Post by smatch

We are excited to share that smatch has raised €7.3m in Seed funding. The round was co-led by Transition Ventures, 42CAP and 10x Founders, with the support of outstanding industry leaders including Noel Kinder (lululemon, former Nike CSO), Nigel Griffiths (former adidas SVP Global Sales) and Dr. Achim Berg (FashionSIGHTS, former McKinsey & Company global fashion leader). Why this matters: The fashion industry faces a structural problem: Fashion is often manufactured many months before the items hit the sales floor. But as consumer demand is hard to predict, this time gap causes uncertainty for brands and retailers. Their simple answer and safe bet? Overproduce. In Europe alone, this results in €300bn worth of fashion inventory being sold only at significant discounts or remaining entirely unsold. These goods are a critical challenge to brands’ and retailers’ profit margins, their brand equity, and sustainability goals. At smatch, we are building the AI-powered B2B marketplace for trading this inventory. Operating globally, we find the best buyer for each item. Sellers turn excess into an opportunity, regaining control over their distribution and margin. Buyers achieve higher flexibility, accessing a broad range of verified stock in real time. Transactions remain discreet, fast, and data-driven.   Since launching in 2023, over €15bn of inventory and 190m items have been offered to smatch. We are truly thankful for our partners' trust and opportunity.  The additional funding enables us to scale our technology, deepen our capabilities, and expand our global network - with one clear goal: turning inventory from a hidden liability into a strategic asset. A big thank you to our customers, investors, partners, and the growing smatch team. We are just getting started! #fashion #marketplace #inventory #ecodesign #AI #smatch #Hamburg #Europe #b2b #startup