Investments & Finance

Investment Opportunity: Ethical Marketplace ‘Shop Like You Give a Damn’ Opens Pre Series A Round

Shop Like You Give a Damn, claiming to be Europe’s largest online department store for vegan, fair & sustainable fashion, cosmetics and homeware, is now seeking investment in a Pre-series A funding round as it plans expansion into the EU and UK and aims to build a local seller base in the USA.

“We love to work with investors who want to join the ride and help Shop Like You Give a Damn become a global marketplace phenomenon”

Launched in April of 2019, Shop Like You Give a Damn describes itself as an impact business at its core and exclusively onboards sellers aligned with five main values: vegan, fair, sustainable, inclusive and social. Shop Like You Give a Damn has built an ethical framework around these five values, consisting of 32 criteria used to verify the claims of brands they consider onboarding as a seller. This means they only onboard sellers who at least meet the minimum criteria, and prioritise those who work hard in meeting most.

About the investment opportunity

Over the course of three small rounds, Shop Like You Give a Damn found nine mission-aligned investors (organised in a StAK, which means they form one line on the cap table) who have helped them grow into the company they are now. Their current investors come from all walks of life. Some are friends and family, some made their money with crypto, others built a big BI consultancy firm and some have serious marketing backgrounds.

Shop Like You Give a Damn
©Shop Like You Give a Damn

The ideal investor match

Shop Like You Give a Damn has 28% left in this current round. The founders are seeking one or two investors who can help them grow their business internationally. “We would consider ourselves lucky if we could join forces with an investor who, for example, has experience with marketplaces, levering network effects, financially managing a business with growing transaction numbers, the fashion industry or successfully crafting a brand that sticks and stands out,” says founder Stephan Stegeman.

A short history

After initial ideas arose in April 2017 the site first launched as an affiliate platform on the 31st of July 2018, with the founders quickly discovering that the marketplace business model would better facilitate their goals. After pivoting, they relaunched Shop Like You Give a Damn on the 17th of April 2019, which has been online as a marketplace for a little over two years.

The marketplace now offers over 13,000 products by 350+ brands and help thousands of customers to find ethical products, with its biggest markets being The Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom, at present, though it delivers to other markets throughout the world.

Seeking mission-aligned investors

Co-founder & CEO Stephan: “We are looking for mission-aligned investors. As we believe that one can’t change the world alone, but that the world can be changed by many, we prefer investors who like to help out in any way they can. Together we’ll create the change we wish to see in this world. That’s why we love to work with investors who want to join the ride and help Shop Like You Give a Damn become a global marketplace phenomenon.”

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