With funding led by OpenOcean, Purple Dot will help brands sell more, store less, and reduce unsold inventory
Purple Dot, the pioneering e-commerce pre-order and waitlist platform, today announced the closure of a $10 million (£7.93 million) Series A funding round. The round was led by leading European venture capital firm, OpenOcean, to fuel Purple Dot’s mission of creating a world where everything that gets made, gets sold. Purple Dot’s solution is trusted by hundreds of brands, including Oh Polly, one of the UK’s fastest-growing private fashion firms, Lando Norris, Goorin Bros, Astrid and Miyu, and Sachin & Babi, processing millions of dollars in transactions each month.
The Series A funding round also featured strong participation from Commerce Ventures and existing investors Unusual Ventures, Connect Ventures, Moxxie Ventures, and Paul Forster, former CEO and co-founder of Indeed. This investment will enable Purple Dot to continue building its platform and expand its reach to more brands across various industries, revolutionising the way e-commerce operates. With a team of 15 based in London, UK, and Charlotte, NC, USA, the company is well-positioned to drive the future of e-commerce.
Purple Dot’s pre-commerce solution addresses a critical issue in the industry: countless products go unsold each year, leading to unsustainable business practices and significant waste. By empowering brands to sell earlier, Purple Dot helps them reduce inventory risk and store less, regardless of whether the stock is 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, or 1 year away. The company firmly believes that the next 10 years of e-commerce innovation will happen before stock arrives at the warehouse.
Recent disruptions in global trade such as the Red Sea shipping crisis have illustrated the importance of supply chain resilience for brands. By enabling brands to sell products before they arrive at the warehouse, Purple Dot helps them manage these risks and maintain sales momentum even in the face of unexpected challenges, reducing the impact of supply chain disruptions on their bottom line.
At Purple Dot, we are on a mission to create a world where, ultimately, every product that is manufactured is sold. The current e-commerce model leaves brands waiting for stock to arrive at the warehouse before they can start selling, leading to missed sales opportunities and unsold inventory. We believe the next wave of innovation will happen in the time before stock arrives, enabling brands to sell inventory no matter where it is in the world. Our pre-commerce platform puts the power back in brands’ hands, allowing them to take control of their sales timelines and maximise revenue potential. We’re thrilled to have our investors’ support as we continue to grow and empower brands to transform their e-commerce strategies”
Madeline Parra, CEO and Co-Founder of Purple Dot
“We are excited to lead Purple Dot’s funding round and support their vision of building the future of e-commerce. The company’s experienced founders have identified a major pain point in the industry and have developed an innovative solution to address it. What really impressed us about Purple Dot is their unwavering focus on delivering genuine value to their customers. They have built a solid core team and are laser-focused on solving the problem of unsold inventory and empowering brands to take control of their sales timelines. This customer-centric approach, combined with its innovative pre-commerce platform, positions Purple Dot as a company that will reshape the e-commerce world”
Sam Hields, Partner at OpenOcean, comments
About Purple Dot
Purple Dot is the world’s first Pre-commerce platform, enabling brands and retailers to sell products before they arrive at the warehouse. By empowering brands to sell early and with confidence, Purple Dot helps to solve the urgent problem of unsold inventory, benefiting businesses, consumers, and the environment.
Purple Dot’s platform integrates seamlessly with existing eCommerce infrastructure, providing a trusted and streamlined experience for merchants and their customers. The company is headquartered in London, UK, with a team of 15 spread across London and Charlotte, NC, USA.
For more information, visit https://www.getpurpledot.com/
About OpenOcean
OpenOcean is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in frontier technologies across Europe, with offices in London and Helsinki. Our mission is to invest in disruptive B2B platforms, including data infrastructure, AI, cybersecurity, next-generation software development and enterprise automation, to build the backbone of the future data economy.
OpenOcean’s DNA is rooted in having a deep understanding of the underlying technology and software stacks, which drive the growth of innovative new digital platforms and services. With an entrepreneurial background from building several category-defining software businesses such as MySQL, we work together with founders to build and scale global category-leading companies.
OpenOcean’s portfolio includes a range of leading European startups such as IQM, MindsDB, Binalyze, Supermetrics and Truecaller.
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