Third Wave Fashion // JANUARY 2014 // THE CONTENT + COMMERCE ISSUE | Page 37

$100M

$123M

$27.3.M

$26.6M

$112M*
*Zalora only
funded

S H OW M E

THE MONEY
To see how 2013 played out
we've mapped the numbers
from the year on page 36, and
if the last year is any
indication to what is to come,
then we're in for a very
exciting year in funding.

!

2013

was a year that saw
some brilliant
investment along
with some huge
numbers. From billion dollar valuations to
ingenious startups in their first funding rounds,
to say the year was exciting would be an
understatement. December was no different. is
month we tracked nearly $400 million in
investments for companies from five different
countries, and close to half of that funding was in
two companies alone.
So who were they?
e heavy hitter for December was Zalora, raking
in a whopping $112 million. Like the Zappos of
Southeast Asia, the online retailer provides access
to global trends for 10 countries in the South
Pacific. From ailand to New Zealand, the
company offers advice on styles and trends to
build shopping confidence for its customers.
Same day shipping probably doesn’t hurt either.
In the theme of online shopping, Canadian-based
Shopify pulled in $100 million from investors like
OMERS Ventures, Insight Venture Partners,
Bessemer Venture Partners, Firstmark Capital,
Georgian Partners and Felicis Ventures. Shopify
offers a streamlined marketplace for merchants to
focus on the content in their online stores, rather
than the hassle of maintaining one.

*DEC. 2013 FASHION TECH INVESTMENT

= $388,900,000

Including Zalora and Shopify, there were five
countries represented in December's round of
funding. From the US to Europe and Asia, the
investment map continues to grow, especially as
we watch companies from Germany and England
tap into the resources that their Asian and
American counterparts are already connected to.
Other than the two previously mentioned, the
international companies that stood out in
December were Navabi, and MyOptique.
Specializing in personalization for the European
market, Navabi and MyOptique raised $13.6 and
$13