Ecommerce & mobility startups in New York

Michael Bruno

Founded 2000 (Paris-origin, NYC-HQ'd) as an online luxury marketplace for high-end furniture, fine art, jewelry and design. IPO'd on Nasdaq (DIBS) in June 2021 at ~$773M valuation, raising ~$112M; a curated,...

** NYC mental-health startup — a membership network + practice-management software for therapists — that raised $130M (Cigna/Optum-backed) to expand; ~$230M+ total. Later acquired by Spring Health. Notable N...

a membership network + practice-management software for therapists — that raised $130M (Cigna/Optum-backed) to expand; ~$230M+ total. Later acquired by Spring Health. Notable NYC behavioral-health platform. - **link:** https://www.crainsnewyork.com/health-care/mental-health-startup-alma-raises-130m-expand-platform/ - **vertical:** ["healthtech", "mental health", "marketplace"] - **stage:** acquired (by Spring Health) ### sw-14 -

NYC mental-health startup — a membership network + practice-management software for therapists — that raised $130M (Cigna/Optum-backed) to expand; ~$230M+ total. Later acquired by Spring Health. Notable NYC ...

** NYC martech leader in SMS/conversational marketing (~$7B peak valuation); serial-founder team (ex-TapCommerce). Continued fundraising activity in 2025. Category-defining NYC marketing-tech scale-up.

Jen Rubio & Steph Korey

** Founded 2015 by two ex-Warby Parker leaders as a D2C travel brand built on a hard-shell suitcase with a built-in battery. Scaled to a ~$1.4B valuation by 2019; CEO Jen Rubio has since navigated the brand ...

Fayez Mohamood, Max Bennett, Mahmoud Arram

Founded 2013; predictive retail-AI platform that unifies shopper identity, behavior and product-catalog data to personalize email, site and ad experiences. Raised a $125M Series E led by Georgian in 2021, re...

Rob Kalin, Chris Maguire, Haim Schoppik

Founded 2005; global marketplace for handmade, vintage and craft goods connecting ~9M sellers with ~90M+ buyers. IPO'd on Nasdaq (ETSY) in 2015; acquired Depop (2021) and Reverb, and remains the anchor of Br...

Henley Vazquez, Evan Frank, Jake Peters

Founded 2021; modern travel-agency platform equipping 15,000+ independent advisors with tools, training and supplier commissions (booking $2.5B+ across 180+ countries). A 2023–25 breakout: $60M Series B & C ...

Arun Gupta, Julian Connor & Jake Metzger

** Founded 2013 as a peer-to-peer resale marketplace for menswear, designer and streetwear, becoming the cultural hub for fashion-forward secondhand shopping. Acquired by GOAT Group in 2022, forming a resale...

Arun Gupta, Julian Connor & Jake Metzger - **venue:** New York, NY - **la:** 40.7128 - **ln:** -74.0060 - **desc:** Founded 2013 as a peer-to-peer resale marketplace for menswear, designer and streetwear, becoming the cultural hub for fashion-forward secondhand shopping. Acquired by GOAT Group in 2022, forming a resale network of 50M+ members across 170 countries. A key NYC fashion-tech/marketplace exit. - **link:** https://www.grailed.com - **vertical:** ["Ecommerce", "Consumer brands"] - **stage:** Acquired (GOAT Group, 2022) --- ## HQ flags — EXCLUDED (not NYC-metro-HQ'd) - **Allbirds** — San Francisco, CA. Public D2C footwear; SF-HQ'd. EXCLUDE. - **The RealReal** — San Francisco, CA (founded/HQ). Luxury resale; not NYC. EXCLUDE. - **Hims & Hers** — San Francisco, CA. Telehealth/D2C; SF-HQ'd (direct Ro competitor). EXCLUDE. - **Oscar Health** — New York, NY, but a health-insurance company, not a consumer/fashion-beauty brand — out of vertical scope. EXCLUDE from this pack. - **Forerunner Ventures** — San Francisco, CA. The premier consumer-brand VC (Warby Parker, Glossier, Away, Chime backer) but SF-HQ'd. EXCLUDE as an NYC record; note as key non-local investor. - **Topicals** — Los Angeles, CA. Founder Olamide Olowe is LA-based; brand HQ'd in LA, not NYC. EXCLUDE. - **Everlane / Rothy's / Cuyana / ThirdLove / Ritual** — all SF Bay Area. EXCLUDE. - **Reformation / Merit / Kosas / Our Place / Parachute / Fabletics / MeUndies** — Los Angeles. EXCLUDE. - **CaaStle** (NYC fashion-tech, clothing-as-a-service infra) — founder Christine Hunsicker charged with and pled guilty to a ~$300M investor fraud (2025–26); company collapsed. EXCLUDED as a credible ecosystem record. ### NYC-metro consumer-brand capital (context, not records) NYC-based consumer VCs / operators worth flagging on the investor side: **Lerer Hippeau** (early backer of Warby Parker, Casper, Allbirds), **Red Antler** (Brooklyn brand-building studio behind Casper, Allbirds, Brandless), **Willow Growth**, **Silas Capital**, and **VMG Partners** (bicoastal). Forerunner (SF) remains the most active non-local consumer investor in NYC brands.

Founded 2013 as a peer-to-peer resale marketplace for menswear, designer and streetwear, becoming the cultural hub for fashion-forward secondhand shopping. Acquired by GOAT Group in 2022, forming a resale ne...

Lauren Santo Domingo & Áslaug Magnúsdóttir - **venue:** New York, NY - **la:** 40.7128 - **ln:** -74.0060 - **desc:** Founded 2010 as a luxury fashion e-commerce pioneer built on the "online trunk show" — letting shoppers pre-order full designer collections straight off the runway. Carries 1,000+ brands across fashion, fine jewelry, home and beauty. A defining NYC luxury-commerce platform. - **link:** https://www.modaoperandi.com - **vertical:** ["Ecommerce", "Consumer brands"] - **stage:** Late-stage private ### 27 -

Founded 2010 as a luxury fashion e-commerce pioneer built on the "online trunk show" — letting shoppers pre-order full designer collections straight off the runway. Carries 1,000+ brands across fashion, fine...

Lauren Santo Domingo & Áslaug Magnúsdóttir

** Founded 2010 as a luxury fashion e-commerce pioneer built on the "online trunk show" — letting shoppers pre-order full designer collections straight off the runway. Carries 1,000+ brands across fashion, f...

Charles Gorra - **venue:** New York, NY - **la:** 40.7128 - **ln:** -74.0060 - **desc:** Founded 2014 as a luxury handbag/accessories resale platform combining e-commerce, stores (NY, LA, Miami) and instant AI-powered buyouts/trade-ins (Clair "Shazam for handbags"). A leading NYC fashion-tech/resale player bringing data and instant liquidity to the secondhand luxury market. - **link:** https://www.rebag.com - **vertical:** ["Ecommerce", "Consumer brands"] - **stage:** Growth-stage private ### 26 -

Founded 2014 as a luxury handbag/accessories resale platform combining e-commerce, stores (NY, LA, Miami) and instant AI-powered buyouts/trade-ins (Clair "Shazam for handbags"). A leading NYC fashion-tech/re...

Charles Gorra

** Founded 2014 as a luxury handbag/accessories resale platform combining e-commerce, stores (NY, LA, Miami) and instant AI-powered buyouts/trade-ins (Clair "Shazam for handbags"). A leading NYC fashion-tech...

Jennifer Hyman & Jennifer Fleiss

** Founded 2009 to rent designer apparel online, pioneering "closet in the cloud" fashion-as-a-service and reverse logistics at scale. IPO'd on Nasdaq (RENT) in 2021 — Jennifer Hyman became the first woman t...

Jennifer Hyman & Jennifer Fleiss - **venue:** Brooklyn, NY (Navy Yard) - **la:** 40.6782 - **ln:** -73.9442 - **desc:** Founded 2009 to rent designer apparel online, pioneering "closet in the cloud" fashion-as-a-service and reverse logistics at scale. IPO'd on Nasdaq (RENT) in 2021 — Jennifer Hyman became the first woman to take public a company with an all-female executive suite. Operates a large Brooklyn HQ and dry-cleaning/logistics operation. - **link:** https://www.renttherunway.com - **vertical:** ["D2C", "Ecommerce"] - **stage:** Public (Nasdaq: RENT) ### 6 -

Founded 2009 to rent designer apparel online, pioneering "closet in the cloud" fashion-as-a-service and reverse logistics at scale. IPO'd on Nasdaq (RENT) in 2021 — Jennifer Hyman became the first woman to t...

Frank Reig, Paul Suhey

Founded 2018; began as a shared electric-moped service, then pivoted (2023) to all-EV rideshare and public fast-charging infrastructure in NYC and the Bay Area. Raised ~$126M (2021) and pursued a ~$200M roun...

Bruce Buchanan

NYC-HQ'd (Sydney-founded, 2012) AI ecommerce-optimization platform that personalizes the transaction/checkout moment for retailers and marketplaces. Reached a $3.5B valuation in a Jan 2025 $335M secondary (T...

Jack Groetzinger, Russ D'Souza

Founded 2009; mobile-first ticketing marketplace and primary-ticketing platform (Deal Score search). A 2020 RedBall SPAC merger (~$1.35B EV) was terminated; filed confidentially for an IPO in 2023 and remain...

Harry Rein, Tiffany Lopinsky, Chris Tinsley

Founded 2020; creator/curated-commerce infrastructure connecting premium brands, tastemakers and shoppers, facilitating $1B+ in annual sales. A 2023–25 breakout: $77.5M Series B (Jan 2025) then $70M at a $1....

Anthony Casalena

Founded 2003; all-in-one website-builder and commerce platform for creators and SMBs (sites, domains, payments, Acuity, Tock). Direct-listed on NYSE (SQSP) in 2021; taken private by Permira in a ~$7B+ deal c...

Daniel Ramot, Oren Shoval

Founded 2012; TransitTech platform selling software to cities and agencies to run on-demand shared transit, paratransit and school-bus routing (rather than a consumer ride-hail app). Raised $1.25B+ over its ...

Tomer Tagrin, Omri Cohen

NYC-HQ'd (Tel Aviv-founded, 2011) ecommerce retention-marketing suite spanning reviews, loyalty, SMS and subscriptions for 30,000+ brands (Patagonia, Steve Madden). Raised $230M Series F (2021) at a $1.4B va...