Kuai Commerce Raises $2.4m for its Social Commerce Solution for Brands Entering China’s $1.7tn Ecommerce Market
Kuai Commerce is delighted to announce the closing of its oversubscribed Pre-Seed Round, raising $2.4m to build its social commerce solution for D2C brands looking to sell in the world’s largest ecommerce market, China.
Kuai’s tech-enabled services provide market entry and brand acceleration options for emerging category-leaders who otherwise would find the complexity of China prohibitively challenging. Its full stack solution enables partner brands to sell directly to Gen-Z consumers through the power of social commerce. Kuai’s founding team has almost two decades of combined tech and market entry experience, supporting over 120 companies in China.
This Pre-Seed Round will fund the build and launch of Kuai’s social commerce solution, hire key team members as well as build brand partnerships within its first category focus, clean beauty.
Given China’s scrapping of it’s Zero Covid policy leading to increasing consumer confidence, timing for Kuai Commerce could not be better.
Kuai Commerce Investors
Kuai Commerce’s Seed Round was led by Playfair Capital with participation from Haatch Ventures, Portfolio Ventures and Unbundled VC. In addition they have industry leading Angels and domain experts participating in the round including the Ex-MD of Alibaba UK, tech investors such as Will Neale, ecommerce specialists like the CEO of One Retail Group and successful Chinese influencers.
About Kuai Commerce
Kuai was founded by Jonny Plein, Adam Knight and James Campbell.
Jonny Plein is an exited tech entrepreneur having built, scaled and sold the ecommerce browser extension business Pouch. Adam and James bring 8+ years of market entry and brand-building experience from their previous roles as cofounders of TONG, Europe’s leading China-focused agency. They met at the University of Oxford, where they both studied Chinese.
Together they bring deep tech, finance and marketing experience as well as an existing network of suppliers, brands, content creators and influencers that will power Kuai’s success.
Working with Kuai
Kuai is a next generation solution for ambitious brands looking to sell directly to Chinese Gen Z consumers through the power of social commerce. Its unique model mitigates risk and maximises reward, with a focus on long-term partnerships.
Kuai’s first category focus will be China’s emerging clean beauty sector. If you are a brand operating in this space and would like to explore potential market entry options then visit www.kuaicommerce.com
Quotes
“The Chinese ecommerce market is an extremely enticing one for Western brands, but the challenges of doing business there are nontrivial. Many brands never get started in China, whilst others receive piecemeal, misaligned and substandard service from a hotchpotch of uncoordinated service providers. Kuai’s tech first, full stack approach, combined with the incredibly deep and rich market experience of the team accumulated over many years, is a compelling proposition for any brand wanting to build a successful long-term business in China. We’re incredibly excited to be working with the team on this journey. ”
Chris Smith — Managing Partner of Playfair Capital
“I’m very excited about what the Kuai Commerce team is building because they offer ambitious brands an attractive and profitable new way to enter the world’s largest and most challenging ecommerce market. The founders have exceptional and varied experience both in and out of China, and a strong understanding of how to help brands scale. Chinese consumers remain hungry to discover new brands from overseas, and love to experiment with new ways of shopping: I’m very confident that Kuai’s tech-first and social commerce approach to scaling brands in China can deliver in both of those areas.”
David Lloyd — Ex-GM of Alibaba UK, Netherlands & Nordics
“Our social commerce solution is a market-expanding technology, meaning brands that wouldn’t even consider China before now have a real opportunity to build a profitable business there. Ecommerce in the West is having a tough moment but we believe we are working on the most lucrative opportunity of the next decade. Entering China with Kuai Commerce can be genuinely transformative for category leading brands who are currently struggling for growth in their home markets.”
Jonny Plein — Cofounder of Kuai Commerce
Links-
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonnyplein/,
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamdknight/,
