Garment repair app Sojo secures 2.4 million dollars in pre-seed funding

Start-up app Sojo has announced the closing of its pre-seed funding which has seen it raise over 2.4 million dollars in a round led by CapitalT.

Angel investors also involved in the funding round included founder of Depop, Simon Beckerman, ex-COO of Pangaia, Yael Gairola, vice president of menswear at Tom Ford, Peter Hawkings, and founder of Peanut, Michelle Kennedy.

The UK app, which allows users to connect with local seamster businesses through a bicycle delivery service, hopes to expand on its concept of providing consumers with easy access to garment alterations and repairs.

Founded in 2020 by Josephine Philips and launched the following year, the solutions-focused business is looking to further centralise and modernise the tailoring and clothing repair industry through the new funding, with the hope of making a positive impact on fashion’s waste issue.

“It has been so incredible to see such a huge shift when it comes to consumer behaviour regarding sustainable fashion - like witnessing the huge rise of re-sale platforms like Depop,” Philips said in a release.

She continued: “We are so excited to continue to drive circularity in the sector in a new way - through the repair and tailoring of our clothes. Having such a brilliant roster of investors onboard to enable us to have true scale and impact.”

Expanding capabilities and B2B offerings

The company has now raised a total of 2.7 million dollars, which included an angel investment round in September 2021, with a value of 400,000 dollars.

In the same year, Sojo launched a B2B offering with fashion brand Ganni, allowing the label’s London-based customers access to free tailoring and repairs. Sojo said it is planning to take the feature nationwide following the initial pilot stage, with seven new partnerships set to launch in the second quarter of 2022.

The new investment will help the company to scale up its team of five as well as further develop this B2B feature. Currently the app is only available in zones one and two in London, however, Sojo said it is hoping to expand both in the capital city and throughout the rest of the UK.

“We need more circular solutions to minimise the environmental impact of our consumer society,” said Janneke Niessan and Eva de Mol, founding partners of CapitalT. “Bridging this gap between what is being done and what needs to be done is not an easy challenge. Exceptional challenges like these need exceptional founders – like Josephine.”

The duo added: “Josephine is a go-getter who combines visionary strategy with powerful execution like no other. We are excited to back the Sojo team as they make fashion circular.”