Exclusive – JOOR, a member-only online wholesale marketplace for contemporary fashion brands and boutiques, has raised $2.25 million in Series A funding in a round led by Battery Ventures with participation from Lerer Ventures, Great Oaks VC, Landis Capital, Forerunner Ventures, William M. Smith and Richard Mishaan.
Led by founder Mona Bijoor, a veteran fashion buyer, the company will use the additional capital to expand internationally and grow its network of boutiques, buyers and fashion brands.
JOOR creates a relatively new type of sales channel for retail fashion buyers and brands, by bringing the experience of trade shows and showrooms to a digital platform in an effort to save fashion brands and buyers a lot of valuable time, and from a ton of hassle.
The B2B marketplace, which is available only to accepted members, lets fashion brands connect with independent boutiques and other wholesale buyers to communicate and transact online.
Its strength is in the network. Launched in March 2010, JOOR has grown from working with 75 brands and 500 boutiques to over 250 brands and more than 7,500 boutiques.
Similar marketplaces include Not Just A Lookbook, Erayo, Trunkt and Balluun.
