Christy Davis

This week we closed a Series A funding round at TALA! And today Sky News called it breaking news 🗣🪐🤯😅 https://lnkd.in/gkNv7bAH I can’t quite believe it’s been three years since starting our first funding round, and in that time since we started the last round TALA has grown tenfold & stayed profitable every single year in an incredibly tough market. As a team we’ve innovated, gone boldly into whole new products, made lots and lots of mistakes (!!) and invested countless hours into making sure we’re never complacent for our customers - and I could not be prouder of us. I got a bit emotional looking back at our previous round’s pitch deck where we reached every single promise we set and over delivered for our shareholders too which I’m really proud of. And let me tell you, because I think it’s important to be transparent, funding rounds are gruelling! It’s taken us 7 months to get this closed, and it’s so far from just signing on the dotted line. When it comes to due diligence there is never a stone in the business unturned, you have to be constantly hitting new targets whilst running the business alongside which is actually the worst thing in the world to be completely honest 😂 It’s like you’re driving down a motorway but also building the car at the same time and also having to make sure the people in the car are doing okay and maybe also feeling car sick. That being said, I will never take this moment for granted. We’re a female-founded business with a female CEO and majority female leadership positions, in a country where just 2% of VC funding in the UK goes to female-founded businesses—so I don't underestimate how statistically almost impossible it is to reach this stage of funding, let alone a business lifecycle. This is a HUGE moment for the team, and we’ll be celebrating in the office this week 🪩 but it also goes so far beyond me. This is a huge thank you to anyone who’s ever interracted with, bought from, worn or talked about TALA. I take the responsibility to build you your ideal clothing company very very seriously, and I’m so honoured to have the opportunity 🤍 Haven’t tried TALA yet? I guess now’s the time to see why we’re rated above all competitors on TrustPilot + why our customers come back for more month after month: wearetala.com

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A Vogue Business exclusive this morning: Last year, London-based repair pioneer The Restory, offering “aftercare for fashion”, entered a shock liquidation after a merger went awry. Now, its founders are back with a software solution that claims to — finally — make repair accessible and scalable. #Circulo is a white-label software for businesses engaged in repair — ranging from fashion brands and retailers to repair specialists. While repair businesses have previously relied on paper tickets and labour-intensive management systems, Circulo promises to streamline the process, automating price quotes and invoices, customer communication, workflow management and operations. Whether Circulo can deliver on its promises — and whether the industry is ready to let it try — is up for debate. The repair market has developed rapidly since The Restory debuted in 2017, but it still faces systemic and cultural challenges. Despite legislative pressure for brands and retailers to offer repair, many are stuck in the pilot phase, with limited will and budget to scale their services. Meanwhile, consumer engagement remains low compared to other circular business models. Read more below! Huge thanks to Emily Rea (Circulo), Josephine Philips (SOJO), Layla Sargent (The Seam), Hasna Kourda (Save Your Wardrobe), Natasha David (Ellen MacArthur Foundation), Sarah Robins (THE WASTE AND RESOURCES ACTION PROGRAMME), Suzie de Rohan Willner (TOAST), Patrick McDowell, Pinnas and Needles and Kate Fletcher for your insights.

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Liverpool’s Birl Secures £500k Pre-Seed Investment Big news out of Liverpool today! Tech startup Birl just secured £500k in pre-seed funding, setting the stage for some game-changing developments in fashion resale. Here’s why this matters: 1. Greener Wardrobes – Birl’s platform lets you trade in pre-owned clothes directly on brand websites for instant credit. It’s a seamless solution for both brands and consumers, offering an alternative to platforms like eBay and Vinted. 2. Sports Partnerships – Next month, Birl will launch a sports shirt trade-in program, partnering with football and rugby clubs to help fans trade old kits for credit. 3. Global Growth Ahead – With this funding, Birl will expand into the Nordics by year-end, tapping into markets with a strong demand for sustainable fashion. Liverpool's Baltic Triangle has provided a strong foundation, with accelerators like Baltic Ventures and LYVA Labs backing Birl’s mission to make resale effortless and impactful. Founded in 2023, Birl is on track to reach £1m in revenue by 2025 and is a proud member of 1% for the Planet, with B Corp certification in sight. It’s clear: Birl is ready to make resale the next frontier in fashion. Would you trade in your favorite jersey for instant credit? Hayfa Hamdan, Jake Posner, Marina Sardanopoli, Laura Hunter, Andrea Stone Walid Barkaoui, Sally Denton, Eisha J. Khan, Guy Mor, Patrick McDowell, Mahima Khare, Ella Peters, Annabel Humphrey Dominate your Search, Social, Sales, Funding, and Talent! 👉 https://lnkd.in/ed_mKpkF #SustainableFashion #TechForGood #LiverpoolInnovation

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A splendid call hosted by Polly Barnfield, OBE on how to leverage AI in business, with an insight into the vast tools provided by Maybe*. I see dozens of bland, boring posts clearly written by AI on LinkedIn every day but understanding how to leverage AI in a way that sounds (and is!) authentic... a very powerful thing indeed!

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We went from nearly £0 burn to needing to spend £33k a month. Why? We won an Innovate UK grant. Non-dilutive funding is great, but be aware of the t's and c's and what impact this will have. We went from a gentle walk to sprinting on a treadmill (and we were not ready!). However, this acceleration did mean that we came across Gareth Williams, who became our Chief Data Scientist, and our first long-term employee. We parted on good terms earlier this year - and if it weren't for that Innovate UK grant, the shipshape.vc search engine would probably not exist! Thanks again to Richard Lee and Innovators Uncensored - shot at the iconic Tramshed Tech (where both of our companies work from!). #capitalraising #startups #fundraising #founders #venturecapital #investors #vc #vcfunding #technology #startup #tech 

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Exciting News! Walk Ailly is now in the App Store UK store link ; https://lnkd.in/esinDqER Today marks a momentous occasion as I’m thrilled to announce that Walk Ailly is now available for pre-order on the Apple App Store! I would be grateful for supporting us and pre-ordering the app!!! For nine years, we’ve poured our heart and souls into research and development, pushing the boundaries of software to create something truly groundbreaking. Walk Ailly marks the 1st of our 7 developed apps to go live and is our proudest achievement,, designed for everyone. Young or seasoned, athlete or novice, meeting you where you are and propelling you towards a healthier you. Meet Walk, Ailly, not just your average step-counter. Walk Ailly, doesn’t just count steps; it measures how fast you walk because speed, matters. * Why Walk Ailly? Why Now? * You’ve been misled. Step counts aren’t the sole measure of health benefits from walking. Walk Ailly, underpinned by rigorous science and advanced tech, is designed to boost fitness, improve health, and promote sustainable fat loss by focusing on walking speed not the number of steps.   * It’s time to forget 10,000 steps, What if just 2,000 to 3,000 targeted, brisk walking steps could transform your health and extend your life? That’s not much, right? * Walk, Ailly, the world’s most advanced walking app, and virtual stride assistant, and the first app engineered to target your walking pace. It’s not just about counting steps, it’s about making every step count. With Walk, Ailly, you don’t need extra gym time. Your daily routine is your new fitness regime. Whether it’s walking to work, pacing through your lunch break, or stepping lively on your way home, Walk, Ailly is there to guide you. Imagine an app that does more than just track steps, but also coaches you to walk at the right pace on every walk, helping you to build exercise consistency for maximum health benefits. That’s Walk, Ailly #WalkAilly #FitnessJourney #Health #Wellness #Innovation #AppStore #PreOrderNow

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FUNDING ROUND LIVE Our new funding round is now live on Founder Catalyst and investors are now being emailed the link to the Intelligent Data Room. We are raising a mimimum of £150,000 and a maximum of £300,000. The first £250,000 will be available via the SEIS scheme and the subsequent £50,000 will be via the EIS scheme. The pre-money valuation for this pre-seed funding round is £1m meaning a total of 20% equity. In addition to this equity allocation, the 1,000 members of our community will own 19% equity between them when they join our business and our membership is full. When we close the membership, the valuation will then be £5m. Investment tickets start at £5,000 and the SEIS allocation will be on a first-come first-served basis. The round won't close until a minimum £150,000 has been achieved. The closing date for this round is the 30th September 2024. If you would like to be emailed the link to consider an investment of £5,000 or more in the business, please send me a DM along with your email address and I will send you the link. Simon, Ben and myself can't wait to get building this business with the team at Shoothill led by Simon Jeavons and the team at Silverback®led by Malcolm Gilbertson - we will also be working with Peter Whent #SEIS #Funding #FounderCatalyst #Investment

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The future of the British High Street isn’t bleak—it’s evolving. With 60% of sales back in-store and 40% online, omnichannel strategies are shaping the future. Department stores outside London, however, face pressure from specialised players like Next and Sephora. #4 of my 8 secrets to building a £Billion business, 'Brick, Clicks, and Paper,' is key. Sustainable growth isn’t about abandoning the old—it’s about blending physical and digital, recognising the value of both. Around this time last year, we saw Wilko collapse—a clear example of losing touch with customers. They forgot what customers want, how they shop, and how to stay relevant. To grow any business today, you need a strong omnichannel strategy. Customers now expect a seamless experience, whether walking into your store or browsing online. Omnichannel stands out because it connects everything—physical, digital, and even traditional—into one unified experience. Multi-channel often works in silos, and that’s where many businesses fall short. Wilko lost that connection. Meanwhile, businesses like Amazon and Next understand that customers value the flexibility of both in-store and online experiences. This is why Amazon opened high street stores, and why click-and-collect has become a staple for many retailers. Many assume that embracing digital means letting go of what worked before. But direct marketing—through leaflets and catalogues—continues to drive success for countless businesses. As I’ve seen with Checkatrade even a simple door-to-door mini paper directory still generates growth. With fewer businesses using it, this approach is even more effective. Pop-ups have also played a key role in revitalising the High Street. Rent-free schemes like the one on Oxford Street give entrepreneurs the chance to test their physical presence and build customer relationships. It’s about balancing digital reach with the trust built through face-to-face interactions. Ultimately, there are three types of customers—those who buy online, those who buy in-store, and the most valuable: those who do both. Your strategy must appeal to all three...! The future of retail lies in enhancing what’s worked before by blending it with new innovations. #RetailUk #Hightstreets #Retail #Economy

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Anyone can sell a twenty-pound note for a tenner. Literally, anyone with no experience can reduce the price to get the sale. And unfortunately, this seems to be the blanket answer to selling anything at the moment (apart from London rents). But what is the real problem with this? Well, very quickly, the perceived value of the twenty-pound note is halved, which quickly becomes the norm. And then it’s a race to the bottom because you need to start selling your twenty-pound note for a fiver. Sales can form part of your overall marketing strategy, but it needs to be exactly that, strategic. So please think longer term and really consider any offers. Because it’s even more costly to rebuild a brand's perceived value if it's not executed properly. #digitalmarketing

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The UK is struggling to scale businesses beyond the start-up phase. Despite our strong start-up culture, the drop in funding to a six-year low is a clear signal that we’re not doing enough to support the next stage of growth. If we want to drive innovation and future-proof our economy, we urgently need to inject substantial new capital into scale-up companies or we’ll lose the next generation of UK-born success stories. Interested - how can we (mainly government) fix it? 🔊 https://lnkd.in/dfUcV8M6

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Shout out to Tom Carpenter and his awesome venture Mycelium 🍄 Mycelium is solving a big problem in the sustainability world, pertaining to how we calculate and account for carbon emissions. Tom massively influenced my decision not to do any carbon offsetting for Better Tomorrow Brands given that it's a bit of a shady enterprise and any claims that we might make about being carbon neutral would be questionable if scrutinised. Instead, we're building our company to be sustainable from the ground up, so not only are we developing eco-friendly brands such as doogood, we: 🛑 Avoid greenwashing 🛳️ Use low carbon shipping methods ♻️ Use minimal, sustainable packaging 🚚 Keep our operations lean and efficient 🫧 Are as transparent as possible, without putting our IP at risk In the future, I would love to pay our successes forward by supporting some of our best environmental ventures, but for the foreseeable, we'll be heads down gaining traction and ensuring our brands are profitable. Profitability is a sustainability metric often ignored, but it's fundamentally important, especially in early start-ups such as our. Sorry Tom, a plug for Mycelium kinda rolled into a selfless plug for my own stuff, but you're an inspiration buddy 🚀 #Sustainability #EcoFriendly #CarbonAccounting #GreenBusiness #Mycelium #CarbonNeutrality #SustainableFuture #BetterTomorrow #EcoConscious #Transparency #GreenShipping #MinimalPackaging #LeanOperations #EnvironmentalImpact #AvoidGreenwashing #ProfitWithPurpose #SustainableStartups #EnvironmentalVentures

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🔥 Monday Morning Updates 😎 So, we officially closed our round last week. We raised £1.5m from some incredible new investors including Redrice Ventures, Active Partners, Tom Singh OBE, Amrock Ventures Ltd and London Marathon Events followed on from their previous investment. Raising is tough, it's a time suck for the business and it comes with a lot of questions on your strategy, your motivations and your commitment. So.....it's nice to have it done for the moment. I much prefer executing and I feel like we have started to execute at a level above where we were a couple of months ago. One big reason is having Gareth Nettleton on board as our new CMO. Gareth comes from leading the marketing efforts at Strava and helping turn it into the beast it now is. ............🔙 3 most interesting things from last week 1. 🧡 Coopah x Just Run. Last week we launched our Just Run plans. Users can create a plan from just 3 days long that automatically selects a mix of sessions to keep them running and having fun whilst doing it. 2. 🍾 Active Partners Networking Event. Our new investors Active, hosted a great Winter event last week. When I setup my first tech business in London I used to go to these type of events 3/4 nights a week. The last few years (since having no institutional investors and 2 kids) I have hardly done any, but I really enjoyed this. I love chatting to other founders - you have so much in common and the Active team are just brilliant hosts. 3. 🙅‍♂️ Saying no. As a management team we said no to about 4 different potential growth opportunities last week. I love it when this happens. It shows how much conviction we have in our strategy and it's so important to making sure we deliver the results we are targeting over the next few months. ..................⏩ Plans for this week - After just saying we have closed the round, we have actually had some interest from a couple of VC's to do a top up so we are allowing an extension with new offers up to 2nd Dec and then we will close close it! - We have another big very exciting product growth feature that we are going to launch. I can't wait for this one, it's a gamble on an idea but something that could be really transformative.

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Ever walked into Zudio thinking it's just another fashion store? Think again! The real story? Their parent company Trent Ltd has been quietly crushing it in the market. Picture this: Their stock jumped from ₹2,000 to ₹8,000 in just 12 months! That's like turning ₹1 lakh into ₹4 lakhs. Wild, right? 🤯 But here's the kicker - while everyone's busy shopping, smart investors are riding this rocket ship to the moon! Want to learn more about this hidden opportunity? Drop "INFO" in the comments - let's chat! 👇 #StockMarket #Investment #LinkedInGrowth --- Disclaimer: Not investment advice! Do your research & invest at your own risk 📊

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Balenciaga never fails to shock me. Their campaigns are something else… Why do they still get so much publicity? It’s because they are disruptive. Everything they do is out of the ordinary… they like to shake things up. And because of their “different” approaches, they’ve managed to stand out in a saturated fashion market. Not to mention, they have Kim Kardashian as their brand ambassador (and yes, she stuck by them clearly, even after the scandal). Pairing the celebrity support plus the disruptive content, they’ve managed to continue making headlines. A deadly marketing combination indeed. BOLD x COLLECTIVE for more! #digitalmarketing #balenciaga  #balenciagamarketing 

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TikTok shop is a licence to print money for any small business. Follow these simple steps we used for a new fashion brand to 🚀🚀🚀 revenue from £0 to £100K in just 45 days... When you get to £100K, contact us to help with the next stages of growing your revenue 📈 Note: Product cost needs to be a maximum of 40% of your RRP for you to be able to scale profitably. 1. TikTok Live: Lives are sh*t and 9 times out of 10 you will lose money from them, but TikTok will reward your account for consistent Live streaming, making them key. 2. Create content on mass: Everyone will tell you that you need to get lots of creators promoting your product….obviously. BUT don’t produce content for the sake of producing content - your content needs to be at scale and high quality. 3. Content always wins: The key is to work with creators who create great content but also look like the brand's target consumer. Is it authentic? Make it authentic. One of the best pieces of content we received was a creator washing up in a dress because buyers believed she wore it in daily life and genuinely bought it. 4. Start commissions low and incentivise: Encourage the best creators to create more and drive revenue through incentives linked to revenue targets. Don’t pay 10% for 5 sales, pay 5% for 5 sales but 20% for 25 sales. 5. Work with creators on mass: Gift creators 10%-15% of your target revenue, with pre-agreed commissions and incentives. 6. Double-check packaging quality: It’s crazy how many companies send out products in a plain bag stuffed like a rugby ball. Not a good look or impression... 7. Triple-check packaging quality for the product: We have noticed a clear correlation between the standard of packaging and post rates from affiliates. 8. Send product out fast: We have noticed a clear correlation between delivery times and post rates from affiliates. They're 57% more likely to post 3+ times if they receive them the next day. 9. Organise experiences for top performers: Basically, build strong relationships with the affiliates making you money. 10. Ads: Run ads. 🚀🚀🚀 #TikTokShop #TikTokAds #TikTokAgency #TikTokMarketing 'We Know Social' 🐐. We have a proven track record of building brands through comprehensive creator marketing strategies and scaling through paid social adverts. Currently have availability in Q4 2024 for brands looking to win on TikTok 🥊

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The RealReal turned to profitability Vinted turned to profitability & The Cirkel turned to profitability (although admittedly we're not a unicorn 🦄) It's a new era for second-hand as operating models get refined and second-hand turns to a norm across a wide section of fashion shoppers. We set up The Cirkel with the aim to convert people to shopping second-hand who would normally only choose new. We are very clear in our approach. We never shout about the sustainability implications (we believe it). We just make shopping second-hand so good there's no reason not to do it! - Amazing prices - An online experience like buying new - High quality curated inventory, at scale - Service & trust - Multiple quality checks, cleaning and sanitisation - Next working day dispatch #secondhand #startup #fashion

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There’s been a lot of talk lately about Innovate UK’s support (or lack thereof) for female founders. After public outcry, the innovation fund reversed its decision to award only half the number of grants it originally promised to female founders. Initially, just 25 out of a potential 50 grants—up to £75,000 each—were awarded under the Women in Innovation scheme, despite receiving 1,452 applications and having "up to £4m" available. I didn’t apply for this grant, but I wanted to share a different perspective. Earlier this summer, I considered whether I should apply for Sourcerie. At first glance, it seemed like a no-brainer—non-dilutive capital designed for startups founded by women. Alex Beyer and I are two female founders, we’ve successfully raised from top VC funds like Playfair and Vorwerk Ventures, and from angels at Accel, Atomico, and LocalGlobe. We’ve developed AI-powered software that helps companies better understand and engage their customers, and we’re growing. We’re a rare breed—over the last decade, all-female founder teams have consistently received just 2% of total equity investment by value. The key to receiving this grant? Being deemed a “role model” and committing time to serve publicly in that role. Grant consultants told me I’d likely score highly as an individual — not for founding and fundraising for Sourcerie, but for my volunteer work with Women for Women International and co-founding Alma Angels. But they didn’t think our company, or our extensive professional experience, fit the profile Innovate UK was after. After reviewing past winners, it was clear our chances were slim, and the effort was better spent elsewhere. Essentially, our business was too commercial. While I’m thrilled to see funding go to ANY female founders, there’s still a frustrating double standard here. Society often expects women in business to be "do-gooders"— holding us to higher moral or societal standards beyond just commercial success. Meanwhile, men are celebrated for their ability to build unicorns and drive profit. If this grant is meant to reward role models tackling major societal or environmental challenges, why not make it gender-neutral? And if it’s for women in innovation, shouldn’t the focus be on innovation? What do you think? Thanks to Emmie Faust and everyone else who raised this issue and helped reverse the decision. Looking forward to seeing another 25 female founders receive their grants!

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Building in public #2 The Cirkel Q1,2024 report card. In many ways one of the most successful quarters to date, but probably the most challenging for our team.   Key Stats: - Lifetime sales of £1.5m 💰💰 with 12,500+ items sold & 10,000+ orders - Increased average order value again from £186 to £204.27 (last time around this was £121 to £186) 📈 - We have now created a total of 31k+ listings with a value of almost £4m 👩🏻‍💻 - Repeat customer rate remained high 47% 🙋‍♀️ - Reached over 48K Instagram followers 📲 - Our Net Promotor Score (NPS) was +52 🎯 With high interest rates constraining funding across the start-up ecosystem, (along with many other start-ups) we moved our focus away from growth and towards profitability. We executed a cost cutting plan across all budget lines, which meant reducing the size of our team (the hardest part of the quarter was letting go of some of the people who have been on the journey from the early stages. You know who you are, and we genuinely miss you). We reduced our Ad spend and focused on other areas to drive and optimise sales which ultimately gave us unbelievably low acquisition costs. We focused on continuous improvement and automation reducing manual processing steps across various activities. The result was that we became cashflow positive in March 🤑. A massive milestone to reach! While this feels like a true validation of the business, and a big win for the quarter, our change of focus had a trade-off with growth. Our sales numbers remained static across the period, which feels like a loss following a year of exponential growth.   We’re now excited to be getting back to focusing on more (sustainable) growth in Q2. 💚🛍🌍 Eliza Batten Julien Callede

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