KICKS CREW, LEADING SNEAKER E-COMMERCE PLATFORM, RAISES $6M IN SERIES A FUNDING
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – March 9, 2022 – KICKS CREW, the leading global e-commerce platform for sneakers and apparel, announced today the closing of $6M in Series A funding. The financing was led by Gobi Partners, Pacific Century Group, Icicle Group and DL Securities. The capital raised will assist in strengthening the company's foothold in the U.S. market, attract talent across engineering, product, and marketing teams, and introduce a headquarters in Los Angeles.
The inception of the company dates back to 2008 as a project by Founder and CEO Johnny Mak to pursue a vision in making a sneaker platform that is accessible to all. KICKS CREW’s dynamic platform brings creators, curators, and consumers together in one inclusive community. The company’s B2B2C marketplace model also guarantees product authenticity for consumers as they are the only sneaker marketplace exclusively working directly with retailers of the brands they carry.
The brand's slogan, Find Your Pair, calls for inclusivity and addresses the gap in the current market hyper-focused on limited editions and luxury offerings, despite growing demand and a large addressable market in the general athletic footwear and apparel segment.
"Global adaptability and an ever-evolving mindset have always been in our DNA. With that in mind, we built a platform answering to a diverse community of shoppers seeking products of different functions and price points. Today, we offer a wide variety of products with over 400,000 styles," says Ross Adrian Yip, Co-founder and COO of KICKS CREW. "This well-timed investment is a huge step towards our goal of providing a best-in-class customer experience - by having the widest selection and fastest shipping speed, and for our retailer sellers - a scalable and frictionless selling experience allowing them to seamlessly reach a global audience.”
"In the online sneaker market, most platforms target the relatively niche high-end and collectibles segments, and put less emphasis on the much larger everyday sneaker consumer,” says Chibo Tang, Managing Partner at Gobi Partners Greater Bay Area. "KICKS CREW identified this massive market opportunity and built a trusted brand servicing these customers. We are thrilled to be able to support them as they look to further expand their platform and offerings.”
For more information about KICKS CREW, please visit www.kickscrew.com.
About KICKS CREW
Founded in 2008 by CEO Johnny Mak to make sneakers more accessible to all consumers, KICKS CREW's dynamic platform provides access to a culture that transcends borders, connecting a growing number of creators, curators, and consumers into one inclusive community. Established as one of the most trusted and seamless e-commerce marketplaces for sneakers and expanding into apparel and accessories, KICKS CREW now powers its platform with enterprise-level solutions optimized for efficiency and scale, redefining retail and delivering a shopping experience like no other.
About GOBI PARTNERS GREATER BAY AREA (GBA)
Gobi Partners is a global leading venture capital firm with US$1.2 billion in assets under management, and has backed over 270 startups. Gobi GBA, General Partner (GP) of the Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund (“AEF"), has invested in over 50 startups across 13 countries with 7 unicorns. For more information, please visit gobi.vc.
About PACIFIC CENTURY GROUP
Pacific Century Group (“PCG”) is an Asia-based private investment group established in 1993 with interests across three core business pillars – Technology, Media & Telecommunications, Financial Services and Property. PCG has demonstrated a strong track record of successful investing and has created a long-term sustainable network in Asia and across its core business pillars. For more information, please go to http://www.pcg-group.com/.
About DL HOLDINGS GROUP
DL Holdings Group is a full-licensed financial services and investment group focusing on serving Hong Kong's small and medium market cap growth listed companies and founders’ families. DL Holdings Group consists of DL Holdings Group (1709.HK), DL Securities, DL Capital and DL Family Office. DL Holdings’ assets and investment under management in total exceed 3 billion USD, including 1.4 billion USD from DL Family Office management and advisory.
Website: www.kickscrew.com | Instagram: www.instagram.com/kickscrewcom/
