Alternative to Lunch Boxes for Women
No matter how old you are, it seems no one can truly outgrow the lunchbox, and Modern Picnic is the contemporary lunch bag for sophisticated women who care equally about the food inside as they do about the aesthetic and style of the accessory holding it. The company’s line of lunch bags is made with […]
HATCH Just Raised $5M For its Stylish Approach to Motherhood That Celebs Love
Pregnancy does not mean that you need to sacrifice on style. HATCH is the NYC direct-to-consumer fashion brand focused on the $9B maternity market offers comfortable, non-toxic designs for mothers to wear during the pre and post-natal stages. The company has expanded its offering to include intimates, accessories, and skincare and also operates a wildly popular […]
JOOR Raises Another $16M to Expand to the Second Largest Luxury Market
Currently being used by over 200,000 retailers and over 8,600 brands, JOOR is the leading wholesale platform that connects brands and retailers. Launched in 2010 by Monica Bijoor, JOOR recently closed a $16M Series C round led by ITOCHU with participation from existing investors Canaan Partners and Battery Ventures. Already in 144 countries, JOOR plans to […]
Rockets of Awesome Raises Another $19.5M to Empower Kids to Shop Online for Clothing
The common catchphrase that parents know best is being challenged by NYC fashion startup, Rockets of Awesome, which offers quality childrenswear at accessible prices. This direct-to-consumer brand fashion company gives younger kids the freedom to dress how they want by allowing them to personalize their own box of clothing from a range of patterns and colors. […]