Trind Ventures invests in SACLÀB, the online marketplace for pre-loved luxury designer bags, as the company raised 1.6 million euros from Trind Ventures and G-Fund. With the funds, the company seeks to tenfold its turnover.
We continue our consumer investments from our second fund with an investment into SACLÁB. In this post, we talk more about this designer handbag resale startup, the journey of its founders, Alexandra and Jan-Oliver, and the investment itself.
Investments are highly competitive – especially in e-commerce, following post-pandemic declines in online sales. The exception: the fashion resale market is booming and has nearly tripled since 2020, showing no signs of slowing down. Headquartered in Munich, the online marketplace SACLÀB specializes in hard-to-find super luxury bags. In the summer of 2022, SACLÀB sold the most expensive handbag ever listed in Germany for €265,000, a rare exotic leather Hermès Birkin 20 Faubourg Sous La Neige.
SACLÀB is the online marketplace for buying and selling pre-loved super luxury handbags by Hermès, Chanel, Dior, and more. Handbags are not traded directly by the community – instead, SACLÀB offers a curated product portfolio and a 360° concierge service for sellers. The whole experience is tailored around the client.
You don’t just buy a designer handbag at this price point. It is important to us to equip buyers with all the information they need and to offer the level of service our products deserve. In addition to virtual advisory appointments, we have also integrated our customer service with a live chat from the very beginning.
Jan-Oliver Stück, Co-founder of SACLÀB
SACLÀB was founded on February 01, 2018, by siblings Alexandra (’89) and Jan-Oliver Stück (’87). Since then, SACLÀB has established a client network in over 20 countries for buying and selling so-called “waitlist bags” and ranks as a top-tier address among collectors worldwide. For the first three years, the company ran completely independently through bootstrapping – a rarity in the fast-paced start-up environment.
When we first founded the company, it was particularly important to us to build a business model that we could scale step by step. That’s why we initially didn’t spend our budget on big PR and marketing measures. This has allowed us to achieve organic, healthy growth across many different areas.
Jan-Oliver Stück
In 2021, the first angel investors joined the company, and now, in 2023, the first seed round has been successfully completed with a 1.6 million euro investment. In addition to the angels, the start-up has convinced two VCs with experience in the marketplace, consumer, and luxury industries.
We are very happy about the seed round and the entry of the two VCs. Their expertise is exactly what we need to take SACLÀB to the next level. Trust and commitment are our top priorities when selecting investors. You always think investors might want to take over leading the company, but that’s not the case. Above all, we wanted investors who shared our point of view. So we were able to increase our capital and benefit significantly from their expertise and network.
Alexandra Stück, Co-founder of SACLÀB
Alexandra and Jan-Oliver have built an incredibly focused market position for SACLÀB with a distinctive full-service operating model. It is the smartest marketplace we have ever seen. The team at SACLÀB will go far and be an important part of the pre-loved luxury market for the industry where Europe is truly a global leader. We are excited to be able to support them on their journey.
Taavi Lepmets, partner at Trind Ventures
Goals and future plans
The capital raised will be used primarily for marketing, HR, and tech infrastructure to expand these areas in a scalable way.
The challenge is to make all these investments profitable to remain as sustainable as possible. Many companies just burn through the money and rely on investment from day one. We don’t want that setup.
Jan-Oliver Stück
We are planning our soft launch in the U.S. this year and creating an online storefront. Besides that, we have many UX/UI improvements coming up to make the selling and buying experience even more smooth and more fun.
Alexandra Stück
SACLÀB adds to the family of marketplaces we have in Trind Ventures Fund II like Xceed, Yaga, and Webel. You can read more about their rounds here. And if you have the next marketplace changing the way we buy and sell this and are looking for seed funding, how about reaching out to us?
