Kicks Crew secures 6 million US dollars in Series A funding

Global sneaker and apparel platform Kicks Crew announced the closing of its 6 million US dollars in Series A funding round this week, led by Gobi Partners, Pacific Century Group and Complex China.

In a statement, Kicks Crew said that the capital raised would be used to strengthen the company’s foothold in the US market, including opening a headquarters in Los Angeles and hiring new talents across engineering, product and marketing.

Kicks Crew was founded in 2008 as a project by founder and chief executive Johnny Mak to make a sneaker platform that is accessible to all and brings creators, curators, and consumers together. It currently offers more than 400,000 products across sneakers, apparel and accessories.

Ross Adrian Yip, co-founder and chief operating officer of Kicks Crew, said in a statement: "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.

"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."

Chibo Tang, managing partner at Gobi Partners Greater Bay Area, added: "In the online sneaker market, most platforms target the relatively niche high-end and collectables segments, and put less emphasis on the much larger everyday sneaker consumer.

"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."